Ford and Holden 2.0: New Australian-made cars that make Commodore and Falcon look like dinosaurs

Australian manufacturing is experiencing a renaissance.

When Ford and Holden finally closed the Australian store a few years ago, it seemed like a curtain had closed for good on the golden age of the Australian car industry, given that the former homegrown heroes were the last two marques still making cars.

They said it was too expensive. Labor costs were too high and our market was too small, and somewhere along the way the numbers just didn't add up.

But fast forward to 2021, when automotive manufacturing in Australia is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. From vehicles to be built from the ground up here to vehicles remanufactured for our market, there will soon be a plethora of Australian made vehicle options.

Here are five brands that are either building cars here or planning to do so to keep an eye on.

Non-export / WORLD

Utah visualization based on BYD Tang

The company is not yet building vehicles in Australia, but Nexport says its investment in Chinese electric vehicle brand BYD could see the company build an all-electric car in Australia (New South Wales, to be exact) as early as 2023.

The vehicle is still at the prototype stage, but the company has already invested in land in Moss Vale, which it sees as its future manufacturing center, and Nexport says it wants BYD to become a top five player in Australia, which is largely contributes to the inclusion of a model with a double cab.

“It’s not as wild as the Tesla Cybertruck,” Nexport CEO Luke Todd says of the new car. “In fact, it will be a very desirable, practical and very spacious double cab pickup or ute.

“It's hard to decide if we want to call it a ute or a pickup. Clearly, models like the Rivian R1T are pickups, and more in that vein than the classic Holden or Ford.

"It's more like a luxury car that also has more cargo capacity in the back."

ACE EV Group

ACE X1 Transformer is several cars in one

Based in South Australia, ACE EV Group has been keeping a close eye on the commercial vehicle market, having already begun taking orders for its Yewt (ute), Cargo and Urban passenger vehicle.

If you thought the Hyundai Santa Cruz was small, wait until you get your hands on a Yewt with a single, bite-sized cab that can haul 500kg, reach speeds of up to 100km/h, and provide a range of up to 200km. with 30 kWh lithium motor. -ion ​​battery.

Both the Cargo and Urban are no doubt quirky too, but the group's first truly mainstream offering will be the X1 Transformer, a van built on a modular architecture that will cater to a traditional short and long wheelbase, as well as a high and low roof. may even spawn ute.

The exciting part is that it can become any of the above vehicles in just 15 minutes.

“For busy trucking companies with their large distribution centers, the X1 allows them to install a pre-packaged module directly on their electric platform and be on the road in 15 minutes,” says ACE chief Greg McGarvey.

“A single platform can carry any desired cargo module – van or passenger car, high or low roof – so it constantly works out its content, no matter what each individual cargo mission is.”

The X1 Transformer will go into pre-production in November with full testing in April 2021, according to the company.

Premkar

Warrior is a Nissan/Premcar production.

The traditional production of passenger cars in Australia may have been discontinued, but in its place a new industry has arisen in which international cars are significantly modified for our market and our conditions.

Take, for example, the Nissan Warrior program, which sees the Navara handed over to Premcar's large engineering team, where it becomes the Navara Warrior.

To get there, Premcar adds a winch-compatible safari-style bulbar beam, front skid plate, and 3mm steel underbody protection.

There are new Cooper Discoverer All Terrain Tire AT3 tires, increased ride height and off-road oriented suspension that have been tuned in Australia.

“We're really proud of what we've done in the Warrior program,” Premcar CTO Bernie Quinn told us. “It's important for us to note that Nissan really trusts us with its brand. They pass it on (Navara PRO-4X) to us and trust that we will provide something that fits their brand.

Walkinshaw Group / GMSV

Amarok W580 is a beast

The Walkinshaw Group has been on a roll over the past few years, comprehensively redesigning a host of GM models for the Australian market (think the Camaro and Silverado), partnering with RAM Trucks Australia for their 1500, and most recently shaping the new GMSV from the ashes. Holden and HSV in our market.

But they are clearly not only American specialists, the company is also partnering with Volkswagen Australia to supply the hardcore Amarok W580.

Upgraded suspension, outstanding styling, increased ground clearance and a custom exhaust system with twin tailpipes exiting at the rear, combine to form an Australian-adapted vehicle.

“Walkinshaw has done a comprehensive overhaul of the stock Amarok suspension… to maximize traction and improve the handling of the W580,” says VW.

H2X Global

H2X Warrego - Hydrogen Ranger.

At the same time last year, hydrogen car company H2X said it was finalizing a fleet of moving prototypes and looking for manufacturing space for a range of fuel cell vehicles, including the ute, which the brand was confident would be built in Australia.

“This is definitely Australia,” H2X boss Brendan Norman told us.

“Of course, we could be a little cheaper (offshore), but at the same time, this country should be able to do everything itself.

“We are very good at everything, we have some very smart people and I support the talent we need to make us competitive.

“Remarkable people live here. If Korea can do it at a similar cost of living, then there's no reason we can't either."

The news has been a bit quiet lately - funding issues, obviously - but this month we saw what H2X is working on with the introduction of the Ford Ranger-based Warrego, with the company using the Ford T6 platform to build the car. very different from the workhorse we are used to.

The diesel engine is a thing of the past, and in its place lives a 66kW or 90kW hydrogen fuel cell powertrain that powers an electric motor up to 220kW. There is also a 60kW to 100kW supercapacitor energy storage system (depending on trim) that is mainly used to supply electricity when the car is parked. Gone is the traditional Ford Ranger pricing structure, too, with the H2X Warrego starting at $189,000 and going up to an incredible $250,000 for the top model.

The car will be fully presented on the Gold Coast in November, before the date of sale in 2022. Where exactly the transformations will take place has not yet been specified.