Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon? No, Australian vehicle development is now focused on vehicles such as the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500.

Premcar has built nearly 1000 units of the new Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior.

Mass-produced cars in Australia may have disappeared with the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore sedans, but engineering skills have truly come alive with models such as the Nissan Navara, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500.

Premcar in Epping, Melbourne, will design and rebuild Nissan's flagship Navara Pro-1000X Warrior, soon to hit the 4-unit milestone.

Based on the Navara Pro-4X, it would take the Premcar team about 10 hours to implement a series of upgrades to turn it into a Warrior that is still fully supported by Nissan and even has the same five-year/unlimited mileage. factory warranty.

Changes from the standard Nissan ute include a Safari-style winch-compatible roll bar, increased underbody protection, retuned and raised suspension, wider track, all-terrain tires and unique styling cues, all designed, tested and approved. locally.

While the Pro-4X Warrior is approaching 1000 units completed, it still lags behind its predecessor, the N-Trek Warrior, which produced about 1400 units from 2019 to 2021.

But Premcar won't stop at the Navara, as the firm has already confirmed plans to apply the Warrior treatment to the large Patrol SUV and hinted that a partnership with Nissan could bring more value.

Premcar CTO Bernie Quinn praised his team for their work on the Navara Warrior program and also praised Australia's "world's best talent" in vehicle development.

“We've been hard at work on Warrior 2.0 almost from the moment we finished the first Warrior, first in design and development, and now building what we consider to be the world's most durable Navara,” he said.

“This is much more than a set of stickers. This is a meticulously redesigned vehicle designed, engineered and built by some of the world's most talented automotive experts right here in Victoria.

“This is not only a victory for Nissan and Premcar, but for the automotive industry as a whole. We've always had the best talent in the world and it's such a pleasure to watch them build the world's best cars again."

Meanwhile, Ford boasts the largest team of automotive engineers, designers and technicians in Australia with over 2500 automotive-specific employees and will spend more than $2.5 billion on research and development from 2016.

Undoubtedly, the crown in Ford Australia's engineering crown is the development of the current Ranger ute and Everest SUV models, which will be replaced in the near future by next-generation versions in which the local team also played a vital role. fetus.

It's no exaggeration to say that the Ranger is Ford Australia's most important model, the best-selling model in Australia in 2021, and it accounts for a staggering 70 percent of the brand's total sales last year.

Suffice it to say that a lot depends on the next generation model, but the engineering team has been hard at work trying to build a better Ranger, with changes including a longer wheelbase and wider track, as well as cabin space. engine compartment for powerful V6 engines.

Like the outgoing Ranger, the new version will be offered in 180 countries around the world, including the US, China and the UK, with each model bringing a bit of Australia with it.

Finally, Walkinshaw Group, based in Melbourne's Clayton South, has had a hand in designing and upgrading not one, but two large American trucks for Australian roads.

Through GMSV, the firm imports the Chevrolet Silverado before stripping and converting the full-size truck to RHD, and its American Special Vehicles (ASV)-branded partnership with Ateco Automotive does the same with the Ram 1500.

Both models were designed to Australian design rules and, as the Ram Australia website quotes, "Our trucks are built in Australia by Australians to meet the needs of the Australian market."

Just as Ford and Holden were forced to move with the market and abandon the Falcon and Commodore, it looks like local engineers and developers have moved into more popular segments like cars and pickups.