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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MELBOURNE 000125 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EIND ECON ETRD AS
SUBJECT: Australian Auto Industry Braces for Tough Times 
 
REF: Canberra 100; Canberra 1079 
 
MELBOURNE 00000125  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Australian automotive industry, headquartered in 
Victoria, is in for tough times.  With Toyota worried, GM/Holden 
pressed and Ford on the ropes, industry leaders are expressing 
concern over the future of Australia's biggest manufacturing 
industry.  A perfect storm is brewing for an auto industry facing 
tightening credit, changing consumer tastes, lower tariffs, a 
domestic components market on the rocks, trouble in the U.S. parent 
headquarters all compounded by what was already a cyclical downturn 
in the industry.  Pessimistic predictions of the end of the 
Australian auto industry still appear to be premature, but there is 
anxiety in Port Melbourne.  End Summary. 
 
Trouble Ahead 
------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Contacts at GM/Holden, Toyota and the Victorian Government 
told ConGen pol/econoff and visiting Embassy Canberra econ officer 
on October 29 that the Australian automotive industry is in for 
tough times.  According to GM/Holden's Associate Director for 
Government Affairs, Samantha Read, the automobile market in 
Australia is "softening" in part due to the international financial 
crisis and concern over what it will mean for Australia.  She said 
GM/Holden, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in November, has 
seen a 10 percent drop in sales over the last quarter and 
anticipates that third quarter figures will be worse yet. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Toyota's Manager for Government Affairs, Peter Griffin was 
more upbeat in expectations for his company.  Griffin anticipates 
that the global financial crisis may result in reduced consumer 
spending over the next few years, but said that he is uncertain how 
this will affect the Australian auto industry.  He believes that the 
total Australian market for cars (sales exceeded one million in 2007 
for the first time) will contract in 2008-09.  The very strong 
(until recently) Australian dollar hurt Toyota (and Holden) exports, 
so the recent drop in the Australian dollar (ref B) was welcome; 
Griffin said the "sweet spot" for the Australian dollar from 
Toyota's perspective was around US80 cents.  Griffin was concerned 
about Ford and GM/Holden; Toyota needs other auto manufacturers to 
maintain a sufficiently large platform for the auto industry. 
"Having four companies was really good," Griffin said, alluding to 
the now-expired Mitsubishi Australia, "we don't want to have fewer 
than three." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ray Doyle and Geoff Susans of the Industry and Trade 
Division in Victoria's Department of Innovation, Industry and 
Regional Development (DIIRD) painted a far grimmer picture.  Doyle 
said Ford, which announced that it will scale back production in 
Australia by 20 percent starting November 4, is in a "weak position" 
to come through the current downturn.  Difficulties in obtaining 
financing for new car sales have clogged dealership floors and 
reduced franchise profits; Doyle said sales are so poor that there 
are ships with new cars waiting at the port because there is "no 
room" for additional cars in the receiving facilities.  The 
automotive industry is anxiously awaiting the Commonwealth 
government's response to the report of the auto industry chaired by 
former Victoria Premier Steve Bracks (which could be out this week). 
 Analysts within the Industry and Trade Division, however, predict 
that any government assistance to Victoria's automotive industry may 
be "too little, too late." 
 
Keeping Up With a Changing Market 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The six cylinder sedan - the iconic Holden Commodore and 
Ford Falcon - has traditionally been Australia's car of choice; 
GM/Holden and Ford are heavily invested in these models.  But higher 
fuel costs and concern over greenhouse gas emissions are leading 
more Australians to prefer smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles, 
(these same factors made Mitsubishi's six-cylinder M380 model 
unprofitable from the beginning, reftel), while growing SUV sales 
have squeezed the six cylinder sedans at the top end of the market. 
Ford Australia and GM/Holden are poorly positioned to keep up with 
changing consumer demands.  Neither manufactures a four cylinder 
model in Australia (the Toyota Camry is the only locally produced 
four cylinder car).  While Ford Australia hopes to begin producing 
the four cylinder Focus model in Victoria in 2011, some observers 
worry that it might be too late.  Toyota will begin producing a 
hybrid Camry in Australia in late 2009, taking advantage of a new 
GOA "green car" incentive program.  Griffin told us that, contrary 
 
MELBOURNE 00000125  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
to media reports from earlier this year when the award was made, the 
A$35 million grant was "decisive" in Toyota's decision to produce 
those hybrids in Australia. 
 
Finance Drying Up 
----------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Responding to the international financial crisis and credit 
crunch, both GMAC (General Motors Acceptance Corporation) and GE 
(General Electric) announced in October that they would cease to 
provide car financing services in Australia.  According to 
GM/Holden, GMAC provided 45 percent of financing for new Holden 
purchases and their withdrawal is already having an impact.  The 
limited financing available to dealerships and franchises has led to 
a sharp decline in new car sales.  Dealers, according to Doyle at 
Victoria DIIRD, are considering auctioning some of their stock at 
below-market prices in order to move inventory and stay afloat; this 
sort of move would not help pull through additional vehicles from 
factories.  In a private forum held on October 13, Steve Bracks 
noted that access to finance will be a "major challenge" for the 
auto industry due to the tightening of credit. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Scarce credit is also impacting Australia's fragile 
components manufacturing sector.  Criticized for being too 
fragmented and lacking the scale necessary to compete with foreign 
manufacturers, Australia's automotive component sector is in "real 
trouble" says the Australian Industry Group (AIG).  According to 
Innes Willox, AIG's Director for International Relations, automotive 
components manufacturers cannot access capital to fund mergers and 
carry out business because banks consider these companies to be too 
"risky."  One component manufacturer employing 300 people has 
already gone under and Willox fears that others may follow suit. 
(Note: The components sector is a key part of Australia's vertically 
integrated automotive industry.  Many components for domestically 
produced vehicles are sourced locally from these companies.  If they 
go under, there would be little economic reason to assemble autos in 
Australia from foreign-sourced components.  End note.) 
 
Importance of the Middle East 
----------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Foreign markets are critical for Toyota, which exports 70 
percent of its Australian production, and GM/Holden, which exports 
50 percent (by contrast, Ford only exports 5000 cars a year, to New 
Zealand - leaving it nearly 100 percent reliant on the small 
Australian market).  For both Toyota and GM/Holden, the Middle East 
is the primary export destination for domestically manufactured 
automobiles.  This was a key reason Australia began negotiations 
with the Gulf Cooperation Council for an FTA.  But, according to 
DIIDR's Doyle, Saudi Arabia has held up a potential FTA with 
Australia even though it has no domestic automobile manufacturing 
sector to protect because they are thinking of making cars in the 
future.  Should a major car producer like Japan win a preferential 
trade deal with Saudi Arabia and the GCC, AIG's Willox said, 
Australia's share of that significant market would find itself in 
very rough waters. 
 
Snapshot of the Australian Auto Industry 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Automobiles are Australia's largest manufactured export 
(US$4 billion).  The industry employs approximately 64,000 people. 
In 2007, Australian parts and accessory imports from the United 
States were valued at $402 million, an increase of 12 percent from 
2006, and total car sales were approximately 1,049,000.  Currently, 
81 percent of automobiles sold in Australia are imports; domestic 
industry produces approximately 300,000, many of which are exported. 
 The collapse of Mitsubishi Australia in February 2008 (reftel) left 
Australia with three car companies: Ford, GM/Holden and Toyota. 
 
¶10. (U) The automotive industry is of strategic importance to the 
Australian economy.  Major macroeconomic factors such as growth, 
employment, technological progress and the rate of innovation are 
all strongly influenced by the automotive industry.  It is a key 
driver of economic growth and provides large benefits to the economy 
through the education and training of employees; the introduction of 
new technologies; design and engineering capabilities; operational 
and managerial concepts; and its contribution to further global 
integration. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Most observers expect that Australian tariffs on 
 
MELBOURNE 00000125  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
automobiles will be lowered in 2010 according to schedule from 10 
percent to 5 percent.  Industry leaders expect some measure of 
government assistance to accompany the reduction in tariffs, but 
some are expressing concern over a perfect storm in the auto 
industry.  Tightening credit, changing consumer tastes, lower 
tariffs, a domestic components market on the rocks, and trouble in 
the U.S. parent headquarters are compounding what was already a 
cyclical downturn in Australia's automotive industry.  While 
pessimistic predictions of the end of Australia's auto industry 
still appear premature, anxiety and uncertainty about the industry's 
future are pervasive. 
 
THURSTON