$500 million green car fund could come early
10 Jun, 2008
30 Comments 
The Federal government’s promised $500 million green car fund could come earlier than its 2011 start date to encourage Australian manufacturers to speed up production of a locally made hybrid car, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.
The announcement comes after the NSW Premier volunteered his government’s fleet as the first customer for a locally manufactured hybrid. The Federal government has also promised to consider replacing its 4,000+ commonwealth fleet with locally made hybrid cars by 2020.
The Labor government’s Green Car Innovation Fund was an election promise to help car manufacturers develop energy efficient and greenhouse gas reducing technology from 2011. But the government has now realised, why wait?
“On the green car fund, the half billion dollar fund, my understanding also is that that fund can also in part be brought forward, I want to see an Australian hybrid car, manufactured hybrid car, as soon as possible, for two reasons. One is for those Australian motorists that like buying Australian manufactured cars, to give them that option.
Second, in terms of the impact on fuel prices, I think it’s really important for people to have that as an option at home as well in terms of dealing with this horrible impact of rising oil prices that affects family motorists.” he told reporters in Kyoto.
The Prime Minister is currently on a week long tour of Japan and is expected to visit Toyota executives at the Big T’s international headquarters in Nagoya today. The most interesting news will be the official announcement for hybrid Camry production at the company’s Altona plant in Melbourne. The Camry is already the best selling Australian made car.
Despite the meeting with Toyota, Mr Rudd says the fund will be accessible to all local car makers and not specific to any particular technology or brand. Meanwhile, the next-generation Camry is scheduled for sale by 2010.
Given that Toyota already has a massive head start in the hybrid game, would the money be better spent on Ford and Holden?
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:46 am
In response to your “Given that Toyota already has a massive head start in the hybrid game, would the money be better spent on Ford and Holden?”…………….my response is yes to spend elsewhere.
So much for CRUD DUD RUDD supporting smaller car production downunder - e.g. Ford Focus or more importantly hydrogen or Holden who will be building small cars downunder! But then again hybrids are reliant on petrol and is revenue and what do Governments manage! Taxpayers $!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe Dud Rudd can pass hard comments on whaling and activities where Japan should not be. But then again this weak thing of a PM stood for better living qualities through controlling interest rates, petrol and cost of living expenses to be kept in bay.
On my way to Cairns I was stunned to read ‘The Australian’ how unions are railroading mass pay rises across huge sector (think it was Public Servants) amounting to 27%. Maybe this wally PM can sort out inflationary fears of constant pay rises as one second he states “We need to keep the cost of living down” and next second he is without foundation to stop payrises willy nilly which are the “very fabric” that increase inflation. What amazes me is 99% of people “CANT” see this and just believe DUD RUDD!
Any attack on me is just that……….without substance and fact is if you do attack me then you support an increase in inflation whilst believing the very platform Rudd stood for at last election = you fools! This man bleated, commented willy nilly and even went out of way to constantly comment on it…………and now he thinks we should ignore history to his comments!
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Further…..this weak PM could comment that flights have been greatly stopped into Cairns and will impact revenue. Maybe be a man of depth and real substance and not a joke and comment what measures are being really chased to make up for more flights into Cairns and whether Rudd is truly courting other plane providers for this! This is a major concern and is related to high fuel costs (of which he has been nigh on useless to control or impact its flowon effect on what consumers pay).
Anyway this guy irks me and he a wally and the ALP are seeing this clearly! Its not cause he is legendary smart as a pollie…..rather Howard’s time was up and door was shut on Coalition.
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:53 am
And bear in mind the ALP never supported the war on terror or troops going overseas……….Dud Rudd delivers another backflip as nothing changed there except hoodwinked all who voted for this weak man!
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June 10th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Get a life mate, give the money to toyota at least they will be able to actually build hybrid vehicles in Oz. What you are now seeing is all that HSV/FPV development time and money coming back to haunt these two. Yup I know they are both profitable but no diesel, no hybrid technology just a lot of huff and puff about big v8’s. It’s not the sixties anymore guys..and wait until fuel hits $2.10 - $2.50, then these two are really gonna bleed, the worst is yet to come.
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June 10th, 2008 at 10:32 am
And yes it’s gonna hit their fleet sales as well, big time, and this is their CORE business, they truly don’t have a clue what they are doing, so why give them 500k.
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June 10th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Hey Naughtyius, with the amount necessities have gone up in the last 6 months, nothing can be done to halt inflation on those. As prices go up, people want more money to keep their lifestyle, so they will either ask for more money or find another job. Inflation is not caused solely by people wanting more pay. At present, the skyrocketing inflation is coming from fuel costs and the flow on effects through the economy.
As for Toyota getting some of this green car fund, I think if they are manufacturing cars locally they are entitled to get a portion of the fund. Ford and Holden can get hybrid technology from their overseas partners just as easy as Toyota can. In the US you can get (or soon will) hybrids of the following GM and Ford models: Ford Escape, Saturn Aura, Saturn Vue (Captiva clone), Chev Malibu, Ford Fusion (late 2008), Ford Edge (2009) and the long awaited Chevy Volt (late 2009-2010).
So Ford and Holden definitely cannot cry foul when it comes to getting their share of the cash.
If This Green Car Fund can make it economical to manufacture hybrid Camrys, Falcons, Commodores, Focuses, etc it will be a good thing. It will help electric vehciles get a start in our very heavily petroleum based transport sector.
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June 10th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Naughtyius maximumus, it looks like you’re not in the 70% of the population who approves of Rudd as PM.
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June 10th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Naughtyius Maximus - I think the thing with Rudd is similar to what happened in the USA with George W Bush…. that is at the last election not that many people actually voted for Rudd but even fewer people voted for Howard. so The Milky Bar Kid won by default.
The reason being people were scared that if Howard won hed retire and the country would be run by “Abbott and Costello”. Mind you could you could you imagine say Peter Garrett as our PM?
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June 10th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Your words are spot on Naughtyius Maximus, That famous pharse has come back to haunt us “
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June 10th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Your words are spot on Naughtyius Maximus, that famous phrase has come back to haunt us, “THIS IS THE RECESSION WE HAD TO HAVE” and we are heading towards that direction this year, now the government wants to waste money on greedy Toyoda with Golf Cart technology they know down right gov money is not needed, my Australia economy blowout prediction will hit before christmas or even earlier..
Bring Back the Libs, Dud Rudd is hopeless he forgets the senior citizen’s who built this country with blood sweat and tears. I bet my left leg he’s wife hasn’t adopted a pensioner.
SHAME !! SHAME !! SHAME !! THE CRUD RUD AND SWAN DIVE SHOW !!!!
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June 10th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
KEVIN RUDD IS OUR MOST FABULOUS PRIME MINISTER EVER!!!
YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE PARTY AT MY PLACE ON THE NIGHT HE WAS ELECTED. OUT OF FIFTY TWO PEOPLE, ONLY 3 VOTED FOR JOHNNY.
SEE KEV GO, HE’S KEEPING ALL HIS PROMISES!
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June 10th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
PROMISES THAT MISS THE MARK IN REALITY. JOHNNY’S TIME WAS UP BUT WE DON’T NEED A UNION HUNGRY PARTY DESTROYING EMPLOYER CONFIDENCE, SEEN THE LATEST JOB NEWS GOLF, HAVE A READ BELOW.
Jobless rate tipped to rise
June 10, 2008 - 11:31AM
Source: ABC
There are more signs unemployment is on the way up, with a survey finding employers are starting to reassess their need for more staff.
The National Australia Bank’s (NAB) monthly business survey shows business confidence remained low in May after a large drop over the past six months.
The bank’s head of Australian economics, Jeff Oughton, says employment growth has been strong, but that is starting to change.
“Looking ahead you still see this slowdown in sales and profits feeding into the job market now,” he said.
“Employers are scaling back production and their hiring intentions. As that’s sustained, you expect to see the economy slow and the unemployment rate to rise and inflation pressures to ease.”
Meanwhile the ANZ job advertisement series slipped in May, with the number of newspaper and internet employment notices down 1.7 per cent overall.
Newspaper job advertisements have plunged 13.5 per cent.
ANZ’s co-head of Australian economics, Sally Auld, says that is the biggest monthly decline in almost eight years.
“We are seeing a loss of momentum in job ads growth,” he said.
“I think what that’s telling us is maybe we’ll see a modest slowdown in the monthly employment numbers over the next couple of months.”
Ms Auld says the job advertisement survey is consistent with other softer figures on economic activity.
“It might be reflecting caution on the part of employers about hiring new staff in an environment where we’ve got tighter credit conditions,” she said.
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June 10th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
It’s just speculation at this point. Embittered people who still go on with that intellectually bankrupt union rot need to get with reality. Rudd is in a position to arrest as much of the credit crisis/ oil crisis as he can whether he does or not remains to be seen. He has made some dumb moves lately but kept most of his promises (kyoto,work choices, troops) so STFU. Unions taking over? That was manufactured by Howard because he needed to scare people- he did nothing constructive in the latter days of his term. Rudd isn’t brilliant but its a step in the right direction . The liberal alternative wasn’t much better- smug pedo-grin Costelloe.
Liberal sheep with worn out sphincters are out of touch with reality- perhaps you should try and stick to topic, take a valium and lie down.
Speaking of the topic; I read somewhere some of the innovation fund is up for grabs to the other manufactuers if they reduce CO2 and consumption.
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June 10th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
My political colours are clear to see, but I really wrote that just to stir up a hornets’ nest and demonstrate that political opinions are best kept out of the discussion arena.
It’s naive in the extreme to believe this wouldn’t have happened had the former government retained power. Interest rates were well on the way up then. The global credit crunch was in full swing and the oil producing nations were already experiencing a tummy ache that gets passed rapidly around the world.
So let’s just applaud the fact that someone - anyone, but it turned out to be Rudd - said, righto, we can do something about this, or we can choose not to do something about this. He’s doing something, and the car makers are getting down and partying along.
We can too. Or we can stay sulking at the edge of the playing field with our arms crossed, blurting “I’m not playing!”
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June 10th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
gee hasnt this gotten political?
im curious as to how the so called fund works.
is it first in gets the lot?
or do they only get what they need.
i mean toyota would only need funding to slightly change a production line as the development on a hybrid tech already exists,
whereas for ford and holden they woul dneed loot for part development too
im actually surprised it has taken toyota that long to take up a government offer.
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June 10th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
With a lauded 30% saving over a standard Camry happy days ahead indeed!
Funny thing Toyota already make these in Japan
don”t they. …and u know what I bet Toyota needs every bit of the 35 mill.
Working Families will flock to these like a Unionist to a smoko.
All Chairman Crud had to do was stop the diesel ripoff and we would all happily buy diesels.
Doesn’t sound green enough I suppose.
The chairman of political spin teaming with the Kings of automotive spin. Should be a marriage made in heaven.
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June 10th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Dud Rudd = Hybrid’s for everyone, Oh I can’t wait to drive a Golf Cart on the tarmac.
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June 10th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
So you people still think what governments in power actually manners. Cute.
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June 10th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I think he is speaking Mandarin in this photo. See how is smile is tailored for Asian sensibilities!
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June 10th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Gee TP I bet you’ve got your Toyota pyjamas on already!
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June 10th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
No; It’s a little known fact but Rudd also speaks fluent Minka [Whale]
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
NM is dead right and wheelnut is right Bush finished off the USA sellout to Europe,Rudds hear to sell us out to Asia.
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
It doesn’t, please enlighten us, TP.
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
It doesn’t? please enlighten us, TP ( assuming you haven’t torque steered your car bed out of a window)
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
HAHAHAH I bet TP’s mum is tired of cleaning the “petrol” off his sheets.
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
and cleaning the oil and battery acid off he’s PJ’s, HAHAHAHAHAHA.
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June 10th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
LMAO!
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June 10th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Damn I hate it when you can see his lips move. Milky bars for everyone??????
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June 23rd, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Have we bought a hybrid white elephant?
Retiring Labor senator George Campbell has taken a parting shot at the Rudd Government’s decision to provide Toyota with $35 million to build a Camry hybrid in Australia.
The former boss of the manufacturing workers union says the Government could be buying “a pig in a poke” with the Camry deal. In other words, Kevin Rudd has signed the deal in a hurry without really understanding what he’s getting.
“What disturbs me about it is that it seems to me we’re buying old technology,” he has told the The Sydney Morning Herald.
He has a point. The Camry hybrid we’ll get is based on the same technology as the current Prius, which is essentially almost a decade old. By 2010, both General Motors and Toyota are aiming to have much more efficient plug-in hybrids based on the latest battery technology.
So why has the Government been so keen to secure the deal? And why is it giving the world’s most profitable car company a $35 million hand-out when the company itself says it was going to bring the hybrid Camry to Australia anyway?
Add to that the fact that all the components for the hybrid drivetrain in the Camry will be imported from Japan, and the net worth to Australia of the deal begins to become a little dubious.
Senator Campbell suggests the generosity may be tied in with local manufacturing jobs more than genuine environmental concerns.
Toyota has been very vocal about the fact that its Australian manufacturing operation, including its export business, is looking less attractive to head office because of the high labour costs and the strength of the Australian dollar.
Senior management says the local operation’s biggest threat isn’t Holden and Ford, but other Toyota plants around the world. The company now has Camry plants in seven countries around the globe, including China, Russia and Thailand.
Was Mr Rudd’s decision more about keeping Camry production in Australia and less about delivering a greener future for Australian motorists?
After all, 10,000 hybrid Camrys, some of which are likely to substitute for Priuses, are hardly going to put much of a dent in our automotive industry’s global footprint, given that Australians buy one million new cars every year.
So do you think Senator Campbell’s on the money or is the Camry deal an important step towards a greener future for the Australian car industry?
Richard Blackburn
Posted on June 23, 2008 4:24 PM
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July 16th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Well duders I`m going to buy an all electric Mitsubishi Miev while I`m working over here in ricey ricey land. Then when I come back I`m gonna charge it up from my solary wolery panels on my Aussie house. No more fuel to pay and the electricity grid already pays me instead of the reverse. Hmmmmm Me tinks Hybrid is dinosaur. I am smug and I don`t like smog.
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