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A substantial car industry was created in Australia in the 20th century through the opening of Australian plants by international manufacturers. The first major carmaker was Ford Australia and the first Australian-designed mass production car was manufactured by Holden in 1948. Australian manufacture of cars rose to a maximum of almost half a ...
Colonel Harley Tarrant built his first car in 1901. After a small number of motor vehicles were built, it became apparent that it was uneconomic to build indigenous vehicles, in the face of overseas technology. Tarrant assumed the responsibility for distribution of Ford automobiles in Victoria in 1908, and production of Tarrants ceased. The ...
The first Fairlane, released in 1959, was an Australian-assembled version of the US Fairlane. Assembly of US cars continued until 1967, when Ford Australia designed its own luxury car, the ZA Fairlane. Heavily based on the existing XR Falcon, it had an extended wheelbase, longer boot and modest styling changes.
Production: 120,402 examples The Holden 48-215 was the first Australian made and designed vehicle on the market, based on a stillborn Chevrolet design. Powered by a 132 cubic inch Inline 6, built by Holden, but like the car itself, based on an American design. This first model was built exclusively in Port Melbourne at the Holden Headquarters.
Besides manufacturing Australia's best selling car, which was exported in significant numbers, Holden continued to export many locally produced engines to power cars made elsewhere. In this decade, Holden adopted a strategy of importing cars it needed to offer a full range of competitive vehicles. [119]
Devaux Cars (2001–present) H2X Australia; Jacer (1995–present) Minetti Sports Cars (2003–present) Python (1981–present) Quantum (2015–present)
A further two prototypes were built in Australia; the first was registered as KJ-400. Owned by Australian businessman Peter Briggs between 1980 and 2013, the car's value was estimated to be worth over A$1 million when it was put up for auction in the Motorclassica auction Melbourne, in October 2013. [7]
Australian Motor Industries assembled the first Toyota car built outside Japan in April 1963, the Toyota Tiara. [15] Assembly of Toyotas by AMI expanded in the 1960s to include the Crown, Corona, and Corolla at the Port Melbourne facility. Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan purchased shares to control 10% of the Australian company. [16]