5 - Tense Relationships: the Automotive Industry and Government

Summary

Tracks the life cycle of powered land transport in Australia, and the dominant role taken by the automobile. It follows the growth of cars in service to saturation, the similar growth and saturation of the market for new cars. It describes the huge change in the structure of the market, with the replacement of the traditional large Australian car by more modern small cars and SUVs, driven by the immense changes in Australian society. It tracks the surge of imports, as government policy switched from protecting the national market to opening it to outside competition, and reviews pricing and the controlling effect of the tied distribution channels.