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You don’t immediately associate Australia with cars, but it could be time to have a second think. Not only does Australia have their own manufacturers, but they have also factories that put together the vehicles for other brands before they get flown off to their destination countries for sale.

Although a few years out of date for a statistic; Australia made 171,000 cars for domestic sale in 2008. Since then there has been a slight downturn as the majority of vehicles they make are of a larger variety and demand for these has dropped slightly. It was in 1896 where Australia produced their first steam powered car and in 1901 where the first petrol powered car was put together in Melbourne.

There are currently 3 major brands who manufacture cars in Australia and a wealth of other smaller companies who also have a slice of the pie:

• Ford Australia
• Holden
• Toyota

Ford Australia is a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company and was setup in 1925. This division also tune up cars under the Ford Performance Vehicles guise. As for Holden, they are the most well-known Australian manufacturer, making many cars that have influenced other parts of the world. It is now a subsidiary of General Motors but they still continue to make exciting pick-up trucks, saloons and ‘utes’, which are a blend of a performance saloon coupe and pick-up truck merged into one. Apart from these brands; others to have a presence in Australia include Mitsubishi, Nissan and Chrysler.

There are over 60 small vehicle manufacturers who also operate out of Australia contributing to the overall industry. They are a range of specialist manufacturers run by people with a passion for the automotive industry. Manufacturers such as Alpha Sports, Bolwell, Daytona, Finch, Joss, PRB and Southern Cross are carrying the flag for the country, showing they are able to make cars as good as anyone.

The Australian brand to really look at though is Holden. They’ve been around since the 1940s making exciting cars for the masses. The Monaro has been their recent success and as Holden are now a part of GM, it has been shipped around the world with other badges on it. For example the Vauxhall Monaro is just a rebranded Holden for the UK market. The secret to success for this model was the power and practicality coupled with a price that other German brands could not compete with. The Monaro often gets compared to rivals such as the BMW M5 and Audi RS6, which both cost nearly twice as much.

Steve is a motoring fanatic and travel lover. He leases a car from Nationwide Vehicle Contracts that doesn’t get used much whilst away!