Media are not the problem

Cold hard numbers can be hard to stomach, especially when your favourite car brand is slipping down the charts. And there are no fans more dedicated than those from Holden and Ford (well, except maybe Toyota LandCruiser and Leyland P76 fanatics).

I’ve been reporting the decline of the Commodore and Falcon for the past decade. Sadly, the news has been getting worse, not better. Buyers are walking away from our beloved homegrown sedans in record numbers.

It would be negligent not to report this, just as it would be negligent to not report changes in the Australian dollar or house prices. Information allows people to make informed decisions or brace for change.

Some readers blame the media for the decline in Commodore and Falcon sales, as if reporting bad news will only lead to more bad news. It’s flattering to think we have so much influence but the reality is we do not.

An example: in the late 1990s Hyundai was on page one of daily newspapers and on the TV news for a week because the front suspension on the Excel could collapse.

It went on to become the biggest selling small car for years and even knocked off the Holden Commodore and the top-seller across the nation for one month. If the media was so influential, sales of that little Hyundai would have tanked.

In the same era, the V6 Toyota Camry won almost every comparison test against the Commodore and Falcon of the day – and yet never got close to rivaling sales of the Holden and Ford. If the media was so influential, the V6 Camry would have been Australia’s top selling car more than a decade ago.

The motoring press reported on the controversially-styled and poorly equipped AU Falcon in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Did the public not buy the AU because of what the media wrote, or did the public notice what we noticed and draw their own conclusions? Ironically, Ford would love to be selling AU Falcon numbers today (50,000 or so compared to today’s 14,000). Perhaps Ford should bring the AU back?

When reporting the news, the media’s job is not to usher support or contempt for one brand over another -- but present the facts, as grim as they may be. In road tests we can offer opinion on how cars compare to what else is on sale. Cars are, after all, the second most expensive purchase after a house. Advice on what car we buy could save our lives, wallets and some heartache.

In the recent reporting of Holden’s and Ford’s record low 2012 results (worst result in 19 years for Holden and seventh straight year of decline for Ford – in an all-time record market, mind you) I’ve been accused of being biased against both brands. But Ford enthusiasts have come out swinging hardest. So I’d like to clarify a few things.

I grew up in a family obsessed with Falcons. As a kid I washed on the front lawn every Falcon from XC to XF. A green XC followed by a red XD (which stayed in the family after its life as a company car), a white XE (to blend in with the traffic better) and a yellow XF manual ‘S’ with limited slip diff (pre-dating the inspired XR6). When it got stolen, I cried. Okay, so I was only in my early teens. But I loved that car.

When I got my licence I had a string of Holdens, starting with an EK that was older than I was and constantly broke down.

In the past 10 years I’ve had a succession of Holden SS utes and a HSV Maloo. All but one had a series of serious quality flaws – but I kept buying them because quality leader Toyota doesn’t make a V8 rear-drive ute.

So I consider myself bipartisan when it comes to Holden and Ford. I tend to write more about Holden because they are more open to talking to the media about what they’re doing locally and overseas.

Dealing with Ford Australia is like dealing with a government agency. Ford Australia is doing amazing work – similar to or perhaps even more involved than Holden – for its overseas divisions. But Ford in Detroit has apparently put a muzzle on Ford Australia talking about it.

But I don’t stop trying to get Ford stories. I was so moved and saddened by the demise of Ford Performance Vehicles's manufacturing operations late last year I moved heaven and earth to get myself down there on the very last day, as they were shutting up shop.

In the end, I was the only journalist allowed in. I wanted the voice of the remaining 21 workers to be heard. How such an innovative company like FPV could be allowed to wither is a tragedy.

The FPV workers were choking up as they were telling me their stories. Most had been there for almost the entire life of the company (and its various iterations). Their emotions, in turn, made my eyes well up. I too began to choke up.

So to read the abuse online and be accused of some kind of bias against the car industry, Ford or Holden is particularly galling.

I believe we should be able to grow up in this country and design, engineer and build cars. But the harsh reality is, economic conditions (driven by the strong Australian dollar) are making it increasingly difficult to do so without significant taxpayer support. And I don’t think we’ve established accurate enough means of establishing how much is too much and how much is not enough government funding.

Don’t blame me for the record low sales of Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons. Blame your neighbour, your boss, the government (which, incidentally, also isn’t buying locally made cars in the same numbers it used to). They’re all buying imported cars that better suit their needs – at more affordable prices.

Finally, ask yourself this: when was the last time you bought a brand-new locally-made car? Against my better judgment, I’ve owned five in past 10 years. I’m doing my bit. Are you doing yours?

Twitter: @JoshuaDowling