The Button car plan, also known as the Button plan, was the informal name given to the Motor Industry Development Plan, an Australian federal (Labor) government initiative intended to rationalise the Australian motor vehicle industry and transition it to lower levels of protection. It took its name from Senator John Button, the then federal Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry.

Initial planning

Industry consultation began in mid-1983 and the scheme was announced in mid-1984. It came into effect in 1985, after Senator Button visited Japan to inform the car companies there of the content of the plan. At the time of the plan's inception, Australia's motor industry was heavily protected by import

tariffs A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and po ...

, and quotas or quantitative restrictions on imports. These measures were used to support local assembly of thirteen models by a range of manufacturers. The Button car plan aimed to slash the number of locally manufactured models to six, by forcing industry consolidation——there were to be three groups each producing two models each by 1992. The overarching aim of the scheme was to make the motor vehicle industry in Australia more efficient through consolidation of resources, and so allowing the import tariffs to be gradually reduced. Theoretically this would expose the local industry to increased competition from imported products, fostering improvement in local vehicles and creating the basis for a competitive export industry.

Badge engineering

The most obvious effect of the plan for the Australian car buyer was the appearance of badge-engineered vehicles, where the same basic vehicle was sold by several companies under different names. Other approaches included the

Ford Courier Ford Courier is a model nameplate used by Ford since the early 1950s. First used in North America for a sedan delivery, the Courier nameplate has seen use worldwide for multiple types of vehicles. The Courier nameplate was also used by Ford for ...

and

Mazda B-Series The Mazda B series is a series of pickup trucks that was manufactured by Mazda. Produced across five generations from 1961 to 2006, the model line began life primarily as a commercial vehicle, slotted above a kei truck in size. Through its ...

utilities utilising Mitsubishi's 2.6-litre

Astron Astron may refer to: * Mitsubishi Astron engine * ASTRON, the Dutch foundation for astronomy research, operating the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and LOFAR * Astron (comics), a fictional character, a member of the Marvel Comics group The ...

four-cylinder engine, and a proposal to replace Mitsubishi's locally built

Colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

with a rebadged Toyota Corolla. This proposal, however, never eventuated. Holden initially teamed up with Nissan in 1984, where the

Nissan Pulsar The is a line of automobiles produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1978 until 2000, when it was replaced by the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy in the Japanese market. Between 2000 and 2005, the name "Pulsar" has been used in Australia and New ...

was sold as the

Holden Astra The Holden Astra is a small car formerly marketed by Holden. The first couple of generations of Astra were made only for Australia, and was a derivative of the locally produced Nissan Pulsar. With the Button car plan coming into effect, it was ...

. Later Pulsar and Astra models in Australia used Holden-sourced

powertrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...

s. This arrangement dissolved in 1989, and General Motors–Holden and

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

formed

United Australian Automobile Industries United Australian Automobile Industries (UAAI) was an automobile model sharing firm that operated in Australia between 1987 and 1996 as the result of an agreement between Holden (the Australian subsidiary of General Motors) and Toyota Australia ...

(UAAI). The vehicles produced as a result of this joint venture, the

Holden Apollo The Holden Apollo is a compact and later mid-size car that was distributed from 1989 to 1997 in Australia by Holden. As a successor to the GM-engineered Holden Camira, the Apollo was a rebadged version of the Toyota Camry, also sold in Austral ...

(

Toyota Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry ...

Holden Nova The Holden Nova is a compact car that was produced by the Holden-Toyota alliance, known as United Australian Automobile Industries (UAAI) in Australia between August 1989 and 1996. The alliance, and therefore the car, was a result of the Button ...

( Toyota Corolla) and

Toyota Lexcen The Holden Commodore is a full-size car that was sold by Holden from 1978 to 2020. It was manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of the locally manufactured versions in Australia endi ...

( Holden Commodore) lasted until 1996 for the Holden-badged derivatives models, and 1997 for Lexcen. From 1988 to 1994,

Ford Australia Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of United States-based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Com ...

rebadged the Y60 Patrol as the

Ford Maverick Ford has marketed the following automobiles models using the Ford Maverick nameplate: * The Ford Maverick (1970–1977), a compact car sold in North America and Brazil during the 1970s * The rebadged Nissan Patrol Y60 sold by Ford Australia under ...

. The car was mechanically similar, although the Nissan version had rear disc brakes depending on vehicle grade, while the Ford mostly had drum brakes and featured different paint colours and trim levels.

Outcomes

This sharing of models proved unpopular with buyers, and also with manufacturers, each of which kept the best models in the relevant ranges for itself. Consequently, the original models outsold their badge-engineered counterparts; for example, the Toyota Corolla and Camry outsold the Holden Nova and Apollo seven to one. The last of such models, the Toyota Lexcen (Holden Commodore), was dropped in 1997. Rather than share locally assembled models with other manufacturers, Holden,

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and

decided to import fully built-up models from subsidiaries elsewhere in the world, mainly Europe and Japan. Nissan ended car manufacturing in Australia completely in 1994.

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Holden Astra The Holden Astra is a small car formerly marketed by Holden. The first couple of generations of Astra were made only for Australia, and was a derivative of the locally produced Nissan Pulsar. With the Button car plan coming into effect, it was ...

(Nissan Pulsar) from 1987 File:1988-1994 Ford Maverick wagon 02.jpg,

(Nissan Patrol) from 1988. File:Nissanute (cropped).jpg, Nissan Ute
(

Ford XF Falcon The Ford Falcon (XF) is a full-sized car that was produced by Ford Australia from 1984 to 1988. It was the third and final iteration of the fourth generation of the Falcon and also included the Ford Fairmont (XF)—the luxury-oriented version. ...

) from 1989. File:1989-1992 Ford Corsair (UA) GL sedan 02.jpg,

Ford Corsair The name Ford Corsair was used both for a car produced by Ford of Britain between 1963 and 1970, and for an unrelated Nissan-based automobile marketed by Ford Australia between 1989 and 1992. Ford Consul Corsair (1963–1965), Ford Corsair V4 (19 ...

(Nissan Pintara) from 1989. File:1989 Holden Apollo (JK) SLE sedan (2015-07-06) 01.jpg,

(Toyota Camry) from 1989. File:1995 Holden Nova (LG) GS hatchback (20684982061).jpg,

(Toyota Corolla) from 1989. File:1995 Toyota Lexcen (T4) CSi sedan (22644600913).jpg, Toyota Lexcen (

Holden VS Commodore The Holden Commodore (VS) is an executive car which was produced by Holden from 1995 to 1997 and 2000 for utility versions. It was the fourth and final iteration of the second generation of the Commodore. The range included the luxury variants, ...

) from 1995.

References

{{reflist 1980s in Australia Political history of Australia Economic history of Australia Automotive industry in Australia

Initial planning

Badge engineering

Outcomes

See also

References