Though Ford, Holden and Toyota have ceased automotive manufacturing in Australia, the homegrown expertise that beforehand labored for these corporations continues to prosper.
Gomotiv is a Melbourne-based design agency that was based in 2020 as a division of the Outerspace Design group, and now has a staff of 23 folks together with ex-Ford, Basic Motors, JLR, Kia and Toyota staff.
The automotive design agency most not too long ago penned a wild-looking and Ford Ranger-sized electrical ute idea for Vietnamese carmaker VinFast that was revealed at this 12 months’s CES tech present in Las Vegas.
Gomotiv has additionally labored with corporations together with Chery, Ford, Lightforce, and Premcar, amongst others, doing inventive design, digital sculpting, studio engineering, and likewise visualisation work.
“Our complete philosophy has been that there’s no purpose why Australia shouldn’t have a world class design studio, given the depth of expertise that’s in Australia,” mentioned Gomotiv director Robert Thorpe.
“So I suppose that’s form of the primary purpose why the studio was arrange.
“We’re simply so captivated with doing this work and doing this work right here in Australia. The staff we’re working with, proper in the meanwhile, is likely one of the finest groups I’ve labored with.
Mr Thorpe beforehand labored for Basic Motors for near 17 years and for the final six years of his employment there was the affiliate director on the Superior Design Studio in California.
Justin Thompson, who’s at the moment the Gomotiv design director, additionally beforehand labored for Basic Motors for 21 years. He most notably was concerned in designing the VF Commodore, in addition to a wealth of Chinese language GM fashions.
“In the mean time we’ve form of considerably misplaced our id as a result of there isn’t any automotive market. We don’t produce any autos which might be offered regionally or abroad,” mentioned Mr Thompson.
“I feel that’s what we’re attempting to do with Gomotiv is to have the ability to keep these expertise and skill in order that we are able to develop and design merchandise for our market and different markets.”
Though considered one of Gomotiv’s key motives is fostering and nurturing present native automotive design expertise, the corporate can be engaged on ensuring this expertise is handed on to the following technology.
“The opposite flip facet of that is we do have some extra junior workers members on the staff as properly and that was a aware choice on our half very early on,” mentioned Mr Thorpe.
“We wished to be sure that there’s pathways for college students coming from college who need to get into design skilled careers.
Mr Thorpe defined he has been “blown away” by what Gomotiv’s junior workers members have achieved and that he “doesn’t take into account them junior anymore”.
“They’re actually contributing on actual programmes and that’s one thing we’re fairly captivated with,” mentioned Mr Thorpe.
“We actually do imagine that there’s something distinctive about Australian design and with the ability to ship high quality design effectively.”
Past Gomotiv, Ford Australia continues to design and develop new automobiles at its design studio in Melbourne even after having ended native manufacturing in 2016.
This facility first opened within the Nineteen Seventies, with each technology of Falcon from the 1972 XA on having been designed right here. Extra not too long ago, designers on the Melbourne studio have penned the current-generation Ford Ranger and Everest.
Ford Australia introduced in 2021 it had accomplished a $12 million growth of its design studio. On the time it additionally claimed to have greater than 2500 engineers, designers, technical and automotive specialists.
Final 12 months Ford Australia introduced a collection of redundancies. The newest in June 2023 noticed roughly 400 redundancies in its car improvement and design departments, equal to greater than 20 per cent of its remaining workforce in these areas.
The job cuts in June final 12 months had been a part of “Ford’s international drive to enhance effectivity”, whereas a earlier discount of 250 staff in April 2023 was as a consequence of attrition associated to the top of the Ranger and Everest improvement cycle.
Regardless of the repeated strikes to downsize its workers roster, Ford says Australia stays the corporate’s international hub for design and improvement for the Ranger and Everest.
Native automotive manufacturing ceased in Australia on October 20, 2017 when the ultimate Holden Commodore rolled off the corporate’s manufacturing line in Elizabeth, South Australia.
MORE: Australians designed this VinFast electrical ute idea
