What Was The Button Plan? Australian car manufacturing. #automobile #cars #aussie #history #1980s

Car manufacturering in Australia changed after the 1980s with the introduction of the Button Plan in 1985, Japanese cars were in more demand and threatening the Aussie local market, until the late 80s unsustainable tariffs and subsidies kept them at bay. The Button Plan was formed to help the local Aussie market by sharing models with the Japanese allowing the local manufacturers to produce less diverse range of cars and parts to focus on their core vehicles. Cars shared included but not limited to the commodore/Lexcen, the Patrol/Maverick, the Nova/ Corolla the Apollo/Camry and the Ford Falcon ute/ Nissan ute. Holden's deal with Toyota meant tax credits for Toyota making it easier for Toyota to import other vehicles such as the Hilux into the Australian market in exchange for Holden's use of Toyotas models. After '96 Australia went back to focusing on manufacturering its big sedans which unfortunately were not an export premium locking them into the local market with some exceptions. Ultimately despite several attempts to sustain the local manufacture of vehicles and components here in Australia, by 2017 it was all but over, losing an important part of the economy and Australian history.

Added 12 Jul 2026