The new Ford and Holden? It took HSV 30 years to build 80,000 vehicles. Walkinshaw will do it in nine thanks to the Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra and Chevrolet Silverado

Walkinshaw is on track to deliver more vehicles in nine years than HSV delivered in 30, showing just how big Australia’s automotive re-manufacturing industry has become.

News this week surfaced that Ram Trucks Australia has delivered its 30,000th vehicle — a RAM 1500 Big Horn — making it by far Walkinshaw’s biggest client.

But it’s also not the company’s only client, and CarsGuide understands the brand has delivered in excess of 50,000 vehicles since the launch of Ram in Australia in 2018.

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In 2022, the brand delivered just over 12,000 vehicles, consisting largely of the Ram 1500 and the Chevrolet Silverado. And the company has grown since, signing on Toyota with the Tundra, as well as partnerships with brands like Mitsubishi and others.

For the record, in its biggest year, which was 2008, HSV produced a total 4866 vehicles.

Walkinshaw’s estimated vehicle output is already around 13,000 vehicles this year, putting them on track to hit HSV’s biggest milestone by the end of 2026.

And that’s just one of several companies involved in the local auto industry, with Australian automotive manufacturing now employing almost as many people as those who worked at Ford's Broadmeadows and Geelong factories and Holden's Elizabeth factory combined when local manufacturing officially ended in Australia in 2016 and 2017.

Premcar, based in Victoria, works with Nissan Australia, developing Warrior versions of the brand's Navara ute and Patrol 4WD. There is also RMA, which has partnered with Ford on the F-150 project.

Walkinshaw says it now employs a total 1050 on its Australian automotive business, while Ford tells CarsGuide there is now 250 people involved in the F-150 project. Premcar is home to around 150 people.

That brings the total number to almost as many people as were employed in factories during the final days of local manufacturing by Holden, which lost 950 people when its Elizabeth factory closed, and Ford, which lost 600 manufacturing workers when it closed Broadmeadows and Geelong.

It must be said, though, both brands had begun cutting their respective workforces in preparation for the closures.

Also growing is the network of satellite suppliers who provide locally developed parts to Walkinshaw, Premcar and RMA.

“One of the great things we do with a car is we use our local supplier base for 80 percent of the content we add," says Premcar engineering director, Bernie Quinn.

"The unique Warrior content is sourced locally, manufactured locally. We've used all of those suppliers we used to use back in the day.

"It's a great story about the rejuvenation of the Australian manufacturing scene, too. We're really proud to be part of this rejuvenation."