[tallblondeguy]

I studied abroad in Melbourne in 2008 and it's crazy to see this happen. I guess I left a few months before the GM bailouts got started in the United States and the whole recession kicked off after that.

It was really neat to see a uniquely Aussie car culture that felt really vibrant. I loved that El Caminos and Rancheros, long gone in the US, were alive and well as Holden and Ford Falcon Utes. It was neat that Toyota had its own Camry-ish car, called the Aurion, made in Australia. It was neat that Pontiac in the US was getting the Commodore, which was a great-looking car. Even though it was still Ford, GM, and Toyota on some corporate level, they had their own unique thing that I was able to discover while I was there.

[danieltillett]

Aurion is not quite a Camry-ish car - it is a bit more up market and more importantly came with a much more powerful engine. The Aurion was probably the best car ever made in Australia, although it was never a great success.