Billionaire Sanjeev Gupta Eyeing Purchase Of Auto Manufacturing Assets In Australia, Starting EV Production There

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The death of Australia’s auto manufacturing industry in recent years has been much remarked upon in the media. It turns out, though, that it may have a short-lived death.

The UK-based billionaire industrialist Sanjeev Gupta is reportedly now working on the acquisition of GM’s former Holden manufacturing site assets in South Australia — with the idea being, reportedly, to begin manufacturing plug-in electric vehicles there.

“Based on discussions I have had with the GFG Alliance I understand that, should they be the successful bidder, they intend to develop the site as a manufacturing base for an electric vehicle,” as explained by South Australia state treasurer Tom Koutsantonis in a letter sent to GM on January 17 (and released to, and printed by, Reuters).

Interestingly, the letter from Koutsantonis states that the GFG Alliance intends to utilize tech developed by its partner firm Gordon Murray Design to manufacture the electric vehicles.

Reuters provides more: “If successful, the purchase would bring Australia’s now defunct car manufacturing industry back to life, and add to a string of ambitious investments by Gupta, executive chairman of GFG Alliance, that include plans to use solar energy to power steel-making operations.”

“GFG Alliance and GM Holden declined to comment on the proposal. The industrial assets will be sold as part of a global auction. … Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other lawmakers have met with Gupta, who recently rescued Australian steel maker Arrium’s Whyalla plant and outlined ambitious plans to develop large scale solar and battery projects to help power the plant in South Australia.”

Certainly a fair bit of interesting news. We’ll keep you posted as Gupta’s apparently quite ambitious plans continue to unfold.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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