Aircooled VW South Africa

Ron your wrong.
Since our exchange rate has gone from $70 cents USD for $1 AUD to $1.10 USD for $1 AUD , the amount of us imported busses has gone up through the roof.
Put simply its cheaper for us now to do so so we do . When the rate goes back to where it was we will import less.
NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT THE AU WILL BUY AT HOME ALL TO DO WITH THE EXCHANGE RATE IS.
Mitchell

Just because you don't understand my argument, doesn't mean I'm wrong.

You are wrong to blame just the exchange rate, because you ignore the fact that it is hideously expensive in the UK to own and restore and maintain a bus. Much more so than in SA.

Remember your Marketing 101: High customer involvement, perceived value and price elasticity, they will pay almost anything. Now whether this is morally right or wrong is debatebly, I agree, but both the concept and argument are sound.

While the exchange rate does tilt the buying power in their favour, that in itself is not why they are buying our stuff. Anyway the exchange rate has been worse (remember 16:1? And before you get any political aspirations, that was when the NP was still driving. Remember 23:1? I do!). And we at ACVWSA aren't going to influence that. That is up to the Reserve Bank, and when they do wake up and stop propping up the Rand to artificially lessen the recession, it will get much worse, not better.

So, my point is: Do what we do now, and watch the exporters, try to persuade people to keep it local, and jack up the prices of our precious cars and parts. We in SA must realise that our stuff is worth more, both buyers and sellers.

To me Aussie mate: You were saying earlier that the buses and parts are coming back your way. That is because your prices have become elastic, not because of the exchange rate. They just happen to coincide.

Ron&Gill wrote:So, my point is: Do what we do now, and watch the exporters, try to persuade people to keep it local, and jack up the prices of our precious cars and parts. We in SA must realise that our stuff is worth more, both buyers and sellers.

Let that be the final word on this.