SA govt renews calls for auto funds

The South Australian government has called for the commonwealth to provide more funds to help the auto sector cope with the loss of local car manufacturing as new figures show more than a dozen component supplies are likely to close.

Figures compiled by the state's Automotive Transformation Taskforce show that of the 74 companies most heavily reliant on automotive work, 58 are planning a future after the end of car production by Holden and Toyota in 2017.

Premier Jay Weatherill says there is a new sense of optimism in the SA's auto sector but the federal government must do more to help local companies diversify.