Big Announcement from Ford Australia? - Page 6

McobraR · 05-07-2007, 06:14 PM

There seems to be Big AnnouncementS:
1) Price drop and mroe features among certain ford products
2) More Power in the V8
3) Cobra name returns
4) Announcement of a $10million campaign to advertise their small car (focus)

Ford really are going full steam ahead me thinks. And with the new mondeo, Focus convertible and Orion arriving in less than a year, this is defintely going to be one busy financial year for Ford. Price drop should have been made earlier i reckon but better than never, and i doubt the Cobra and 40th GT will do much image wise for Ford, the falcon is an old design already and yes while the falcon is still comparable mechanical wise, in the end its looks that sell, and the falcon is in need of redesign, Orion cant come soon enough.

BLDNUT01 · 06-07-2007, 01:58 PM

hey just found this on drive well i,ll be
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=41504
bring it on

falzoony · 06-07-2007, 02:02 PM

A diesel territory would be great from a sales point. But a v8 territory would be good for rev heads

xrfalcon · 06-07-2007, 02:13 PM

Oh maybe the Cortina will make a come back with a 6 cylinder in place hahaha we wish

Josh_XC · 06-07-2007, 02:57 PM

Maybe the announcement aint that big and its got to do with the new ford sync technology just recently anncounced.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/04/v...ord-demo-sync/

vztrt · 06-07-2007, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleekism

Why would they build the Focus here??????????????

Ford Oz does not have the capacity, tooling or experience to build the Focus it would cost a fortune to tool up a plant to build the Focus!! It's not like the Territory where they are built on the same platform and share many components it's a completely different car.

Ford did build small cars up at Homebush and here in broadmeadows. The biggest change in the manufacturing plant would be the arms that hold the car in the air and the engine dress up area. As for experiance, alot of the engineers back in the 80's have gone but as Ford is global they have many areas of the world to help them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

Who will build the Ranger replacement in this region ? Taiwan ? South Africa ? China ? Maybe Australia ? I doubt Australia though, as it's a small market segment here and Australia will be building Orion Utes.

The plant in thailand has just been retooled for the current Ranger, why would they move out of that region.

**Fordman1** · 06-07-2007, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vztrt

The plant in thailand has just been retooled for the current Ranger, why would they move out of that region.

T6 Ranger replacement is an all new vehicle (from media reports recently), so it is a possibility that it could be built elsewhere. The current Ranger is NOT an all new vehicle.

If Focus was built in Australia, there is really no need to build it in South Africa as most of that plant's volume is exported here. So.... the ramifications of 1 move (eg: Focus) is that other vehicle lines could be shuffled from one plant to another. Something would then need to be introduced into South Africa if that plant was to remain viable.

I guess we'll find out sooner of later won't we ?

vztrt · 06-07-2007, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

T6 Ranger replacement is an all new vehicle (from media reports recently), so it is a possibility that it could be built elsewhere. The current Ranger is NOT an all new vehicle.

If Focus was built in Australia, there is really no need to build it in South Africa as most of that plant's volume is exported here. So.... the ramifications of 1 move (eg: Focus) is that other vehicle lines could be shuffled from one plant to another. Something would then need to be introduced into South Africa if that plant was to remain viable.

I guess we'll find out sooner of later won't we ?

It'll be in thailand, i worked for a few ppl that are now apart of the T6 program.

Josh_XC · 06-07-2007, 04:44 PM

Although i was just reading that ford is making way to make a range here in OZ to go with the territory and the falcon so maybe they will build the focus here?

But it mentioned it will not be built from scratch like the falcon or territory, it will be more shipped to australia in kit for and assembled here.

ONLY TIME WILL TELL

Tles · 08-07-2007, 09:16 AM

This the article?
Drive article

Quote:

Ford Oz plans third car for production
Richard Blackburn, The Sydney Morning Herald, 06/07/07

Ford Australia is planning to fill the gap in its production capacity by assembling a third model alongside its locally built Falcon and Territory models. RICHARD BLACKBURN reports.

A Falcon passes through Ford Australia’s Broadmeadows production line, which also builds the Territory SUV.

Ford is to build a third model in Australia in an attempt to turn around the brand's dramatic slide in popularity.

The company has told its dealers it is looking to build a third model at its Broadmeadows Plant (pictured) to fill the capacity gap left by poor sales of the Falcon and Territory.

It would not reveal the identity of the third vehicle to dealers but the most likely option is a small car. Ford imports two small cars: the Ford Focus and the Ford Fiesta. Either car could be sent in kit form to Australia for assembly. This would be a far more cost-effective option than establishing an entirely new car line locally.

Dealers say the Focus, which is currently made in South Africa, is the most logical option.

The wildcard could be a small Toyota RAV4-sized off-roader based on the Ford Focus. Dubbed the X-Max, the soft-roader has been spotted undergoing testing in Europe.

Ford spokeswoman Sinead McAlary says the company is looking at ways to get its production line back to full capacity.

"We are looking at a whole range of different options to improve the utilisation of our production capacity in Broadmeadows but nothing has been confirmed," she says.

She refused to comment further but it is believed the new car will not be based on the Falcon-Territory platform.

Ford's production line can build 120,000 vehicles a year but slow sales have seen production scaled back to just 80,000 units.

A new model would underpin the Ford plant and provide an increasingly agitated dealer network with a low-cost, high-volume vehicle to boost their sales. Export opportunities are also being pursued. Dealers were told a decision could be made in the next two to four weeks.

The revelation came during a crisis meeting with dealers where Ford boss Tom Gorman apologised for mistakes made by his team and announced wide-ranging price cuts aimed at boosting flagging sales.

The maker has cut the price of its popular XR6 Falcon model by up to $6000 and reduced prices for the Territory soft-roader (by up to $2700), Focus small-car ($1000) and Ranger ute (up to $4500). Most vehicles have also received more equipment at no extra cost.

The company also committed to spending an additional $20 million on marketing before the end of this year.

Dealers say the changes are welcome but some are nervous retail discounts will upset fleet customers and damage resale values.

One dealer told Drive the jury was out on the changes. "It will come down to execution of the plan. Ford hasn't been strong on execution in recent years," he says. "It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Ford has taken a hammering in the sales race this year. Figures released this week show that Falcon sales are down by 24.7 per cent to June 30 on the same period last year, while Territory sales have slumped 10.8 per cent.

Dealers have voiced their frustrations, with some believed to have complained to Ford in the United States.

In a recent dealer satisfaction survey, Ford finished last out of 25 makers in most categories.

One dealer says the company's decision to shelve plans for a diesel version of the Territory was "bloody stupid".

Territory's main opposition in the mid-sized off-roader market, the Toyota Prado, sells as many diesel versions as it does petrol.