jpd80

No, there is no next Mazda 1 Tonne truck, The T6 is it. Mark fields said recently that FoA were doing work for them : I got the 400,000/year figure from the official ford announcement, 4th May, 2006. Maybe I should qualify that by saying "eventually": John

We do get the cursed stone chips over here but think it's our roads mostly. You could be right about paint systems, the paint on my wife's 2000VX SS Commodore's paint seems a little soft, very easy to pick up parking lot chips and scrapes. Where it's been repainted, it seems more durable/resistant to chipping. I have a spray painter friend who tells me in the recent past, most AUS Ford/Holden factory paint consists of one heavy top coat which can sometimes have that awful orange peel. Painters used to excel themselves matching factory orange peel! This topic might have been covered on ls1.com.au, the Holden guys there are pretty knowledgable and can help, especially if you're sourcing go fast parts. FoA changed to water based paint systems a few years back, their paint doesn't seem as soft. John

The bit I like is Holden are too cheap to put curtain airbags on their base model so they get the same rating as a five year old Falcon design. You can bet Orion Falcon will have them across the board to secure that 5 star rating. LincolnFan, I thought you might get a kick outa watching a Holden crash.

FoA won the contract to develop the T6 meaning, they get paid US$770 Million. There is a need for a genuine 4WD to compete Toyota Hilux and Prado (SUV) across Asia and in South America, that's why the thing is expected to sell near 400,000 units/year. Territory is slightly larger CUV for AUS only.

Not necessarily, but good a point as to why Ford AUS doesn't import the Everest. I think the Territory will stay a unitary derivative of the Falcon although now remote. T6 Replacements for Thai Ranger and Everest are definitly BOF.

Zeta Commodore has got nothing on the five year old Ford Falcon. Commodore pays the price for not having side airbags standard on the base Omega. Pontiac G8 gets curtain airbags to reach 5 stars, could Orion Falcon have these as standard? Now I know our ANCAP tests are different to North American tests but the Camry and Aurion (V6 Camry) should help you sense where things are. All Aussie built cars got a 4-star rating: 06 Aurion: 30.03 out of 37 05 380: 28.09 out of 37 (Localised Mitsubishi Galant) 06 Camry Altise: 27.53 out of 37 06 VE: 27.45 out of 37 02 BA: 27.27 out of 34 From a Ford AUS insider:

Your link says this little interesting passage: Ford would only sell Jaguar and Land Rover if it could get good money for them. £3 Billion, is that about US$5 -6 Billion?

And then not follow through, with 427 and Interceptor anyway.... Ford GT was a no brainer from the start. Sure would like to see MKR progress, that is one sweet ride.

They should know what the target buyers are looking for so they can get maximum splash and longevity. We've been talking about a 427/Interceptor large RWD car for 2-3 years at least now so surely Ford has something ready, well you'd think so wouldn't you?

For sure, Falcon's engineering will be shared among the RWD cars but I sense that the 2011/2012 RWD will overshadow most decisions now. FoA is already well advanced with the engineering on the T6, the replacement for the Mazda based Thai Ranger and Everest SUV. The lessons learned from this will be used in the engineering for the LHD Falcon. Primarily, it will be used as a tool for FoA production survival and give valuable incite into designing and engineering problems faced by the next RWD world platform.

Showing the Interceptor as a concept gives fans false hope and lets them down when they realise how far from production it is. To my mind, Ford should have presented a production ready Interceptor at NAIAS. That tells everyone you mean business and intend building it otherwise it's a work of fantasy.

True Ford is painfully slow with mainstream products let alone a niche area like this. Similar sale regions as G8 I suspect, California and Southern "smile" states as Lutz called them, no snow.

I wonder if England could take a few 2008 Falcons, already RHD and a showroom big brother to Mondeo.

Or Mustang front rails and firewall/electrics grafted to Falcon floorpan, now that's kinky!

Oh, that's a given Deanh, I do know there was a always a different body planned for America going back to the 2005 Crown Victoria replacement opportunity. But that was sidelined, wonder if it's being revisited. could be where NA kicks in with superstructure on Falcon/fairlane floorpan with short nose.

Cooling is great, it gets air from below the "Bumper" as well, Methinks Deanh is right about Falcons underpinnings to be used elsewhere, original plan was to export cars from AUS but our currency is much stronger now. Falcon's nose can be shortened if I6 is not needed fo a certain market.... Sure hope Kuzak signs an export contract this week, LHD engineering in "early stages".

Thanks for that. We're all excited about the next model. Actually they are keeping the floor pan from firewall back, that was new in 2002 and has the control blade IRS. The front suspension is upgraded from 1998 model and is to be replaced by virtual pivot front suspension borrowed from the Ford Territory CUV, another Falcon derivative. Orion's body and trim will be all new, base model Falcon I6 goes to 200Kw (260 Hp) and ZF 6-speed auto trans across the board. Turbo 6 option across range now 260KW, 5.4 XR8 to 290 KW and 5.4 GT to 310 KW. Add about 1/3 to KWs to convert to HP. Those that pretend to know about the Aussie Falcon don't realise that goes through rolling change. When each new model comes out something's carried over but look back over several years, you can see it's not the same car at all. Over about seven years most things are changed or if retained upgraded. Hot Lap: Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo Size doesn't matter with FPV F6 Typhoon Drive TV - Ford F6 Tornado and Super Pursuit

Then you'd love Clarkson's critique about the GT500 and the crack about eyeing yor own sister off! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGbhKQlUhLo Edit, Seems like it's been edited off this copy. "I'd have one of those if i was the sort of person who looks at his sister and says Mmmm, yeah."

Ahh, I see what you mean. Like GM (Holden) is doing with Chinese production of Zetas, Buick Park Avenue, Caprice and others. Well, that would knock the daylights out of costs, provided quality could be maintained. Something has already begun down here last September and AUS is bullish for Middle East exports. It's more likely a business proposal for exports to the Middle east for say 2- 3 years. Could this be a dress rehearsal for the next combined Platform in 2011/2012? I think so. Ford have said Orion will be the last all AUS effort, the next model will be shared development from the whole Ford group. One of the other interesting aspects is how FoA developed as little enclave, almost like a separate but conjoined motor company. How it thrived by developing derivatives off its Falcon platform is an abject lesson to others in North America. I'm equally sure that the FoA will point out to Kuzak the successful development of cross-town rival Holden's zeta platform with a modern Alloy tec V6 engine plant. That car was developed outside the US for a fraction of the cost and is already reaping huge returns from the Middle East and China, well over 80,000 zetas have been built in LHD and RHD configurations. This is where Ford needs to get it finger out and start bringing modern RWD products into these areas, the Middle East and China, not necessarily North America! I'm sure the Li Ho group in China could also spit out luxury LWB Fairlanes and LTDs just like GM's partners do with the Buick Park Avenue.

Termination of 40,000 employees and no massive strike action or talk of retaliation. It speaks volumes that Ford is carrying out its restructuring with the cooperation of the UAW. What will be interesting is how Ford fares with UAW negotiations later this year. Maybe they convinced the UAW that long term, Less plants = more efficiency in building cars = more money for auto workers.

Last year, Holden exported 46,000 vehicles to the Middle East, all of them were large RWDs. This export plan has basically drought proofed their local production which is what Ford Australia wants. An export contract with the Middle East to sell about the same number of Falcons and Fairlanes would put Ford Australia over the top and justify switching to the Duratec 35. The better leveraging of resources in this area of the world is what Mulally and Kuzak are aiming for. Then why would he come to Australia? Ford sources the bulk of its Falcon parts here in Australia, not Asia like you think.

It's just another rumor from an un-named source and Ford does not act this way when it sells a brand.

I agee with Austin's comments and suicide doors belong in the past. In order to dissipate crash energy, multiple flow paths are required through a car's whole chassis. To do this in a BOF car , the body lower rails that connect to the Frame need to be the same strength as a unitary body car. The whole problem with BOF cars is this duplication and the added weight of structures made redundant in unitbody construction. The additional time and costs involved with making separate hydroformed frame, an "almost unibody" shell and the additional time and labour needed to connect the two together don't add up economically any more. Other manufacturers have shown that the use of unitbody for limosines is acceptable and the use of half-chassis conversions in stretched limos works successfully. Whether or not a car is repairable after a major crash should not be the determining factor for chosing to manufacture a BOF over a unitary frame. The only reason police forces want a full framed car is because of the higher incidence of crash damage and the desire to repair instead of replacing after a major crash. The panther shells are the last bastion of BOF cars in North America, every other manufacturer has moved on years ago.

Except for the sporty XR5T, the RHD Focus for Australia and NewZealand is sourced from South Africa, production is stretched at the moment but the Thailand Focus plant can't be far away now. There's still a few things not adding up with the rumor, FoA is planning something and insiders are saying negotiations are at a sensitive point. Possibly, we're looking the wrong way. I have the feeling this next Falcon has been a massive effort, the focusing on getting maximum interior space for all occupants and to add that international luxury feel, "the polish" that's been a little lacking in past models. All evidence points to similar interior space as the 2008 Taurus in a car nearly 6" shorter, a massive effort considering the lengthy inline 6 sitting up front. Maybe as you suggest, Kuzack's trip is more of a "getting to know you" and your products excursion. I'm sure that he will be given the deluxe touchy feely tour including a drive of the new Falcon. Gotta know that the Global Products Guru coming to Australia is a big splash locally. If ever FoA had a shot at the title, this is it. All car makers import their versions of the very popular B car, tarriffs have been reduced to 5%. Mitsubishi and Toyota build Large C Cars locally, Toyota also export to the Middle East. Ford and Holden stick to D cars and do reasonably well, the profit margins are better. Mondeo in September will see Ford selling in C Cars again, the market now doubling in two years to 87K/year. Looks like Falcon exports are the only way to go.

Hey, Armada Master, I got the editors down here to say that just to annoy you, Just consider it trash talk like your unitary will never replace BOF cars. As to the other, well all I can say is that look at the competition Mustang and Panthers have had in the past 10 years in their respective categories, basically none. Unless you're pushed by competition, you can't benchmark your product properly. Falcon and Commodore development battle has raged for 28 years and is set to continue again next year. The only natural predator to the Commodore (G8) is the Falcon, the bird of prey. No LHD Falcon has been developed yet and even if a green light is given, is still 18 months away. By that time the product cycle will be mid life and unification of RWD will be under way. John