justins Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) Staff have apparently been advised this morning. Press conference to release annual financial results starts at 10:45 local time, with another announcement to be included... Writing has been on the wall for a while, but sad news for all involved. Thoughts are with them. Edited May 23, 2013 by justins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 That sucks, but that's the way it is. The Australian has a report on it. The nub of the matter: "Our cost structure remained uncompetitive ... it is double that of Europe and four times that of Ford in Asia," Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Not good but completely understandable, even though sales are low Ford is letting Falcon and Territory go out in three years time, I'm betting that coincides with next gen Taurus and Explorer both in RHD arriving. The king is dead, long live the king... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSFan00 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Would the Taurus be built in Asia, or are they looking at exporting RHD from NA? The present Taurus would be a quite poor Falcon competitor, I would think. Where's the next gen model being lead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) The sales slide for the Falcon in Australia is quite dramatic, it's hard to imagine the market is looking for a successor at all. I doubt a large Ford sedan has enough customers in the region to warrant production anywhere nearby. I can imagine the next Explorer going global and perhaps manufactured in the region. Edited May 23, 2013 by BORG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 That sucks, but that's the way it is. The Australian has a report on it. The nub of the matter: "Our cost structure remained uncompetitive ... it is double that of Europe and four times that of Ford in Asia," Makes you wonder what Ford's plans are for Oakville Assembly ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) A "Maverick" imported from North America would be nice, a combination of Mustang engine bay added to Fusion AWD body... But more likely Fusion in Ecoboost and hybrid will probably win the day.... Edited May 23, 2013 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionel Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Really? nobody gives a shit?I think it's a damn shame, Falcon could have been integrated into One Ford, it has alot of character.Too bad Dearborn were determined not to let it realise its potential. That's the key factor here, there are still two other companies that make cars here , because their parent companies have given them more freedom to export and seek opportunities. I love how our engineering department is talented enough to design and engineer cars for other markets, yet because of One Ford, we can't have a region specifc model anymore.I don't mean to step on toes here, but Falcon is what got me into Ford, and cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Really? nobody gives a shit?I think it's a damn shame, Falcon could have been integrated into One Ford, it has alot of character. Too bad Dearborn were determined not to let it realise its potential. That's the key factor here, there are still two other companies that make cars here , because their parent companies have given them more freedom to export and seek opportunities. I love how our engineering department is talented enough to design and engineer cars for other markets, yet because of One Ford, we can't have a region specifc model anymore. I don't mean to step on toes here, but Falcon is what got me into Ford, and cars. I would be willing to bet you haven't heard the last of Falcon...I still think that any future Mustang will spawn a chassis that will become a four door with a Lincoln logo on it...thus giving giving Ford a rear drive sedan to sell down under with a Ford logo on it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionel Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I would be willing to bet you haven't heard the last of Falcon...I still think that any future Mustang will spawn a chassis that will become a four door with a Lincoln logo on it...thus giving giving Ford a rear drive sedan to sell down under with a Ford logo on it... I'd be resonably happy with that, as long as we got some input on our version, and it fills the niche Falcon leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Well this sucks but not unexpected...as for the Falcon, well you see how well its GM Competition has done in the US, and well the Falcon is kinda sorta (maybe stretching it here a bit) like the Panther was in the US...kept in production because it was cheap and filled a limited niche in its market. It looks like the Japanese brands are eating Ford's lunch and maybe FWD products like Mondeo/Fusion can help stem those losses. I'd still like Ford to have some sort of RWD sedan, but I don't see that coming for a long time...if ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) their parent companies have given them more freedom to export and seek opportunities. GM? GM's policies regarding imports from Australia are not sound, and have not been sound for the last eight years. Edited May 23, 2013 by RichardJensen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMSA-XJR9 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I would be willing to bet you haven't heard the last of Falcon...I still think that any future Mustang will spawn a chassis that will become a four door with a Lincoln logo on it...thus giving giving Ford a rear drive sedan to sell down under with a Ford logo on it... Well according to Graziano . . . "The Falcon name is inextricably linked to Australia and being produced here," Graziano said. "We will retire that name when we retire that vehicle." Read more at http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-to-cease-production-in-australia.html#9yOpg5HZAOh8pmuP.99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 You have to believe the Terry and Falcon are now lame ducks and it's probably best to avoid purchasing one unless you're a real stalwart. But then again, Falcon sales are at niche status anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fgts Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I hope and believe that a rwd replacement will be built in Flat Rock for US, AU and possibly EU buyers. The costs and opportunity is to great for Ford to totally walk-away from rwd especially when the Mustang is being prepared for global buyers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) Would the Taurus be built in Asia, or are they looking at exporting RHD from NA? The present Taurus would be a quite poor Falcon competitor, I would think. Where's the next gen model being lead? I'm almost sure Taurus will be build in China eventually but only for the Chinese market. The next gen Taurus and Mustang are probably guaranteed to make an appearance in Australia, and supplied from the US. Thanks to the US-Australia FTA, and favorable exchange rate, there has never been a better time to export cars from the US to Australia. Mondeo, Explorer, F-150, Focus, C-Max, Escape are all good candidates for immediate introduction pending available capacities to meet US sales. in the case of Focus, it will probably be limited to the ST model as Ford is not making that in Thailand. The FTA is probably the straw that broke the camel's back in Ford's decision to pull the plug on Geelong - Ford knows it can import large cars and SUVs from the US to Australia and still make money. The only models that Ford will not be able to offer in Australia will be those made in Canada only: Edge and Flex. For Ford fans in Australia, the end of local production may paradoxically going to open up a good thing when Ford fills in the market niches with imports from the US. Edited May 23, 2013 by bzcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustyw85 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) I think its unlikely Ford will build a sedan off the Mustang platform. In my opinion any hope of derivatives were lost when Ford decided to just update the platform, rather than create and all new flexable platform. By the end of 2014, Flat Rock assembly will be operating on 3 shifts to support Fusion, Taurus, MKS, and Mustang. The fact that we have not heard of any other Mustang based cars has made it painfully clear Ford doesn't intend to make any. Edited May 23, 2013 by Dustyw85 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I think its unlikely Ford will build a sedan off the Mustang platform. In my opinion any hope of derivatives were lost when Ford decided to just update the platform, rather than create and all new flexable platform. By the end of 2014, Flat Rock assembly will be operating on 3 shifts to support Fusion, Taurus, MKS, and Mustang. The fact that we have not heard of any other Mustang based cars has made it painfully clear Ford doesn't intend to make any. Well issue is what do they do with CAP? Its building Explorers/Taurus/MKS currently and the Police versions of those vehicles. I don't think Explorer volume is enough to keep that plant going with 2-3 shifts...the PI and PIU might be able to do 50-60K units between them a year...but all bets are off if Ford decides to migrate them to the CD4+3 platform also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I'm almost sure Taurus will be build in China eventually but only for the Chinese market. The next gen Taurus and Mustang are probably guaranteed to make an appearance in Australia, and supplied from the US. Thanks to the US-Australia FTA, and favorable exchange rate, there has never been a better time to export cars from the US to Australia. Mondeo, Explorer, F-150, Focus, C-Max, Escape are all good candidates for immediate introduction pending available capacities to meet US sales. in the case of Focus, it will probably be limited to the ST model as Ford is not making that in Thailand. The FTA is probably the straw that broke the camel's back in Ford's decision to pull the plug on Geelong - Ford knows it can import large cars and SUVs from the US to Australia and still make money. The only models that Ford will not be able to offer in Australia will be those made in Canada only: Edge and Flex. For Ford fans in Australia, the end of local production may paradoxically going to open up a good thing when Ford fills in the market niches with imports from the US. Well, isn't Edge to become a global vehicle too (merging with S-Max?)? Perhaps they can get around this importing from Europe or something (assuming Edge/S-Max is produced there as well). Just to note - I'm not sure if this is feasible or realistic, just throwing out an idea. Flex appears to be not long for this world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Well issue is what do they do with CAP? Its building Explorers/Taurus/MKS currently and the Police versions of those vehicles. I don't think Explorer volume is enough to keep that plant going with 2-3 shifts...the PI and PIU might be able to do 50-60K units between them a year...but all bets are off if Ford decides to migrate them to the CD4+3 platform also. One would assume Explorer will move to CD4+3, allowing for additional production of vehicles on that platform at the plant, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Really? nobody gives a shit?I think it's a damn shame, Falcon could have been integrated into One Ford, it has alot of character. Too bad Dearborn were determined not to let it realise its potential. That's the key factor here, there are still two other companies that make cars here , because their parent companies have given them more freedom to export and seek opportunities. I love how our engineering department is talented enough to design and engineer cars for other markets, yet because of One Ford, we can't have a region specifc model anymore. I don't mean to step on toes here, but Falcon is what got me into Ford, and cars. The blame should be on Australian/New Zealanders. They don't have loyalty to a local product.......it's the low sales numbers that killed the Falcon. You can't blame Ford for pulling the plug if they are throwing good money after bad, time after time. There are stand alone vehicles apart from ONE Ford. But they have to make a profit. The Falcon may be an anachronism from the 70s.It's very much like the Mustang in that regard, I had hopes they'd share engineering to offset costs. If they had invested in another car it might have been a different story: the jobs could have stayed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 One would assume Explorer will move to CD4+3, allowing for additional production of vehicles on that platform at the plant, no? It would but I don't really see that happening for a few more years..its only been on the market 2-3 years as of now and I'd expect a refresh come 2015/6 or so and a new platform maybe in 2019 or so. I don't think Ford would have done the PI and PIU without having them being produced for at least the next 5-7 years. The CD4+3 Taurus and MKS are prob about 36 months out or so...if not sooner, considering we saw the Attribute prototype a couple weeks back. They'll be built at Flat Rock since they are only about 75-100K units a year if they are lucky. Another thing to consider is that Oakville is going to have a whole production line open up with the MKT and Flex going away... I think Oakville is lucky to build 200K units between the Edge/MKX and the Flex and MKT. You would think Ford would want to increase product there...and that could open the door to building the next Gen Explorer there since it will most likely be a lengthened Edge with a 3rd row. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustyw85 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Explorer will likely move to CD4+3 and get a Lincoln Aviator sister vehicle. Once Taurus/MKS moves out, it would be a good time to upgrade the the plant to be as flexable as MAP, Louisvlle, and Flat Rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xr7g428 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 1. China 2. USA 3. Europe China has bumped every other market well down the list. Australia is going to get vehicles that make economic sense based on the total global market in much the same way we are seeing Buicks designed for China being offered in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 The blame should be on Australian/New Zealanders. They don't have loyalty to a local product.......it's the low sales numbers that killed the Falcon. You can't blame Ford for pulling the plug if they are throwing good money after bad, time after time. There are stand alone vehicles apart from ONE Ford. But they have to make a profit. The Falcon may be an anachronism from the 70s.It's very much like the Mustang in that regard, I had hopes they'd share engineering to offset costs. If they had invested in another car it might have been a different story: the jobs could have stayed. How can they show loyalty when Ford doesn't offer local products they want to buy? Look at some of the top selling vehicles in Australia: Corolla, Mazda3, Yaris, Hyundai i30, Hilux, Cruze, Camry... Focus. If Toyota and GM can manage to sell locally assembled Corolla and Cruze, Ford should be able to do the same with Focus. The problem was Ford Australia had this strange obsession with saving Falcon and they run out the clock on switching to something more sensible and better aligned with the local market. Now it's too late... Ford is a distant 5th place and can't get enough volume and economy of scale for local assembly of Focus. It is being outsold by brands like Mazda and Hyundai that are all imported. Top ten brands 2012 1. Toyota - 218,176 (up 20.1 per cent) 2. Holden - 114,665 (down 9.1 per cent) 3. Mazda 103,886 (up 17.6) 4. Hyundai 91,536 (up 5.2) 5. Ford 90,408 (down 0.9) 6. Nissan 79,747 (up 17.4) 7. Mitsubishi 58,868 (down 3.7) 8. Volkswagen 54,835 (up 22.6) 9. Subaru 40,189 (up 18.2) 10. Honda 35,812 (up 18.9) Top ten vehicles 1. Mazda3 - 44,128 2. Toyota HiLux - 40,646 3. Toyota Corolla - 38,799 4. Holden Commodore - 30,532 5. Holden Cruze - 29,161 6. Hyundai i30 - 28,348 7. Toyota Camry - 27,230 8. Nissan Navara - 26,045 9. Toyota Yaris - 18,808 10. Ford Focus - 18,586 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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