Dick Johnson's Plan to save the Falcon

csv8 · 19-07-2012, 12:20 AM

THE Falcon's most famous driver, Dick Johnson, believes Ford needs an export strategy to rescue the Aussie car from the scrapheap.

As Ford this week announced plans to axe 440 jobs from its two Victorian plants and throw the future of the Falcon into jeopardy, the legendary five-time Australian Touring Car champion and three-time Bathurst winner has come out in support of the family car and the company.

"Certainly from our perspective it would be a shame to see the Falcon disappear off the face of the earth," the Queenslander said.

"Surely there is still a market for people who enjoy the luxury of a car with a lot of room."

Mr Johnson said the problem was the lack of an export market. "Where Holden have a slight advantage over Ford is they have an overseas export market, which keeps production numbers up," he said.

$50 million to save Victorian Ford jobs
Ford's $290m loss drives new job fears

"That's the problem. They need an export strategy."

Ford will reduce daily production from 209 to 148 vehicles in response to an industry-wide slump in large car sales, despite a $103 million funding package Ford received from its US parent company, and the Victorian and Federal governments in January.

The package was aimed at securing the manufacture of the Falcon and Territory SUV at Geelong and Broadmeadows until at least the end of 2016.

Industry analysts predict the Falcon will be axed at the end of that period.

Unions say they had expected redundancies amid a decline in large-car sales, but workers were shocked when Ford announced so many jobs would go.

" Nowhere near that amount was expected," Australian Manufacturing Workers Union assistant state secretary Leigh Diehm said yesterday.

Union officials met Ford yesterday in a late bid to stem the number of job losses.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/busine...-1226429394527

MAFIA · 19-07-2012, 12:32 AM

And we all been saying that all along!!! Dick Johnson right on the money with this too. As american love big car and there really keen on our Aussie built sedan. There is a market over there and they need to test it. And FPV try selling in UK as HSV is with Vaxhull...can't hurt to try!

And instead of Ford axing 440 jobs, the only jobs they should be axing is the whole marketing team at Ford for the lack of effort to any marketing or advertising on our Aussie built cars!!!

Start listening FORD!!!!!

falconnut · 19-07-2012, 12:37 AM

Ford Australia wont listen
Ford America wont listen
Ford Europe wont listen
Ford Global wont listen

ED Classic · 19-07-2012, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falconnut

Ford Australia wont listen
Ford America wont listen
Ford Europe wont listen
Ford Global wont listen

VERY VERY true and the big problem in itself!!

falconnut · 19-07-2012, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ED Classic

VERY VERY true and the big problem in itself!!

Exactly man i mean the dont listen to themselves.

Ford Australia seems particularly dense as they **** Ford Global and Our Govt money up the wall then slash jobs.

Not only do they not listen to eachother but they dont listen to their most important client the poor average bloke or company that buys or used to buy their cars.

JC · 19-07-2012, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falconnut

Ford Australia wont listen
Ford America wont listen
Ford Europe wont listen
Ford Global wont listen

What are you saying?

OZQUAD44 · 19-07-2012, 12:42 AM

Go out and buy a new Falcon. Simple

Kryton · 19-07-2012, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OZQUAD44

Go out and buy a new Falcon. Simple

How about you go out and buy a new Falcon.
If you have, go buy another one if you care that much.

OZQUAD44 · 19-07-2012, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davway

How about you go out and buy a new Falcon.
If you have, go buy another one if you care that much.

Clown,

If we care about the Falcon then this is what we have to do. Buy the suckers.

I have bought my fair share of Falcons in my time. How about you boffo?

Kryton · 19-07-2012, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OZQUAD44

Clown,

If we care about the Falcon then this is what we have to do. Buy the suckers.

I have bought my fair share of Falcons in my time. How about you boffo?

If you want to act like a 3 year old and start name calling, go right ahead - it just makes you look like a douche.
If your too thick to realise that a couple of extra single sales isnt going to make a difference, Im not going to waste my breath trying to explain it to you.
It isnt the non buying public thats the problem, its the management of Ford itself.
They have no interest in selling Falcons whatsoever.
You could buy 1000 falcons a month, its still going to be canned regardless.

Keepleft · 19-07-2012, 01:33 AM

My view; Middle East gulf states and Africa, particularly south.

I recall Falcon utes going to England on a small scale as 'Verve Tempest' if memories correct. (They had to fit a rear fog to each). Too tired to do a Google on that atm.

Itsme · 19-07-2012, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davway

If you want to act like a 3 year old and start name calling, go right ahead - it just makes you look like a douche.
If your too thick to realise that a couple of extra single sales isnt going to make a difference, Im not going to waste my breath trying to explain it to you.
It isnt the non buying public thats the problem, its the management of Ford itself.
They have no interest in selling Falcons whatsoever.
You could buy 1000 falcons a month, its still going to be canned regardless.

I find the comment on ford management a bit ridiculous.
If the sales were up there would be no problem, no company would can a product if the sale figures were profitable for them...simple as that.

red_hotxr6 · 21-07-2012, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davway

How about you go out and buy a new Falcon.
If you have, go buy another one if you care that much.

Ha ha, well i have done my bit, got 2 at the mo, and one is from D.J, ..lol

Bossxr8 · 21-07-2012, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I'm surprised they're hammering the Volt advertising so much...I mean, its a clever car (but still with a lot of restrictions and not for everybody, which is a problem in a country like this with the distances we travel), but rather I notice you don't see the same sort of adverts for the Toyota Prius or the rediculous Nissan Leaf and the like.

This is because of the "It costs how much??!!!" shock factor with the public...

The only reason they are selling Volt here is to give Holden a green image, nothing more, nothing less, hence why they have made the ads for them to try to trick the public into believing the whole company is going to help save the world. They have even admitted that at 60k they will still lose money on everyone they sell. But being seen to be green is the goal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

as for the VOLT, sure, its going to have a few gizmo's and gadgets inside, but $60k+?? seriously?

And its built on a 20k Cruze platform

That extra 40k you spent on it will be paid back in fuel savings, as long as you drive to Mars every week for the next 50 years.

jixel 78 · 21-07-2012, 11:50 PM

[QUOTE=Bossxr8]The only reason they are selling Volt here is to give Holden a green image, nothing more, nothing less, hence why they have made the ads for them to try to trick the public into believing the whole company is going to help save the world. They have even admitted that at 60k they will still lose money on everyone they sell. But being seen to be green is the goal.

And its built on a 20k Cruze platform

That extra 40k you spent on it will be paid back in fuel savings, as long as you drive to Mars every week for the next 50 years.

EcoBoost in a Falcon a better move? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

ED Classic · 19-07-2012, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OZQUAD44

Go out and buy a new Falcon. Simple

US on here have and have repeatedley, its past for freaks buying them now. Need to get no buyers to the table "aswell"

aussie muscle · 19-07-2012, 09:02 AM

Dick Johnson for Premier!

He's right and a lot of us have been screaming the same thing for years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OZQUAD44

Go out and buy a new Falcon. Simple

unfortunately we can't all go buy heaps of them. it's kinda expensive to buy more than one a year (hell it's taken 5 years to pay off my current one). You like people taking the pss out of you eh?

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Instead of paying $30k for a nice XT the eyes are on a several year old second hand XR8 or GT or whatever as they are "cooler".

Second hand cars won't help Ford today. buying a Focus won't help Falcon either. Paying 70k for a glorified 30k car helps them more.

BluXR6T · 19-07-2012, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OZQUAD44

Go out and buy a new Falcon. Simple

I have; pick up my GT tomorrow.

falconnut · 19-07-2012, 12:46 AM

I dont have the money, i wish i did.

PlukaDuck · 19-07-2012, 12:54 AM

Maybe MAD MAX will save it. Apparently this is the new falcon in MAD MAX 4

Jim Goose · 19-07-2012, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PlukaDuck

Maybe MAD MAX will save it. Apparently this is the new falcon in MAD MAX 4

Ah no... that has NOTHING to do with madmax and certainly wont be appearing in the movie.

It was a request by TOPGEAR last year for people to design a futuristic "madmax" car...
Nothing to do with the film.

2011G6E · 19-07-2012, 09:26 AM

I'v been buying cars since I was sixteen, but only last year at 46 years old were we in a position to even begin to afford a brand new car, and after literally a tss of the coin we ended up with the G6E instead of an SV6 Series II, even though the G6E cost more (better trade in deal from Ford basically).

But even then we were torn...there is mostly just me and the wife so we didn't actually need a large car, and the choice of good cars we drove was staggering...Subaru RX and WRX, Mitsubishi Ralliart, Suzuki Kysashi AWD Sport, the list goes on and on.

The customer today isn't like the customer of thirty or forty years ago, who would first go to Ford or Holden (or Chrysler) and only as a distant second thought maybe consider a Jap car, and I sometimes suspect Ford and Holden honestly think badge-blinded buyers still exist in vast droves...but they don't anymore. People have way more choice and the big makers have to move with the times and give people a solid logical reason to buy a Falcon other than "look at the badge"...

PlukaDuck · 19-07-2012, 12:57 AM

falconnut · 19-07-2012, 12:57 AM

Wow thanks for the heads up i had no idea !

AWESOME.

Also good luck to johnsons dick trying to get ford to listen to anyone else but ford.

falconnut · 19-07-2012, 01:00 AM

anyone got a spare $60k for a G6ET?

flappist · 19-07-2012, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by falconnut

anyone got a spare $60k for a G6ET?

And this is the problem.

Not "Has anyone got a spare $30k for a XT" or "Has anyone got a spare $20k for for Focus".

So much of our society seems to feel inferior unless they have the BEST regardless of what they can afford.

Instead of paying $30k for a nice XT the eyes are on a several year old second hand XR8 or GT or whatever as they are "cooler".

I started off with rather basic car which which was gradually replaced by better and better as I could afford it. I had Falcon 500s, Lasers, Fairmont, Fairmont Ghias and then FPVs and was over 40 before I bought my first "performance Falcon".

I am not pointing this directly at you falconnut it is almost pandemic.

Many here come out with "I need a V8 Falcon" as the reason why they buy a $20k S/H XR8 rather than a $20k new Focus quoting the towing ability despite not having anything to tow or the inside space despite them being single, living with their mum and hardly ever using the back seat or touring capability despite them never leaving the suburbs or performance despite the closest they get to track work is parking in the car park on track days.

If you really are a Ford supporter then do what you can do to help.

If you can't afford a new car of any type then get out there and talk up Ford, ALL Ford not just the model that you would buy if you won lotto.

Put it on your facebook, tell everyone you know and even people you don't know about EB4, ecoLPi, just bloody everything about Ford.

If Ford are not advertising then you can.

No more "Falcon is doomed", they will only die if no one buys them.

If you see someone looking at a car shop just go over and tell them how cool the FG2 is.

Get out and do your bit.

It is not Ford Falcon.

It is FORD FALCON

A flood is made up of rain drops, go out and wet something.......

crymoarpls · 19-07-2012, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Many here come out with "I need a V8 Falcon" as the reason why they buy a $20k S/H XR8 rather than a $20k new Focus quoting the towing ability despite not having anything to tow or the inside space despite them being single, living with their mum and hardly ever using the back seat or touring capability despite them never leaving the suburbs or performance despite the closest they get to track work is parking in the car park on track days.

that's a great generalisation there. really encourages a lot of good will on the forum. /sarcasm

jmack · 19-07-2012, 09:07 AM

ford america wont let ford aus export as that is taking jobs from americans and they are looking after themselves which is something this country should do .what they should prob do is have one model with a big tick list for options at realistic prices that people can choose the car they want ,not here it is take it or leave it {comes in any colour u want as long as its black**wouldnt cost any extra down the line to pick from crate a instead of b.the other prob is it starts at the dealears the face of ford for most people and alot on here have horror stories about that and we are still here what about the ones that we dont hear of who just refuse to come back

Moby Vic · 19-07-2012, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmack

ford america wont let ford aus export as that is taking jobs from americans

I'd like to see a source for this information.

No American company seems to have any qualms at all about taking jobs away from Americans (as long as the labor is cheaper elsewhere).

Very few American Ford models are actually built in the US.

csv8 · 19-07-2012, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moby Vic

I'd like to see a source for this information.

No American company seems to have any qualms at all about taking jobs away from Americans (as long as the labor is cheaper elsewhere).

Very few American Ford models are actually built in the US.

GM allow Holden to export the Commy to America???