Vfacts January 2011

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by Brazen

EcoBoost isnt gonna do squat, look at the fifty million compact, mid size and large SUVs Not one has an advanced economic engine. All the Ecoboost is going to do is take the sales from the LPG and I6 versions.

And what about all the 4cyl fleet car possibilities Falcon is currently shut out from?

I cant believe Ford saw the booming Commodore wagon sales, coupled with the massive massive SUV market which are all wagons... Then looked across at the dead Mitsubishi 380 sedan, dead Ford Mondeo sedan and dying Maxima, Granduer and Accord sedans and thought 'Yep sedans are the future'

Trust me its the bodystyle not the engine killing Falcon.

Dont use Holden as an example there, they only got sportswagon approved on the back of promised US exports. That fell apart much like the Ute plan did and they'll struggle to get the 2017 wagon approved without exports.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

1) The minumum wage in places like Korea for example is much lower than here

2) Greater automation in european and asian plants means less people have to be employed to make cars (the only parts of a Falcon and Territory that are built by robots is the bodyshell sans hanging panels, the rest is done by people)

Actually Koreans do get paid well and is on par with Aussie workers, its the background costs where they save not the money going to the worker.

Actually the painting process is fully automated, the windshields were put on by robots since 06, also some sub-assembly of the k-frame has robotics. There are also alot of processes in the plant that allows for lower amounts of people.

[Windsor220]

Falcon is dead. There is no hope for it.

What I think should happen is they bring in something to replace it. Taurus or whatever but have Falcon as a specialised sports model like the Mustang. Even base it off the Mustang so it fits in with the "One Ford" theme. That keeps us enthusiasts happy and gives them a mainstream model too for the fleets and average plebs.

[BroadyFord]

Originally Posted by prydey

manufacturing costs are very high in this country. it was never going to be viable to build focus here. it will also become increasingly difficult for the aussie industry to compete without federal help.

I'm deeply worried that the government will again target the car industry to pay for the damage caused by Cyclone Yasi. The GCIF was canned last week and if there is anything done to undermine the ATS that could do some serious damage to the industry - it's basically the only thing keeping Ford and the other two alive at the moment.

I have always been optimistic about the local industry but now I'm becoming very concerned about its future and as much as I hate to say it I think Ford will be the next to go thanks largely to the media.

I'm just hoping Kim Carr can do what he can to prevent anymore cutbacks.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

if you want something which is low volume you have to wait. If you want an auto XT there are. heaps of them

I thought XT was only being built on request now, have Ford gone back to general stock builds?
Are they trying to force dealers to take stock they don't want / can't sell?

[Chilliman]

Geez the tone of these forums seems to have gone ultra-negative in the past couple of days.

There seems to be a morbid fascination within the media at cheering on the Falcon's demise - I wonder if they'll be so jubilant when Holden also fails?

[banarcus]

The Falcon just isn't relevant for Aussie families anymore and hasn't been for a long time. Private buyers have a great choice of cars here in Australia and that will continue. Simply said, the Falcon buyer demographic is generally speaking, either the older gentry or the second-hand enthusiast.

Fleets are all that are holding this car up.

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by whales

Exactly, I was talking to a GMH engineer the other day and they are rubbing their hands together with all this talk about no more Falcons. Ford have to start talking to the media about where they are going otherwise the media just write bad news about them.

This engineer friend was saying they are working on the 2017 Commodore now so it's seems it's going to be around for a few years yet.
.

I think you might need to tell the GMH engineer a few things

1) Ford and Holden share many common suppliers with huge debt burdens. If ford stops buying from these suppliers, Holden wont have these suppliers to supply them.

2) Its not a Commodore versus Falcon fight anymore. The large car segment in Jan 2011 was only the 6th (nearly seventh) largest segment, accounting for only 6.9% of all sales. It would be more of a fight for scraps more than anything.

3) There are many, many, many other cars for Falcon sales to bleed to if they stopped making them. Commodore would be lucky to pick up 10% of the Falcon sales.

4) Going by Holdens VE series II updates, I doubt anyone at Holden has renewed any leases past 2015, let alone done any planning for a commodore in 2017. At very best, I think 2017 may bring a VE series iiiii, and that would be just to get rid of some left over parts.

[jpd80]

From what I gather, Both Ford and Holden are developing proposals for their next product cycles,
nothing has been engineered yet so both of them better make damned sure they are on the ball.
People's needs and tastes are changing, who knows what the market will be like in a couple of years
let alone 5 to 11 years projected on the next product cycle, I think most times GM & Ford guess....

GM & Ford pay attention:
Yaris, Corolla, RAV4, Kluger, Prado, Hilux, Landcruiser and Hiace - that's where the battle is being won,
Not Camry/Aurion......

[Falcman0o7]

Looks like im going to continue to see UGLY SMALL CHEAP REAR ENDS THAT I FELL LIKE PUSHING OF THE ROAD!

[Falcman0o7]

I hope the 4 cyl falcon is going to be a success.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Falcman0o7

I hope the 4 cyl falcon is going to be a success.

I just hope February sales get better, they usually do which stops most of the moaning...

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Must be picking up now though as all Feb down days have been cancelled apparently.

At least there is some good news in this topic..

How many down does where there scheduled?

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

December and January are always poor months for Ford, fleets don't buy.

Must be picking up now though as all Feb down days have been cancelled apparently.

Not having any LPG Falcons to sell is a massive F up. Might still be 5 months away.

Not right there mate... Feb Downdays still scheduled.

Expect more downdays in March too ...

[csv8]

If Audi can outsell Falcon, what hope does the FALCON have???? Ford needs to get much better advertising and revamp the dealerships and sales staff..ASAP..but I think its too late. Taurus is coming but not being promoted at the moment.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Ford needs to release the new GAS models and 4 Cylinder models asap. Not having GAS is killing them in Falcon / Falcon ute at the moment, people are asking why can't we order GAS!!

:S

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Ford needs to release the new GAS models and 4 Cylinder models asap. Not having GAS is killing them in Falcon / Falcon ute at the moment, people are asking why can't we order GAS!!

:S

A hurry along with FG II, so they can dramatically up the content on all Falcons wouldn't hurt either. Might be time to start consolidating models too. G6 goes and G6E is the standard at G6 price. XR6 Turbo and if it every gets here XR8 get 50th Anniversary spec and trim. GT-P goes and becomes GT spec etc. There is a lot of models with not enough different about them to justifiy the price at the moment, especially when you look at what the same money gets in Japanese and Korean cars. Content needs to go up, model range simplified and yes, prices have to on average come down several thousand on all up spec models.

There is to much on offer out there now and the competition is getting better value for punters on each model cycle.

I don't think Ford needs to worry about their other Ford cars being overshadowed if they launch an FG II in the middle of other new launches. They don't have the luxury anymore of holding off on anything. If Terri has new features then the Falcon needs to offer the same ASAP. If that means the four cylinder engines etc, come along as a later release, then so be it. They just need to do the same as Holden and get stuff out there when it is ready to go, rather then hold off for some magical date when everything is ready.

Dan

[Brazen]

I also think RRP prices need to reflect reality, this is not the 80s anymore where people go into a dealer for a price.

Nowadays, people look at online car website reviews and also manufacturer websites to research and look at prices... What do they see?

Carsales.com.au
Goauto.com.au
Carpoint.com.au
Caradvice.com.au
&
Ford.com.au

show: FORD FALCON XT RRP $40,290 PLUS ON ROAD COSTS !!!







Why would you look into the Falcon any further than that when an XT will be about $43 grand on road.

Bring back the RRP to levels which reflect the transaction price in a dealership, so your not scaring off so many customers.

[zebby]

When the FG was first released, many said it did not look different enough to the previous generation Falcon. It seems to me that after a few years in the marketplace, it may be starting to look a little dated, as the design did not move forward enough to sustain a full life cycle of this model.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by banarcus

The Falcon just isn't relevant for Aussie families anymore

its relevant for mine!

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by zebby

When the FG was first released, many said it did not look different enough to the previous generation Falcon. It seems to me that after a few years in the marketplace, it may be starting to look a little dated, as the design did not move forward enough to sustain a full life cycle of this model.

I don't think it looks dated. For Falcon, the issue as I see it is, if you want more than just power then you're out of luck. In my opinion the Falcon isn't good enough value. People want more than just large engines. While other makes in similar price ranges (incl Mondeo) offer a variety of features such as Xenons, LED tail lights, tyre pressure sensors, lane change sensors, etc the Falcon products lacks badly in this area. Ford don't need to offer everything for nothing but at least offer it so it gives potential customers something to think about.
They have the technologies in other vehicles overseas, it can't be that difficult to fit into the Falcon.

There is also the problem the Falcon and Commodore have a changing market to compete with. Large sedans are not a staple purchase in this country anymore. People are looking to SUVs and hatches (which have grown in size).
Commercial vehicle preferences have also changed. More are now looking at Hiluxes, Navaras, BT50s, Rangers and Tritons which seem to offer more than the conventional Falcon and Commodore based ute.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by prydey

its relevant for mine!

Yes but when your buying a second hand FG, its shocking resale value improves the value equation.

But if you bought brand new at $40k, would it still be relevant? Or would have other cars come into the equation. Serious question.

[GT-GTF]

When you consider that the market is so price sensitive and cost conscious and nervous about another spike in the cost of oil, I can't believe Ford would allow a situation to develop where you can't buy a gas powered Falcon even if you want one.

[russellw]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Falcon ute sold 479, does anyone know what Territory sold?

673 - i more than the same month last year.

Cheers
Russ

[Adamz Ghia]

Think we all need to take a breath for a second. Sales are down, but subtract gas from last years tally, XR8 sales and wagon sales. That will give us a clearer picture of where it's at. I'd do it, but I have no idea where everyone gets these figures from...

When EB and E-Gas come on line, give it 6 months before judging the sales again.

[Road_Warrior]

Caradvice article with quotes from the Ford mouthpiece:

http://www.caradvice.com.au/102655/f...years-or-more/

The Ford Falcon endured its worst sales month in at least 15 years – potentially longer – in January 2011.

It’s a shocker of a result: Ford Falcon sales for January 2011 have plummeted to their lowest level in at least 15 years. CarAdvice has trawled through all all the new vehicle sales data available to us to reveal that last month’s 1157 sales (not including utes) was the worst result in at least a decade and a half for the Australian-made Falcon.

The data readily available to us stretches back to September 1996, and reveals Falcon to be incredibly far from the glory days of the past, where at times it sold at more than six times its current rate.

In September 2003, less than eight years ago, the Falcon had its strongest monthly sales result in modern history, with 7409 new Falcons sold (not including utes). That year was also Falcon’s best selling year ever, with 73,220 vehicles sold across the country.

The rise and fall of the Falcon:

2001 – 53,534

2002 – 54,629

2003 – 73,220

2004 – 65,384

2005 – 53,080

2006 – 42,390

2007 – 33,941

2008 – 31,936

2009 – 31,023

2010 – 29,516

The January result was the worst since January 2008, when Ford sold 1252 Falcons. It is one of only a handful of occasions that Falcon sales have been below 2000 units in the past 15 years.

Despite the wooden-spoon record-breaking Falcon sales, Ford Australia’s Sinead McAlary said January was a good month for the brand overall, with increased popularity of Fiesta, Focus and Ranger 4×4. The Blue Oval was down 4.7 percent (compared with the industry average 1.7 percent decline) and lost 0.3 percent market share compared with December 2010.

She said there were a number of factors behind the Falcon’s low sales result.

“January is generally a slow month for leasing companies, and what we found was it was an even quieter month for rental car companies,” Ms McAlary said.

“But the biggest single factor was the lack of LPG.”

Ford discontinued its LPG system in September last year, as it no longer complied with Euro IV emissions regulations. Ms McAlary said LPG-powered vehicles generally accounted for 20 to 25 percent of Falcon sales each month, and admitted there were only very small numbers of LPG Falcons still available from dealers.

Ford will replace the system around the middle of this year with its all-new LPI (liquid phase injection) LPG system, which promises to be more efficient and provide better performance than the old LPG system.

Ms McAlary decribed the introduction of the Falcon LPI, the four-cylinder EcoBoost engine in the fourth quarter and a facelift in the second half of the year as “paradigm shifts” for the vehicle, and evolutions that Ford expected would have a positive impact on sales.

The 2011 result was 50.1 percent below January 2010 (2318 units), and there is now the real possibility the Falcon could be replaced at the top of Ford Australia’s sales charts by the Fiesta or the Focus.

Fiesta sales increased 17.2 percent compared with January 2010, bringing the Thai-sourced light car within 30 units of the Falcon (1127 vs 1157).

The Focus also enjoyed a strong month, with sales up 25.8 percent to 1057 – exactly 100 shy of the Falcon.

Ms McAlary said Ford was not phased by the prospect of smaller imports overtaking Falcon as the brand’s highest selling model, and said Ford Australia saw the increased popularity of its small vehicles as a positive thing.

“Those vehicles introduce new customers to the brand and both compete in growing segments,” she said.

She said Ford Australia had absolutely no intentions of holding either model back to keep the Falcon on top.

The January result saw the Falcon tumble outside the top 10 sellers for the first time in more than decade, but Ms McAlary said the ranking was of little significance to Ford.

“It means less to us that it means to all of you,” she said, in reference to the media’s fascination with Falcon sales data.

“Of course we would like more sales … but we want to build the right cars that the customers and the dealers are looking for.”

Ms McAlary predicted January – historically the slowest selling month of the year – would be the smallest month for the Falcon in 2011, but stopped short of offering forecasts for the rest of the year.

Sales of the Falcon’s main competitor, the Holden Commodore, were also low compared with January 2010. Holden sold 2645 Commodore’s in the first month of the year, 18.4 percent below last year’s 3241.

Sales of the Toyota Aurion were down 25.1 percent to just 654, while the mid-sized Camry – a top 10 regular in Australia – tied with the Focus in 16th position with 1057 sales, 12 percent fewer than in January 2010.

Whilst the media circlejerking about the Falcon's future and such low sales number &%@ me, those comments from Ford convey a more-or-less "carefactor = 0" attitude. What the hell is going on here???

[stevz]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Caradvice article with quotes from the Ford mouthpiece:

http://www.caradvice.com.au/102655/f...years-or-more/



Whilst the media circlejerking about the Falcon's future and such low sales number &%@ me, those comments from Ford convey a more-or-less "carefactor = 0" attitude. What the hell is going on here???

It's as though they know the end is nigh and they just cant be bothered.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Yep, but they could do something about it....

No FPV V8s for nearly 5 months last year put them behind to... Now they are saying no F6's to be built before July this year??

Do they even care? Doesn't feel like it. Sounds to me like they need to put a broom through Ford australia, the quickest way to fail as an automaker is not to have an sucessor to your current product, e.g. LPG / XR8. Do that to fleet customers etc and they walk away. Every month they are losing 500 - 750 LPG sales possibly to Holden Commodore LPG and or Toyota with the Hybrid Camry, many of those fleet companies that move now will not come back, you start running 1 - 2 Hybrid Camrys and evetually the entire fleet becomes Toyota based, especially with things like fixed price servicing, fuel economy and projected resale values....

Don't forget we have no wagon anymore either that use to equate to around 500 - 750 units a month too, they have finally dried up... So the coming 6 months will probably be down 40 - 50 % for Falcon on last years sales based on LPG / Wagon / XR8 figures, same goes for utes!! Looks like we better get use to it, Holdens not much better but they still have a full line up and a 7 - 10 year plan atleast. I would still rather a Commodore SS / Calais over a european / japanese car...

[FalconXV]

Maybe these sales will force R and D to do bring forward some very innovative strategies to rescue it like BA (but then we don't have a passionate CEO anymore..)
i.e. here's a crazy idea. Since the Falcon is getting prepared to accomodate Ecoboost, it would be easy to bring in an NA 2.0 model to reduce entry level prices, but they never seem to want to pursue new market sectors, only abandon them. Maybe nobody high up in Ford wants to save it...

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

Maybe these sales will force R and D to do bring forward some very innovative strategies to rescue it like BA (but then we don't have a passionate CEO anymore..)
i.e. here's a crazy idea. Since the Falcon is getting prepared to accomodate Ecoboost, it would be easy to bring in an NA 2.0 model to reduce entry level prices, but they never seem to want to pursue new market sectors, only abandon them. Maybe nobody high up in Ford wants to save it...

Seems that way.

Ecoboost should be the FG2 XT... that way your not eating into 6 cylinder production on XR6 etc.

Really the ecoboost is only going to be for budget fleet hacks anyways, maybe an XT / G6E model only.

The new Gas system should be available across the FG2 range tho.

So I reckon they should do the following

XT - Petrol / Gas / 4 cylinder
- Colour Screen
- Dual Zone
- Side Airbags
- Seatbelt Airbags
- Leather Wrap steering wheel
- 17 inch wheels (16 inch option refund $500)
- Heavy duty suspension option
- Foglights

RRP $34,490 plus on roads / options for 4 pot, add a grand for petrol and $2500 for Gas.

XR - Petrol / GAS
- Colour Screen
- 18's Standard
- Dual Zone Standard
- Side Airbags
- Seatbelt Airbags
- Indicators in the mirrors
- Reverse Camera

RRP $40,490 plus on roads / options.

XR6 T / XR8 (above plus)
- 19 Inch wheels (18 option less $500)
- LED Lighting
- Keyless Start
- Dual Exhaust (same as V8s).
- Luxury pack (leather / satnav) $2000
- Silver Brembo 4 pot option - $2200
- Reverse Sensors standard

RRP $48,990 plus onroads / options.

G6E - Petrol / GAS
- 18 Inch wheel min
- 19 / 20 Inch wheel option $1000 - $2000
- Touch Screen with Satnav
- LED rear lighting / Led mirror indicators
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Keyless start (button)

RRP $47,990 plus on roads / options.

G6ET - Petrol (the above plus)
- Xenon front lights
- Front parking sensors
- Lane departure camera
- 19 inch wheel standard
- Alloy spare standard
- Dual Exhaust (same as v8s)
- Silver Brembo 4 pot option - $2200

RRP $53,990 plus on roads / options.

They need to be more realistic with pricing instead of discounting like they do... Since when have they ever sold an XT for 42 kay :S