Pursuit of happiness no longer

flappist · 22-02-2010, 10:36 AM

Latest intercept from the secret squirrel crystal ball association of Ford product development.

No more FPV Pursuits or SPs in the new series and the Ford product (XR8 or whatever its new name is) will be the only V8 ute available.
Apparantly this is due to the costs of developing the new platform outweighing the projected income for those models.

I have been aware that ute sales are not THAT spectacular but if this rumour is true then it will be a shame that this marque will bite the dust.

Anyone heard anything?

Ghiadude · 22-02-2010, 10:38 AM

Sad but most likely true.

charlie200 · 22-02-2010, 11:16 AM

As long as you can still buy a v8 ute,i dont see the problem really.

geckoGT · 22-02-2010, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlie200

As long as you can still buy a v8 ute,i dont see the problem really.

As long as you can buy a small engine, small brakes and pov pack interior ute, I see no problem? I think not!

Crap news, I hope this remains just a rumour.

Last thing we need to do is hand the premium performance ute market to HSV on a platter.

4Vman · 22-02-2010, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geckoGT

As long as you can buy a small engine, small brakes and pov pack interior ute, I see no problem? I think not!

Crap news, I hope this remains just a rumour.

Last thing we need to do is hand the premium performance ute market to HSV on a platter.

Unfortunately I think you'll find they not only invented it but have allways owned it anyway...

Bossxr8 · 22-02-2010, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geckoGT

As long as you can buy a small engine, small brakes and pov pack interior ute, I see no problem? I think not!

Crap news, I hope this remains just a rumour.

Last thing we need to do is hand the premium performance ute market to HSV on a platter.

Ford will keep dropping out of different markets until Holden/HSV have total control over everything.

Surely it must get to a point where if they continue to drop out of different markets it will pass so much potential sales to Holden that the Falcon is no longer viable.

Very weak.

snappy · 22-02-2010, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Ford will keep dropping out of different markets until Holden/HSV have total control over everything.

Surely it must get to a point where if they continue to drop out of different markets it will pass so much potential sales to Holden that the Falcon is no longer viable.

Very weak.

I think you have a point .
Ford U.S.A invested heavily when things were looking bad and i must admit have trurned out a few vechicle that me personally would love to get my mits on .
There f150's there mustangs even that awd taurus did not seem to bad as a family rig .

But ford Aus has got struggling v8 sales so the start to think about dropping it again . Nevermind the fact the v8 in general were selling better then ever for hsv .
But they seemed to look over the fact it was and is the worst performing performance car in it class .
Now the ute is in the same boat , Well it not ugly but its lacking somthing there nothing inspiring about it the motor is virtually the same as we have had for the last 7 years . Yeah its got more grunt but it weighs more so there is no real noticable difference. the interior is nice but will cost you about 30k to trade up just for that.
They have a oppourtunity now with the new motor , some new somthing inspiring . This is what we have all been waiting for and now they reackon there is no case for it > Fools

XD 351 Ute · 22-02-2010, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geckoGT

As long as you can buy a small engine, small brakes and pov pack interior ute, I see no problem? I think not!

Crap news, I hope this remains just a rumour.

Last thing we need to do is hand the premium performance ute market to HSV on a platter.

Agreed, I can't afford one now, but 2 years time might be a different story hopefully...

Ed

kezzer · 22-02-2010, 11:43 AM

what so no FPV ute?? I thought sales might have been bad, but I didn't think it was that bad.

**DJM83** · 22-02-2010, 12:50 PM

Ill believe it when its on the FPV site

Iggypoppin' · 22-02-2010, 12:55 PM

Wasn't there a report not long ago that said ford still hold strong with ute sales? Ie, they have the most? Wouldn't have thought the SP utes where selling badly. Let's hope it stays on in FPV range with coyote

Smoke Pursuit · 22-02-2010, 12:57 PM

The FG Pursuit / Super Pursuit havent sold like the BA / BF ones did... I believe it..

kocho · 22-02-2010, 01:00 PM

Agreed, I think I've seen one FG FPV ute.

bonspeed · 22-02-2010, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfiipursuit

The FG Pursuit / Super Pursuit havent sold like the BA / BF ones did... I believe it..

Thats cos they U.G.L.Y.

mac_man_luke · 22-02-2010, 01:15 PM

thats be cause the tub on the FG ute is so fat and ugly

snappy · 22-02-2010, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac_man_luke

thats be cause the tub on the FG ute is so fat and ugly

(I agree) There also a fella up the road from me that owns every pursuit or super pursuit from au to bf . But he wont buy the fg either.

If the new sp ute looked anything like the ba/bf models i would have bought a new one last year with 50 % tax break.

marcuss · 22-02-2010, 01:57 PM

yep, hanging on to my bf xr8 ute for the same reason. i'm hoping ford will bring in the f150 when the falcon gets canned

fg_nitro · 22-02-2010, 02:54 PM

Does this coincide with the demise of the falcon Ute in readiness of the new T6 platform?

Just a suggestion?

Paxton · 22-02-2010, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fg_nitro

Does this coincide with the demise of the falcon Ute in readiness of the new T6 platform?

Just a suggestion?

Nope. Falcon ute isn't going anywhere.

tezxr8man · 22-02-2010, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac_man_luke

thats be cause the tub on the FG ute is so fat and ugly

The wheels are the prob with this, if yousee one with fat rubber filling the guards like a 295 and a deep offset they look tuff, from factory they look like the diff has been chopped down and Sh*#house just think hardtops look great with wide rears but when have you seen one with skinny standard wheels lately they not too flash lookin

snappy · 22-02-2010, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tezxr8man

The wheels are the prob with this, if yousee one with fat rubber filling the guards like a 295 and a deep offset they look tuff, from factory they look like the diff has been chopped down and Sh*#house just think hardtops look great with wide rears but when have you seen one with skinny standard wheels lately they not too flash lookin

Your right but there is a lot of people that dont what to spend 70k on a ute and then spend another 5k to finish it off .

tezxr8man · 22-02-2010, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snappy

Your right but there is a lot of people that dont what to spend 70k on a ute and then spend another 5k to finish it off .

Fair call but i know the first thing and usually the only thing i do to a car is put the factory wheels away and put a diff set on to make it look diff from the norm and i know a lot of people who do the same.

Still ford should do something with the ute too sort the awkard looking tub out cos it seem to be costing sales

Elks · 22-02-2010, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac_man_luke

thats be cause the tub on the FG ute is so fat and ugly

Very true, it's like the tub people never saw the rest of the ute.

I cant see FPV abandoning this segment.

However, if FPV did as posted earlier and put some 10" rims on it would make a difference. They would double their income in parts sales for all the current FG owners.

Perhaps they should rationalise F6, Pursuit and SuperPursuit to just 1 model. with big brakes, wheels, Hardlid as options.

One of the things that amazes me about the speculation is that whatever they are doing must be well and truly locked in by now. FoMoCo and FPV have done a great job of keeping it quiet, being that all vehicles sold after july 1 must meet euro 4.

dallasv8 · 22-02-2010, 04:13 PM

i think with the new v8 coming it would be a great opportunity for FPV to develop an independent rear end for the FPV utes

FPV8U · 22-02-2010, 04:27 PM

There goes the only model with a rear end capable of handling the S/C...

Pursuit is/was my favorite FPV model, will be very sad to see it go, funny the Maloo R8 sells rather well, must have been the new Wheels and being treated right to the upmarket ICC, Ect.

IMO the Pursuit should have been what the S/P is minus the Seats with them as an option, not enough room in the market for 3 utes + competitors.

b2tf · 22-02-2010, 04:34 PM

Looks like the FG XR8 Ute is my last Ford ute then? V8 utes are a very Australian thing.

FPV8U · 22-02-2010, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b2tf

Looks like the FG XR8 Ute is my last Ford ute then? V8 utes are a very Australian thing.

No he means it will be XR8 Ute but nothing above.

Hope on the flip side this means potentially a 5.0L Base Model Ute option as surely XR8 on it's own wouldn't warrent the development of the V8 as far as Crash testing, suspention, Ect?

CFOUR · 22-02-2010, 04:33 PM

what about f6 ute sales?
they wouldn't dare sell f6 utes and not sv8 ones

flappist · 22-02-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFOUR

what about f6 ute sales?
they wouldn't dare sell f6 utes and not sv8 ones

Well technically there is no reason not to. There is not the huge R&D cost as it is already done.

And the only people who would get upset at this would not buy a F6 anyway would they......

4Vman · 22-02-2010, 04:41 PM

No more FPV ute.. NOT no more FORD ute..... "XR8" type ute to survive.

If its true its hardly surprising considering how poorly they sell.