"Falcon is dead" drive.com

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by jpd80

He needs to sell harder, 3.0 SIDI Sportwagon is probably undercutting it by miles....

Some good points but I don't need to be convinced.

I think it is a lot safer to have Marin Burela in the drivers seat at FoA rather than Osborne or that clown Gorman.

Yes... if Falcon goes, I think it's "good bye" for local manufacturing for FoA.

Sportswagon won't be considered by Telstra - they could fit more in the boot of a sedan...

Other fleets who buy Falcon Wagon's won't replace those with Sportswagons if load carrying is important.

Mondeo Wagon WILL be Fords pitch to fleets... mark my word......

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by jpd80

1500 Sportwagons in December, Holden is 75% fleet sales remember....

That number includes 'User Choosers' also...

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

It seems that Burela is pushing the idea of the Mondeo Wagon to fleets, I wonder if that is the foot in the door.

Im thinking that a Mondeo wagon wont cut it in the fleet world right at the moment and that the Falcon wagon is the only product which will keep sales coming. Even Burela has recently said that the Falcon wagon and Mondeo wagon could live side by side. This seems to be different to earlier comments that buyers will choose one over another.

Lets put things in perspective: Ford sold 315 Mondeo hatches and wagons in petrol and diesel in Dec. Holden sold over 1500 petrol Commodore Sportwagons in Dec.... The Mondeo wagon is not going to save the day, a new Falcon wagon has a much better chance in increasing sales and I'l be there to order a XR6 wagon in dash green if it was coming.

[jpd80]

Pity Ecoboost I-4 Falcon couldn't kill two birds with one stone and be a new wagon too....

[Brazen]

Call me crazy I just dont see the 4 cylinder dramatically increasing sales.

I mean lets think about this:

If your a fleet buyer and want a 4 cylinder why would you get a $40,000 Falcon when a $20,000 Cruze or a $28,000 Camry does the same job?
Also if you really want economy from a Falcon sized car, wouldnt you just get a LPG Falcon instead? especially once the new gen LPG systems come out.
And if you wanted to make a eco statement, wouldnt you just buy a $35,000 Camry Hybrid?

I mean, who will the 4 cylinder target? espcially as it will be a costly option.



I think Ford should focus more on getting export markets and developing unique products like the wagon. I also still claim that Focus should have been built here to build factory volumes whilst the Falcon could become more of a premium product.

[cosmo20btt]

If Focus was built here it would definetly spelled the death of the Falcon.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by cosmo20btt

If Focus was built here it would definetly spelled the death of the Falcon.

Pumping an extra 40,000 Focus (and maybe its more profitable derivatives like Kuga, electric Focus, etc) a year through Broadmeadows would amortize the fixed costs of the factory and workforce over a greater number of cars making each Falcon more profitable.

If the ute, wagon and Terri go, there is no way a factory could be sustained on 30,000 Falcon sedans a year.

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Pumping an extra 40,000 Focus (and maybe its more profitable derivatives like Kuga, electric Focus, etc) a year through Broadmeadows would amortize the fixed costs of the factory and workforce over a greater number of cars making each Falcon more profitable.

If the ute, wagon and Terri go, there is no way a factory could be sustained on 30,000 Falcon sedans a year.

FoA couldn't make money on Focus.... period. It was a potential huge loss making venture.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

FoA couldn't make money on Focus.... period. It was a potential huge loss making venture.

I dont believe for a second it was going to be a huge loss making venture. The factory is already ready to take the extra volume, as Ford were only going to need an extra 200 people to build the Focus. Only 200 people to make an extra 40,000 cars a year!

If high cost places like Japan, Germany, France and Italy can make micro cars profitable, then Australia can make small cars, especially considering labour costs are only about 8% of a cars costs. Coupled with extra sales from being local plus massive green car funds and Victorian government incentives, I fail to see how it would be a massive failure - especially as the factory wouldnt need too many more people to make the car.

When Burela says the business case didnt stack up, I assume he means that they want to use the factory capacity for extra Falcons, which hoepfully means that they are expecting exports.

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I dont believe for a second it was going to be a huge loss making venture. The factory is already ready to take the extra volume, as Ford were only going to need an extra 200 people to build the Focus. Only 200 people to make an extra 40,000 cars a year!

If high cost places like Japan, Germany, France and Italy can make micro cars profitable, then Australia can make small cars, especially considering labour costs are only about 8% of a cars costs. Coupled with extra sales from being local plus massive green car funds and Victorian government incentives, I fail to see how it would be a massive failure - especially as the factory wouldnt need too many more people to make the car.

When Burela says the business case didnt stack up, I assume he means that they want to use the factory capacity for extra Falcons, which hoepfully means that they are expecting exports.

Not true....

The local material costs / components could not get the car base price to be competitive. The content level needed to be mostly import, which in turn meant that the grant required were not all forthcoming.

Burela meant that the car could not be priced where it needed to be to make money AND sell at the volumes it needed to. The end result was that the manufacturing plants would have had to carry a huge cost burden (when they already 'screwed over').

It was a huge risk and they could NOT make it work..

Remember the Auto manufacturing infrastructure here is nothing like it is in Europe, Asia or North America. Our component manufacturers and suppliers are not cost competitive. I know of one suppliers' quote for a component whose material cost was more than the 'landed' Asian quote.

I dont care what anyone says but Small cars = small profit at best. If you're competing against Asian imports with a 5% tariff you have no chance here.

As part of my work, my Toyota contacts were amazed that Ford had a small car program that they could justify. They've tried many times to make a business case for a local Corolla. They can't......

Tell me how Ford could have made money on Focus ?

C- Car is the most competetive segment - at last count there were 22 brands competing for a 'slice of the pie'.

[cosmo20btt]

If Focus sales did go up it would do to Falcon what Cruze does to Commode now which is steal some of its sales, plus a line to build it would have meant that the wagon would be gone now.
While there is a Falcon I believe that there will be a Ute. However that is not to say that they wont do what they did in the past which was run the Ute on a Chassis made in 1978 all the way thru to 1998 (Twenty years without re jig) while the Falcon sedan was a complete remake from 1988

[chuckles]

on a different tangent i was on my way to my parents last nite when a wagon shaped vehicle about the same size as a falcon covered in car bras and black cloth passed me. i turned around to follow it and took some pictures. ill post them up on here soon. could be falcon wagon??

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by lorosfalcon

on a different tangent i was on my way to my parents last nite when a wagon shaped vehicle about the same size as a falcon covered in car bras and black cloth passed me. i turned around to follow it and took some pictures. ill post them up on here soon. could be falcon wagon??

Probably a T6 mule or maybe even the 2011 Territory. Doubt it would be an FG wagon, there's no funding for it.

PICS!!!

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by lorosfalcon

on a different tangent i was on my way to my parents last nite when a wagon shaped vehicle about the same size as a falcon covered in car bras and black cloth passed me. i turned around to follow it and took some pictures. ill post them up on here soon. could be falcon wagon??

No chance.......

[chuckles]

pics coming soon when my camera decides to play the game

[Chopped]

I've got a photoshopped pic of a FH "Falcus" >


Actually the Taurus looks better with the XR lights !

[Luke Plaizier]

Originally Posted by Chopped

I've got a photoshopped pic of a FH "Falcus" >


Actually the Taurus looks better with the XR lights !

Nice job!


Lukeyson

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by lorosfalcon

pics coming soon when my camera decides to play the game

Oooh curious on what it is, its always fun trying to work out whats under the disguise.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by lorosfalcon

pics coming soon when my camera decides to play the game

How are those pics going?

[orsm8]

Please post the pics as im interested in a new falcon wagon.

[banarcus]

Yeah and endless quotes posted here by numerous people.. Where does this all end??

Ford??

[djjase]

So the Falcon dies and gets replaced - soon they will change from RHD to LHD to suit the yanks - maybe we might become another state of the great old us of a