VFACTS Nov- Territory overtakes Falcon!

[Brazen]

Great month for Territory! Mazda3 now biggest selling car in Oz.


http://www.caradvice.com.au/149892/n...kes-commodore/

The Mazda3 is on the cusp of dethroning the Holden Commodore to become Australia’s most popular new car. Mazda’s small smiling assassin leads the large local family car by 301 units with just one month remaining in 2011.

If the Mazda3 can hang onto the top spot this month, it will end the Commodore’s 15-year reign over the Australian automotive market.



Official VFACTS data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 88,654 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in November 2011, up 1.5 percent (1312 vehicles) compared with November 2010.

The month was a peculiar one for our locally made cars. The Commodore missed the top three for the second consecutive month, the Ford Territory replaced the Falcon in the top 10, and the Toyota Camry – hit hard by strike-related supply shortages – missed 1000 sales for the first time in recent history.

Top 10 sales by marque:

1.Toyota – 17,463
2.Holden – 9761
3.Ford – 8103
4.Mazda – 8031
5.Hyundai – 7514
6.Nissan – 5834
7.Mitsubishi – 5121
8.Volkswagen – 3823
9.Subaru – 2404
10.Kia – 2344
Top 10 sales by model:

1.Toyota Corolla – 3731
2.Mazda3 – 3480
3.Toyota HiLux – 3332
4.Holden Commodore – 2808
5.Holden Cruze – 2393
6.Hyundai i30 – 2167
7.Ford Territory – 1776
8.Toyota Yaris – 1764
9.Nissan Navara – 1653
10.Toyota RAV4 – 1577

[prydey]

whilst many on here like to focus on falcon, when was the last time commodore was under 3000 units? also we see october had a couple of 'one hit wonders' with golf and camry returning back to their more normal amounts.

while large cars seemed to plateau for a while, it seems they are suddenly taking another dive. sales charts dominated by small 4cyl or suv/4wd.

[smoo]

Remember all the Terry diesel doubters shooting their mouths before they hit the market. How wrong they were.

[Polyal]

IMO many familys are happy with a SUV/"Pickup dual cab thing" for the taxi and a 4 banger for around town...

Its the "around town" car that Ford needs to get back into, and LPG and EB4 are the proposed solution I guess.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by prydey

whilst many on here like to focus on falcon, when was the last time commodore was under 3000 units? also we see october had a couple of 'one hit wonders' with golf and camry returning back to their more normal amounts.

while large cars seemed to plateau for a while, it seems they are suddenly taking another dive. sales charts dominated by small 4cyl or suv/4wd.

I cannot remember when? Maybe during the GFC it went below 3,000. The problem it has is that its approaching its 6 year on sale. It is one of Holden's longest running models in history, Holden are paying the price of not updating the car and it will probably wait till 2013 before picking back up again. They have also said there will be less emphasis on fleet with the cheap Cruze able to maintain factory volumes. Commodores number 1 selling days are over.

[Falc'man]

Originally Posted by prydey

whilst many on here like to focus on falcon, when was the last time commodore was under 3000 units? also we see october had a couple of 'one hit wonders' with golf and camry returning back to their more normal amounts.

while large cars seemed to plateau for a while, it seems they are suddenly taking another dive. sales charts dominated by small 4cyl or suv/4wd.

Holden's memo to the dealers advising them to register the stock went astray?

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Brazen

The problem it has is that its approaching its 6 year on sale.

maybe... although i think it still looks reasonable compared to the rest of the market.

i'd say its just large cars dropping out of favour a bit more. regardless of the doom and gloom toward falcon, the gap between falcon and commodore sales has been fairly consistent for a few years now. i'd say both cars will pick up a bit in the first 1/4 next year. everyone watching their pennies at the moment. grumblings about another downturn probably have everyone being a bit more cautious.

[Joe5619]

Go the territory!!!

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Great month for Territory! Mazda3 now biggest selling car in Oz.


http://www.caradvice.com.au/149892/n...kes-commodore/

I figured the Territory had to be selling well. I have seen unbelievable amounts for a 'new release'.

They were talking about a build mix change a month or two back for Falcon / Territory. Sales of 1776 is just huge. The best monthly Territory results since 2004/5?

[Brazen]

Now Ford, aim to get a Territory in every driveway.

[charles_wif_xf]

Ford, get that diesel into the Falcon as well!

[Road_Warrior]

Hmm, with the Kuga finally coming here and the SZ Territory, Ford will be starting to build a nice little SUV portfolio. Any word on the SUV T6? That would round out the range quite nicely.

[BHDOGS]

Would the commodores sales not be taking a hit by the cruise which is y its about to lose its top selling spot not due to a sudden insurgence of the mazda?

[Gobes32]

Falcon sales should be bad, who is going to purchase a series 1 FG that is the old model and a year old in less than a month's time? Smart people will be waiting for 2012 build FG2's, surely?

[davenl5l]

ford would sell more fiesta and focus if they spent the money and reconfigured the european indicator stalk for right hand drive.my brother nearly bought the mazda instead of his focus for this reason. also sister in law was top mazda salesperson in sa and she said most decided on the mazda over the ford for this reason penny pinching lack of forsight/customer relations or feed back if you ask me !

[ute83]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

ford would sell more fiesta and focus if they spent the money and reconfigured the european indicator stalk for right hand drive.my brother nearly bought the mazda instead of his focus for this reason. also sister in law was top mazda salesperson in sa and she said most decided on the mazda over the ford for this reason penny pinching lack of forsight/customer relations or feed back if you ask me !

Spot on!

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by prydey

maybe... although i think it still looks reasonable compared to the rest of the market.

i'd say its just large cars dropping out of favour a bit more. regardless of the doom and gloom toward falcon, the gap between falcon and commodore sales has been fairly consistent for a few years now. i'd say both cars will pick up a bit in the first 1/4 next year. everyone watching their pennies at the moment. grumblings about another downturn probably have everyone being a bit more cautious.

Falcon is down proportionally to Commodore by a significant margin, even allowing for the whole large car sector. Its been that way for quite a few years now and has been getting progressively worse for Falcon since the launch of FG.

The Ford marketing executive has been sent packing back to the US as market share fell again, under her watch. The new replacement is a yank too, but his early quotes in the press, don't inspire me with confidence.

Whatever the case FGII needs to at least stop the bleeding, or Falcon may not make it to 2015.

[Bossxr8]

Looks like adding a hatch to the Cruze range has done nothing for sales, the way they were going on about it, it was like it was going to double sales.

Holden will no doubt get their dealers to register hundreds and hundreds of demos to keep the number 1.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Yay for Territory...

Falcon needs the diesel.... Its a very popular choice it seems as Ford are building approx 80% dielse / 20% petrol, I reckon we could see petrol gone come series 2 SZ.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

Falcon sales should be bad, who is going to purchase a series 1 FG that is the old model and a year old in less than a month's time? Smart people will be waiting for 2012 build FG2's, surely?

i think you are spot on Gobes32, many have been hanging out for the FG2.

i have to say i`ve seen heaps of new terri`s around lately, a brand new terri taxi caught my eye this morning, i thought it would be a diesel for sure, but when i stopped at the lights, i noticed the LPG sticker on the number plate.

[dimka100]

With only 1483 sales for this month and the LPI production in full swing ... I wonder what the excuse will be this time ...

The Territory and its diesel option continue to prove that the diesel is what the market wants and that Ford should have put into the Falcon a long time ago and not waste time and budget on the LPI nobody is buying ...

I wonder how long will it take Ford to publicly admit they are being run by a bunch of management with absolutely no understanding of the current market place ...

[BroadyFord]

VFACTS: Local sedans pole-axed


http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...25795D001A893D

By RON HAMMERTON
A SLUMP in sales of traditional Australian-made sedans last month is unlikely to prevent the motor industry from achieving the magic million in annual vehicle sales for the fourth time in five years.

The Ford Falcon, Toyota Camry and Holden Commodore all took hits in the showroom in November, with the Falcon and Camry both taking a dive to historically low levels due to stock shortages ahead of new models due this month.

The market carried on regardless, with sales up 1.5 per cent on the same month last year, to 88,654 vehicles – the second-highest November tally on record after 2007’s 92,801 units – putting the industry within 75,000 registrations of the million-unit landmark in 2011, according to the latest data from VFACTS.

However, the industry is likely to fall short of last year’s full-year tally of 1,035,574 cars and commercial vehicles, as it goes into the final month with a 23,009 shortfall, down 2.4 per cent on the same period in 2010.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Ian Chalmers said the industry’s sales had been trending above 2010 levels for the past four months.

“This suggests improving consumer confidence in Australia’s economic prospects,” Mr Chalmers said.

“Many car brands have been proactive in appealing to car buyers by offering lower prices, improved equipment and low finance rates. Consumers are responding positively to the value that is widely on offer.”

The Ford Falcon, which is in run-out ahead of a facelifted FG Mk II launch in late December, fell out of the top 10 for the first time in its history last month.

And sales of the Toyota Camry – which will get a full-model change this month – plunged 56.2 per cent to just 978 sales as dwindling stocks ran out as a result of rolling strikes at the Altona plant in Victoria.

Even the top-selling Australian car for the past 15 years, the Holden Commodore, slipped 25 per cent, to just 2808 sales in November – down almost 70 per cent on its monthly tally a decade ago.

The big Holden could manage only fourth spot in November sales, behind the imported Toyota Corolla (3731 units), Mazda3 (3480) and Toyota HiLux (3332), and faces an uphill battle with the Mazda3 to retain its annual crown, with the Mazda leading 38,104 to 37,803.

The Corolla was one of several Toyota models to regain momentum after a disastrous six months in which production was beset by the Japanese earthquake, Thai floods and local industrial action.

Although Toyota’s 17,436 sales in November represented a 12.4 per cent decline on the same month of 2010, it was a marked improvement over recent months and comfortably gave it market leadership.

Toyota’s market share improved to 19.7 per cent – still 3.1 percentage points shy of a year ago – while its year-to-date share picked up ground to 17.9 per cent.

Second-placed Holden was one of the big losers in November, with sales falling 14 per cent to 9761 units for the month, representing an 11 per cent share – down from 13 per cent in the corresponding month last year.

A bright spot for the lion brand was a 36.5 per cent lift in Barina sales, and 12 per cent growth in Captiva 5 SUV volumes, but they were offset by falling volumes for most other models.

Surprisingly, sales of the locally made Cruze small car fell, by 12.1 per cent to 2393 units in November, even though Holden launched its much-vaunted hatchback version last month.

Ford was the only local manufacturer to claw a sales gain last month, up 3.3 per cent to 8103 vehicles and 9.1 per cent share, thanks mainly to a healthy 82.9 per cent gain for the recently facelifted Territory (1776) and a whopping 108 per cent lift in Mondeo volume (632).

Territory was the nation’s top-selling SUV for the month and even outsold Falcon (1483).

Ford has already started production of its facelifted FG Mark II that should hit showrooms in late December, in six-cylinder form at least, but that is unlikely to have much bearing on its overall 2011 result.

Former Ford subsidiary Mazda continues to breathe down Ford’s neck, achieving 8031 sales in November – just 73 fewer than the Blue Oval brand – and now trails Ford by fewer than 3000 units, 84,519 to 80,985, year-to-date.

However, Hyundai is still right in the hunt as well, its 7514 units in November taking it to 80,150 sales for the year, only 835 units behind Mazda.

Mazda kept its South Korean rival out of fourth position on the 2011 ladder with a 24.1 per cent jump in November sales, with strong growth in all of its volume sellers.

Hyundai also made healthy growth, with November sales up 20.8 per cent to 7514, with all mainstream models contributing gains to help make up for the loss of Getz sales.

Rounding out the top 10 last month were Nissan, in sixth place with 5834 sales (up 10.8 per cent), followed by Mitsubishi on 5121 (up 2.1 per cent), Volkswagen on 3823 (up 11.6 per cent), Subaru on 2404 (down 28.8 per cent) and Kia on 2344 (up 18.2 per cent).

Honda again lost both volume and share to slip of out the top 10, with sales down 10.2 per cent to 2233 units.

The compact SUV segment again led the way in November sales, outselling the light-car segment – 11,441 to 11,407 – to rank as the second-largest vehicle class behind small cars.

Thanks to Territory, the medium SUV market made headway, up 16.8 per cent, while luxury SUV sales soared 36.1 per cent.

Passenger-car volume was down 5.5 cent on the same month last year, while SUVs were up 16.2 per cent and light commercials rose 3.4 per cent.

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/149799/2...-sales-spiral/

2012 Ford Falcon aims to stop the sales spiral
By Tim Beissmann | December 5th, 2011

Ford Australia won’t guarantee a halt to sliding Falcon sales in 2012 despite the introduction next year of a model range update and a new, more fuel efficient four-cylinder engine.

This year will go down as one of the worst in the Falcon’s 51-year history. After four consistent sales years between 2007 and 2010 where the Falcon – despite losing ground each year – remained between 33,941 and 29,516 units, this year it is on track to plummet by around 10,000 sales, falling below 20,000 units for the first time in recent history.

The year-on-year decline is the Falcon’s worst result since 2005-2006 when sales fell from 53,080 to 42,390 – although this year’s drop, likely to be in the region of 35 per cent, is far worse in terms of percentages. The glory days of 2003, when the Falcon achieved its best ever yearly sales result of 73,220 vehicles, is now a very distant memory.

Ford Australia president and CEO Bob Graziano is upbeat about the coming 12 months, but stopped short of guaranteeing annual Falcon sales would increase for the first time since 2003. “We now have the freshening out, we will have EcoBoost out early next year along with EcoLPi, so I’m looking for a good year in 2012,” he said.

Graziano attributes the disappointing 2011 result to three factors: the lack of an LPG-powered car for the majority of the year (production of the previous model ended in September 2010, while the replacement EcoLPi started rolling out in July 2011), the lack of a Falcon wagon (production ended in June 2010), and the decline of the large-car segment. Ford also stopped building the XR8 in January 2010.

Ford is already starting to take care of the first one. In its first two months on sale, the brand’s new EcoLPi LPG system accounted for around 17 per cent of Falcon and Falcon Ute sales, pushing back towards the 20-25 per cent share enjoyed by the old gas models.

The Falcon wagon isn’t coming back, but a strong year from the Territory – buoyed by the launch of the heavily revised SZ model and the diesel engine – has helped offset some of the losses. Ford Australia is on track to deliver around 12,900 for the year, which would be the medium SUVs best result since 2007.

The third problem is undoubtedly the biggest one, although the decline of the large-car segment is exacerbated by the poor performance of the Falcon. The large segment has fallen 21.1 per cent this year. The Falcon has fallen 37.0 per cent this year, while the Holden Commodore is down just 10.4 per cent. If you remove the Falcon, the large-car segment is down just 13.6 per cent, which means the Falcon has actually performed almost three times worse than the average large car this year.

Graziano says the Falcon’s performance in 2012 will largely be dictated by the direction of the market, but remains optimistic with the launch of the cheaper, better equipped FG MkII range, and, crucially, the addition of the EcoBoost engine to the line-up early next year. “It’s really going to be dependent on whether the market segment continues to decline … but I really feel that we’ve got a strong opportunity to continue to grow on the successes that we’ve had this year with all the new technologies that we’ve got.

“There isn’t one single thing that you’ll look at and say, ‘that’s what’s going to restore Falcon volumes to where they used to be’. I think it’s a combination of everything we have to offer as people begin to realise that the Falcon brand is not only an iconic brand but it’s got absolutely outstanding technologies and terrific driving dynamics that I think Australia consumers appreciate when they get behind the wheel.”

Production of the FG MkII has already begun and vehicles will arrive in showrooms later this month and early in January, while the Falcon EcoBoost – to be available in XT, G6 and G6E variants – will go on sale early in the second quarter of 2012. With a fresh and diverse product offering, there should be few excuses for the Falcon to perform in 2012.

[vztrt]

Market Insight: Ford’s tough EcoLPi route

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...25795D001FDEDA

Some signs of hope but hard yards still ahead for Ford’s Falcon and LPG

5 December 2011

By TERRY MARTIN

AS EXCELLENT as Ford’s new EcoLPi Falcon might be, the LPG-powered model was never going to resurrect struggling sales of the Australian-built large car overnight.

But the Blue Oval must be worried about the extremely low numbers in the factory-fit LPG market after its substantial investment in the new system and expectations that at the very least EcoLPi models would outsell the old E-Gas models, which accounted for 25 per cent of total Falcon sales.

The latest VFACTS figures show that EcoLPi could have accounted for no more than 8.5 per cent of Falcon sedan sales in November, when the Blue Oval managed only 1483 sales overall for the large sedan.

And last week an excise on LPG fuel was also introduced in Australia for the first time, which will result in higher gas prices and less benefit in running a gas-powered vehicle.

Ford management has not revealed exact sales forecasts for EcoLPi or total Falcon sales, and has denied information from GoAuto sources that just one in 10 inline sixes built in Geelong would be LPG versions.

However, at the launch of the new model there was much talk of pent-up demand from customers after the previous E-Gas model’s discontinuation in September 2010 and the first deliveries of EcoLPi in August, and that it would at least provide the basis for growth in Falcon sales.

The aim was for EcoLPi to boost new Falcon registrations in the second half of 2011, with the four-cylinder turbo-petrol EcoBoost Falcon – which GoAuto sampled last week ahead of its launch early next year – providing further stimulus.

Ford Australia president and CEO Bob Graziano said last week that EcoLPi was helping recover sales volume the company lost when it stopped building E-Gas Falcons due to tougher emissions regulations.

He still would not put a figure on current EcoLPi sales, but said the company was pleased with its performance in November and optimistic of a better December result and a strong run during 2012.

This would be welcome news for a company that has suffered a long-term fall in Falcon sales and which is believed to be about to make – or has already made – a decision about the large car’s future in Australia.

Ford has confirmed the next-generation model will shift to a global platform, with the Falcon widely expected to be heavily based on the North American-developed front-wheel-drive Taurus.

With no clear word on the future of Falcon, or derivatives from the same platform (Falcon ute and Territory SUV, and with powertrains such as LPG), Ford Australia’s long-term role as a motor vehicle manufacturer also remains uncertain.

Putting perspective to Falcon’s plight – and the influence of the EcoLPi model’s introduction – are industry statistics that show a substantial decline in sales of the sedan since July compared to the corresponding months in 2010, with falls of between 21.6 and 37.4 per cent each month to the end of November.

The raw numbers during this period range from as low as 1483 units and only as high as 1835.

Falcon ute sales have similarly made little impression, with sales falls of between 18.0 and 32.3 per cent across July to September (units between 454 and 752), although October’s drop was less dramatic at 6.0 per cent (637). Last month, the ute fell 15.2 per cent (680) compared to November 2010.

These are extremely low numbers for the once-mighty Falcon, which to the end of November finds itself down 37.0 per cent (sedan) and 25.6 per cent (ute) compared to the same period last year, falling even deeper in 2011 after a sustained downturn in recent years.

Indeed, Falcon sales have fallen every year since 2003, from more than 73,000 sedan and 20,000 ute sales eight years ago to fewer than 30,000 last year for the sedan and fewer than 10,000 for the ute.

This year, with a month of trading left, Ford is staring at fewer than 20,000 Falcon sedan sales and only 7000 new registrations for the Falcon ute.

With Holden’s dual-fuel LPG Commodore sedan and utility registered as petrol models, most of the official industry-wide LPG sales figures can be attributed to Falcon.

Using this as a basis, the figures show significant downturns this year compounding the problem of a sustained fall in recent years, with only a flicker of light since EcoLPi’s introduction.

To the end of November, LPG private passenger car sales are down 74.4 per cent, while non-private LPG passenger car sales have fallen 69.2 per cent.

In the light commercial vehicle segment, which is traditionally the key area for LPG, the latest VFACTS figures show LPG down 25.4 per cent this year among private buyers and 54.7 per cent for non-private.

Break that down month-by-month since July, and assuming Ford accounts for every LPG sale recorded across the industry, EcoLPi is still well below the 25 per cent mark it needs to at least bring it back to where it was with the previous E-Gas model.

There were just three private LPG passenger car sales across Australia in July, six in August, 18 in September, 22 in October and then a drop to five in November.

LCVs? Try six in July, just one in August, 10 in September, eight in October and seven in November.

There was a small upward trend for a month or two, but more striking is how little interest private buyers have in factory-fit LPG and, by extension, Ford’s EcoLPi.

Of course, business buyers are vital, and there are signs of improvement with LPG sales in recent months, albeit with relatively low numbers.

After LPG sales in August proved to be even lower than July for non-private passenger cars and LCVs (59 and 27 units respectively), a rise to 235 LPG cars and 103 LCVs was recorded in September and similar numbers in October (223/103).

Ford has been hoping that fleet contracts up for renewal will provide a boost for EcoLPi, but November figures released this week show only 121 LPG non-private passenger car and 89 non-private LCV sales across the industry.

In a best-case scenario, assuming all these figures belong to Ford, LPG’s percentage of Falcon sedan sales last month was 8.5 per cent, and 14.1 per cent for the ute. Is this the “pent-up demand” Ford had anticipated?

Clearly, the company needs to achieve a better return to make its investment worthwhile and bring positive growth for Falcon sales overall – something that could still occur with the switch to the better-value FG Falcon MkII series from early next year.

However, Ford, as well as the broader automotive and LPG industry, must also contend with an excise on LPG fuel introduced from December 1 – increasing in annual instalments until mid-decade – and the phasing out of federal LPG installation rebates.

In 2008, Australia recorded more than 13,300 official factory-fit LPG sales, only to fall to around 10,000 in 2009 and then to slump 24 per cent last year to less than 8000.

This year, as large-car sales continue to struggle, so too does LPG. Just 2852 factory-fit LPG cars have been sold in 11 months.

Holden will launch its own new dedicated LPG system early in 2012 that the company expects will bolster sales of its large passenger cars and utility.

If included on the official data sheets, LPG’s overall figures will also improve.

Yet it remains to be seen whether in real terms, and to any great extent, factory-fit LPG sales will recover, just as question marks hover over the future of the large cars in which the alternative fuel makes such a valuable contribution.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I cannot remember when? Maybe during the GFC it went below 3,000.

In Jan it did a 2645.

This is the second lowest figure for the VE. It actually did well (in sales) during the GFC.

[bobthebilda]

Unless someone had a really good export month, the cars must be building up somewhere (Probably xmas shutdown build up, altho they would have built up these cars from previous months).

Commodore sales = 2808
Cruze Sales = 2393
Ute = 700?
Caprice = 180?
Territory = 1776
Falcon = 1483
Ute = 700?
Camry = 978
Aurion = 600?

Thats 11618 sales to australians. Vfacts say 19870 vehicles were made in November. Without exports, australians are buying 11618 / 21 days (22 production - 1 RDO in November) = 553 cars per production day. They are doing it tough, and some dealers must be in real trouble.

[Resurrection]

Originally Posted by bobthebilda

Unless someone had a really good export month, the cars must be building up somewhere (Probably xmas shutdown build up, altho they would have built up these cars from previous months).

Commodore sales = 2808
Cruze Sales = 2393
Ute = 700?
Caprice = 180?
Territory = 1776
Falcon = 1483
Ute = 700?
Camry = 978
Aurion = 600?

Thats 11618 sales to australians. Vfacts say 19870 vehicles were made in November. Without exports, australians are buying 11618 / 21 days (22 production - 1 RDO in November) = 553 cars per production day. They are doing it tough, and some dealers must be in real trouble.

A woeful month for all of the local car manufacturers.

[excopau]

Ford nearly sold the same amount of cars as holden, so ford doing something right, imagine once they get more ranger stock and lpg and so on

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

ford would sell more fiesta and focus if they spent the money and reconfigured the european indicator stalk for right hand drive.my brother nearly bought the mazda instead of his focus for this reason. also sister in law was top mazda salesperson in sa and she said most decided on the mazda over the ford for this reason penny pinching lack of forsight/customer relations or feed back if you ask me !

It takes like 10 seconds to learn, I've got 3 cars, and a total of 5 in the family, plus what ever I have to drive at work which varies between new Territory and Mercedes Sprinter and everything between.

All you have to remember is:

European car - indicator on the left
Other cars - indicator on the right

You put the wipers on once, then you realise, oh crap, then thats it, it comes naturally.

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by smoo

Remember all the Terry diesel doubters shooting their mouths before they hit the market. How wrong they were.

That line of questioning was actually started within the company by Polites (iirc) and was not directed at market appeal (which it obviously has) but the fact that there are no whole-of-life operating cost savings to be made by owning a diesel.

Of course the market doesn't see it that rationally and so Ford has gone with the market and will make hay while the sun shines - which will be till the middle east goes pear shaped, then diesel will be prioritised to essential uses and it won't be the greatest idea owning a diesel private car.

The savings of diesel are at the pump only. Personally I'd put my money on gas or at least a petrol engine that can be converted to gas. At least I know I won't have any WOL cost disbenefits compared to diesel.

Of course if you actually need diesel for towing or whatever that's a different issue.