Falcon Facts: News: 2002

Falcon crash repair costs

December 13, 2002

The RACV has found that the new Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and Toyota Camry all cost more to repair than the models they replace. In particular, the BA Falcon repair costs have risen 28% over the AUIII Falcon.

However, Falcon remains the cheapest large car to repair, and was the second cheapest of all cars tested.
The tests involved simulating two collisions: one at 15km/h into a pole, and one at 30km/h into the back of another vehicle. Daewoo's Tacuma cost least to fix, with a repair bill of $2814, followed by the Falcon ($2948) and the Hyundai Accent ($2969).

Read more:
RACV: Low speed crash tests: 2002 results

Weight loss program for Falcon

December 12, 2002

Ford has announced it will be investigating ways to lighten its new BA Falcon, to reduce fuel consumption. It has gained an extra 130 kg, and this has been

the main criticism of the award winning car. Industry analysts estimate that by using new materials like thinner gauge steel or aluminium, the Falcon could lose between 50 and 80 kg; it would be too expensive to take away all of the BA's extra weight. The announcment was made just two days after Holden's managing director said that any increase in fuel consumption was "inexcusable." The Holden boss also revealed his company's goals for 2010, including having a range-wide average fuel consumption of 6.8L/100km. Perhaps the Commodore will once again be powered by a 4-cylinder?
The weight improvements will be a feature of the BA Series II, due in 2004.

Falcon's sales revival

December 6, 2002

Falcon sales have gone from 5252 in October, to 6373 in November, while sales of the Commodore have slipped 9% for the month, to 8482. The new releases of the Falcon and Commodore first slugged it out in the month of November, and this has provoked great buyer interest in the whole large-car segment. Dealer orders for the BA Falcon continued to be strong, and demand for the XR6T meant buyers faced a wait until March or April. Ford has scheduled extra production before Christmas shutdown.

Holden limited edition

December 6, 2002

Just two months after releasing the VY Commodore, Holden is already selling a limited edition. The Commodore Lumina offers $3700 of extra value, and is $2540 more than an auto Executive. Usually, limited editions are added to

slow sellers, or cars that have been around for a while. The Commodore is still enjoying the top spot, but the new Falcon is fast closing the gap. Holden is set to beat its all time sales record in the next few weeks, so that could be a big hint.
Styling of the VY Commodore is not as popular as before, with some Holden buyers opting for a used VT/VX instead.

New Fairlane scoop

December 3, 2002

Next year's Ford Fairlane has been revealed. The new LWB sedan has abandoned it's American looks for a much more modern style. The luxury car will feature all of the huge changes of the BA Falcon. New Fairlane and LTD are expected to be released some time in mid 2003. For more information and a picture (camouflaged) visit the link below.

Read more:
GoAuto: New Ford Fairlane revealed!

BA Falcon: Car of the Year

November 27, 2002

Ford’s new BA Falcon was yesterday awarded the prestigious Wheels Car of the Year (COTY) award for 2002. The last Falcon to win was the XR Falcon in 1966, 36 years ago. BA, the favourite, beat 22 very different competitors, including the Mazda6 and BMW 7 Series. Wheels editor Ged Bulmer said: "It best fulfils the five criteria of efficiency, function, safety, technology and value."

Holden's VY Commodore wasn't in the running, as it was considered too similar to its predecessor, the VX.

Read more:
Carpoint: And the winner is...
Drive: 36 years on, wheel turns for Ford
Herald Sun: Falcon flies high