Ford Australia to shut Broadmeadows car factory,

[TUFED6]

I'd be quite surprised if we didn't get the Mustang now. Every brand needs a hero car.

[Commando]

Please excuse the disjointed nature of this post, it's a collection of my thoughts, some emotional & some analytical. Figured I'd share.

People often refer to the dropping of the V8 in the 80s as "the beginning of the end", but if that were the case our E-Series would've always been trailling behind the Commodore. Falcon has only trailed behind the Commodore since the VT was released.

FG sales vs pre 2000s Falcon sales tells the story twofold.

1) AU styling disaster & the VT triumph. Let's not beat about the bush, the VT shat all over the AU in the late 90s, "where it mattered". It looked "better", it came out first, it didn't have any EA-style issues (head gaskets, 3 speed auto), and with the VT2 came the all-conquering LS1/T56 combo. The 300kw GTS and Ford's ongoing Bathurst misery were double-whammies in the hero car/pub bragging stakes. Who really cared that the AU six was a better car mechanically, it was massively controversial at the time on sedan styling alone. Rah rah AU XR8 handles better, rah rah AU XR6 has more kw than VT S, rah rah AU T-Series, stroker windsor, refined avant garde aubergine leather blueprint rebel kit baguette cockfag bullshit.

2) Aus public have continually moved away from the large sedan market since the 90s.

Ever since the VT Holden has catered to the public & marketed their product very well. We saw a glimmer of hope when BAs were released with their new tech, conservative styling, some OK marketing, and new V8 + turbo models. But the LS1/T56 formula has set in with the large car buying public, and the AU bad taste lingered.

Ford marketing's "last chance" IMO was the FG release. They blew it with the walking fingers advert. Really, Ford? Is that how you reach the buying public?

I hope Broady & Geelong will somehow find a way to continue in some form or another, whether it's Ford or another badge or some other form of manufacturing. As others have mentioned this goes beyond the loss of a model name, it hurts workers and their families, the local economies of Geelong & Broady, the state economy, the national economy, manufacturing and service streams that relied on Ford/Falcon...

Well done to all who have supported Ford by buying NEW cars throughout the years. I'm not one of those people, but it is you people who allow us to enjoy older Falcons; they wouldn't have existed without you previously buying these new.

Finally, 1960 - 2016... How Aussie, typical retirement age right there.

[Ef_frmnt]

What's sad is that this has convinced me to buy a new Falcon.. just to say to my kids one day "Yeah, once upon a time, I bought a brand new Falcon!"

[Dezza]

It was a sad day to hear the news but the writing has been on the wall for some time now. The FG Falcon is a terrific car, but is severely unappreciated. The motoring demographic in Australia has changed considerably. Go back 10-20 years, and the roads were full of Aussie cars. For the regular family, a Falcon GLi or Futura was the perfect car for the job. If you had a larger family or needed more space, you'd get a wagon. Now as soon as a couple have one kid, a Falcon is apparently unsuitable. We have a family so we NEED an SUV. In business, the boss used to get around in Fairlane or Statesman. Now they get around in BMWs or Mercs. Automotive manufacturing in Australia is in serious trouble... and this is just the beginning.

[hokko]

It's safe to say manufacturing in general is in trouble Australia. I'm another one hoping they go nuts with a GT HO version (as long as its quick enough to honour the originals) before the falcon dies!

[Dumpsta]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the did, sheez t'd be worth a bit in years to come.

[mad_keen]

It's safe to say manufacturing in general is in trouble Australia. I'm another one hoping they go nuts with a GT HO version (as long as its quick enough to honour the originals) before the falcon dies!

Ive been told they have an engine for the HO done but theyre having problems because if it comes out it can only be in an auto and theyre thinking it will have warranty issues because its pushing around 600 at the wheels. Thats the rumours from the guys that drop the chargers on those new engines anyway.

[sec]

I think it maybe wishful thinking that Ford will produce a GTHO before it closes its doors but yer it would be really something the last Australian Ford Mussel car.

The mind boggles at the value of it with time.

Still that doesn't help the worker and his family that are facing hard time.

Cheers

[Bipolar]

Sad times indeed, but a time I think we all knew deep down was coming, as much as we tried to convince ourselves there was hope.

It pisses me off when people go on about bailouts, and handouts from the govt, I saw an article the other day that showed for ever dollar given to ford by the govt, the govt had earnt $6 in return, for Holden that ratio was 1-15... To me that's a pretty bloody good return on an investment.

Ford did its sums based on subsidies so high that it knew the govt would never cough up, and even then the numbers didn't add up, I don't blame ford at all, there's no single one factor that's caused this.


Bt to me its been an obvious drastic change, just in the four and a half years since I've been in aus.
When I first moved here I'd estimate every 3rd or 4th car I saw on the roads was local, now the roads more resemble a Korean hiway.

Even NZ doesn't have anywhere near the amount of Korean stuff that aus does, the populace really has embraced cheaper is better, and stuff the future.

Ideally, ford would have gotten the chance to at least assemble ranger alongside territory, focus was a dumb idea from the start, Holden is showing there's not enough margin in local assembly of a small car to make it worthwhile.

My prediction? Come 2016, mondeo will also be killed off, and we will get a localised version of fusion (which is basically mondeo anyway, without the badge baggage), and there will be no ford offering in the rwd sedan market. While its a lucrative small segment, there's simply no model in fords range that suits now that falcon is on death row.

IMO the only hope, is that all broad meadows tooling etc is shipped of to Thailand and used as a base for a new global sedan, alongside rhd versions of mustang.

I've been a falcon fan since I got my license on my 15th birthday, and to be honest I didn't give a shit where it was made until I moved here, and saw the importance of local assembly.
I've started a savings account this week for a fh/fu falcon, I will own the last true falcon and I don't care if all I can afford is a no options poverty pack xt.
And realistically, if 380 is anything to go by then they will be mighty good value by the end.