Ford Australia cuts 200 jobs

[Sunboost]

A slow death aye.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-n ... 6039113907



^^ EL Falcon on the production line.

You can tell it's an EL coz of the lead configuration over the rocker cover. Pwaa I'm such a cool kid

[Dansedgli]

Econoboxes are where it's at.

[nstg8a]

beginnind of the end... fg2 last true falcon.

[EFFalcon]

50 years and my EF is gunna be worth more then $50

[Timmah!]

ah the interesting down turn of australia haha welcome welcome great depression once again ..or something of the sort ...riots etc interesting things!

[Troutman]

For some time now it's been almost non-stop bad news from Ford Aus so this comes as no surprise. On the plus side, the forthcoming liquid injection LPG variant has the potential to stimulate sales.

http://www.ford.com.au/servlet/Satellit ... controller

[TUFED6]

Ford/Holden need to reinvent their large cars. People seem to associate the names with stodgy old grandpa cars from the 80's and wont even consider them in a purchase. The names need to go. Marketing need to start from scratch.

The other problem is quality, even the Korean cars seem to rival a Ford/Holden now which is a bit sad. Thats probably a problem of scale, I don't think we build enough cars locally to really get the efficiencies of a larger operation so any investment in design or manufacturing has to be spread over a smaller volume of sales -> makes the whole thing more expensive -> corners need to be cut -> quality suffers.

Ultimately I think manufacturing jobs are doomed in Aus, people want more wealth than you can get cranking shit out in a factory. Can't buy a $1M dollar house and a Euro shitbox, keep up with the Jones' working in a factory.

Thats my perception based on no facts.

[Bipolar]

If only Detroit used the Falcon as their global large car instead of the American shitboxes and got over the fact theirs were in those locations first. Work with the Aussie arm instead of power tripping.

Every international review I've read of the Falcon says there is no other large car available with the same handling and power for such little money. Just the same as I've heard/read anyone from Australia that goes over to the States and drives their large Fords says they're rubbish. I don't see why Americans can't drive a car based on the Falcon and built in the States cheaper. Imagine what American technology and capital could do with Aussie ingenuity...

All we can do is rant. Nothing will change.

[Troutman]

I feel that some cultural changes of recent decades have worked against the Falcon in particular, which from its days as a best seller in the EF era has been on a downhill slope in terms of popularity.

Compared to the Falcon's days as an extremely popular car (read 60s/70s/80s) today's market has changed drastically. It is now fashionable to drive something more unique whereas back in the day, people took pride in supporting the local industry and 'fitting in' so to speak. Today, the Falcon being criticised as ecologically unsound combines with its generic role as taxi, fleet car, bogan hoonmobile etc to make it a product with a very finite market and, unlike Holden and Toyota, next to no exports to raise revenue. In the local market, the pathway has paved for masses of little Korean 4WDs, weird-looking small cars etc to replace the traditional local sedan in the hearts of private buyers.

Quite unfortunately, a lot of the public is factually misinformed and the media has done no favours for the situation. For example, people may feel safe in a 4WD or a 5-star-ANCAP small car, but the painfully obvious fact is that nothing aside from a decent sedan has any rear crash safety to speak of. Four wheel drives often do not meet passenger car safety standards at all, nor can they offer the same accident-avoidance with a higher centre of gravity. And yet, instead of pushing this angle, Ford has insisted on making the well-known feature of curtain side airbags optional on most models - which can be likened to building a supercar and then ruining its image by making the base model's engine a 1.8 litre four cylinder.

Ecologically, the Falcon has one tremendous advantage over more 'unique' models such as Skodas or Volkswagens. As the cars age, Falcons remain easy to service. In contrast, parts availability and prices makes many imports economic write-offs much sooner. So where the Falcon may use a bit more fuel, it can prevent the need to build a whole new car ahead of time. But of course the media is more interested in dramatising fuel efficiency as the be-all and end-all of the issue, turning its back on the majority of the debate.

Regarding quality concerns, the local industry has long turned its back upon 'lemon laws' and such which would force improved standards. Back in the '70s, Holden claimed that it would be unable to cope if the government introduced emissions standards. The government went ahead anyway, and apparently Holden was bullshitting since they are doing fine to this day. Today, they may claim that they will be unable to cope if the government introduces lemon laws, and it is up to the government and the people to see through this smoke and mirrors.

If Ford Australia is to do one thing right, it needs to ensure all safety gear is fitted to all models and inform consumers of the true benefits of a full-size car. In addition, the forthcoming dedicated LPG variant is an opportunity to at least partly appease ecological concerns. A diesel option would make perfect sense too and enable the bragging rights of 7 L/100 km or whatever the case may be. The flex fuel angle pushed by Holden would be another opportunity for the local industry to move towards a sustainable future. Beyond that, only time will tell what happens with the market.

[misk]

have to remember that ol america isn't doing too well at the moment either...
imagine trying to convince company directors to take on (or keep developing) the falcon as a base as apposed to something they know already works in america and will be easier for them to consolidate across models/countries/markets.
they want to save or make money and will go with what looks best on paper.

[71GLIF]

Ford/Holden need to reinvent their large cars. People seem to associate the names with stodgy old grandpa cars from the 80's and wont even consider them in a purchase. The names need to go. Marketing need to start from scratch.

The other problem is quality, even the Korean cars seem to rival a Ford/Holden now which is a bit sad. Thats probably a problem of scale, I don't think we build enough cars locally to really get the efficiencies of a larger operation so any investment in design or manufacturing has to be spread over a smaller volume of sales -> makes the whole thing more expensive -> corners need to be cut -> quality suffers.

Ultimately I think manufacturing jobs are doomed in Aus, people want more wealth than you can get cranking shit out in a factory. Can't buy a $1M dollar house and a Euro shitbox, keep up with the Jones' working in a factory.

Thats my perception based on no facts.

No it's just times are harder economicaly and not that people dont like big cars.

[TUFED6]

No it's just times are harder economicaly and not that people dont like big cars.

I don't really buy that, a Falcon on gas is just as cheap to run as any small car. Heaps cheaper to maintain as well.

[71GLIF]

sure but why should they buy a big car on gas when they can buy a smaller car for half the price?

[EFFalcon]

because a family of 4 fits into a big car a lot better then a smaller car.

why buy an XR6T when an XT is 20k cheaper?

[mad_keen]

The other problem is quality, even the Korean cars seem to rival a Ford/Holden now which is a bit sad. Thats probably a problem of scale, I don't think we build enough cars locally to really get the efficiencies of a larger operation so any investment in design or manufacturing has to be spread over a smaller volume of sales -> makes the whole thing more expensive -> corners need to be cut -> quality suffers.

Fords and holdens are way better quality than any other car in the same price range. Have you seen the inside of an aurion

[71GLIF]

because a family of 4 fits into a big car a lot better then a smaller car.

why buy an XR6T when an XT is 20k cheaper?

a family of four may fit better in a falcon but a Hyndai costs half as much.
so maybe families out there would rather buy a 20k korean car than a 40k falcon. I reckon Ford aren't cutting jobs cos of 4 people seating comfort issues but how much their product costs versus a cheap import.

[nstg8a]

id say lack of sales has more to do with crap resale, crap dealer attitudes, crap options, no wagon, no lpg, no ford v8 unless you wanna pay for fpv, crap build quality compared to even some of cheap brands like hyundai, crap marketing, diluting the xr badge, etc etc

[71GLIF]

id say lack of sales has more to do with crap resale, crap dealer attitudes, crap options, no wagon, no lpg, no ford v8 unless you wanna pay for fpv, crap build quality compared to even some of cheap brands like hyundai, crap marketing, diluting the xr badge, etc etc

+1

the wagon was the kicker for me.