will we loos the falcon

[DJREB5]

this is sum infor i have got from ford aust



11 August 2009
By JAMES STANFORD
FORD Australia will not make a decision on the next Falcon until 2011.

Company president Marin Burela revealed the new deadline last week and also confirmed the current rear-drive platform would continue on in its current form until 2015.


“We are very fortunate – we don’t have to make that call yet,” he said. “The natural time for the Falcon replacement would occur at the end of 2014, early 2015 – that is the typical cycle.”

Ford Australia will not need to make any decisions until after the new four-cylinder EcoBoost engine is introduced in the Falcon in 2011.

“We would then typically be in a position when we would need to make a decision on powertrains, platform and technologies by the end of 2011,” Mr Burela said.

“So between now and then, we have a lot of time to work with our global product development team and also the local team here to ensure that we do the right thing.”

Ford Motor Company president Alan Mulally told GoAuto a year ago that next Falcon would share a platform with other large front-drive, rear-drive or all-wheel-drive Ford models in the US.


The arrival date of the new Falcon has not been clear, but last month’s announcement that the car would be fitted with a four-cylinder turbo Ecoboost engine from 2011 as a part of a $230 million investment indicated Ford in Detroit was backing the locally-made rear-drive Falcon for some time to come.

The Falcon will be the first rear-drive car to be fitted with the turbo four-cylinder engine, which will be imported.

The current Falcon platform can be traced to the BA Falcon of 2002, but was upgraded with new double-wishbone front suspension for the FG model launched last year.

Mr Burela said it was more than good enough to last until 2015.

“All of our insights in terms of the vehicle’s acceptance and the plans that we have for it as we progress through this cycle give us absolute confidence that the freshness of the car, the acceptability of the car, the technology levels of the car and now with the additional powertrain actions that we are putting in there will give it the absolute life that it needs to take it through until the end of that cycle,” he said.

“That rear-wheel drive platform is a very, very good platform. There is no compelling reason to go out there to make any decisions or changes.”

While the future of the platform is locked in until 2015, it is not yet clear if the locally-made in-line six cylinder engine will also make it through to that date.

Last November, Ford Australia announced it would not close the Geelong plant that produces the 4.0-litre in-line six and was investing $21 million on the factory and upgrading the engine to meet the Euro IV emissions standard that comes into place next July.

The federal government is yet to set a timeframe for the introduction of the Euro V emissions standard which would form the next big hurdle for the local engine.

The potential popularity of the imported EcoBoost four-cylinder engine could also hit demand for the Australian I6 and affect its viability if volumes were to drop significantly.

As for the next Falcon and what form it will take, that will most likely depend on what the US market decides.

Mr Burela said market research by Ford Australia found there was still significant demand for rear-wheel drive, although all-wheel drive was also generating interest.

“What they have said to us is that front-wheel drive is OK for certain types of cars,” he said. “They have said to us that rear-wheel drive is great, but you know what they have also said to us that all-wheel drive is fantastic as well.”

Mr Burela said Ford was getting “interesting messages in terms of what type of drivetrain or what application by particular customer groups”.

“Sporting enthusiasts are particularly keen on rear-wheel drive, the normal private buyers, fleet and government are not all that particular, they are comfortable that the vehicle could be either/or, and we are kind of sensing that one of the very desirable preferences is that of an all-wheel drive, people are telling us that is a good thing.”

[DJREB5]

THE Ford Motor Co has promised that the Falcon will continue to loom large on the Australian landscape in the foreseeable future but has made no guarantees about long-term manufacturing Down Under nor confirmed if the vehicle will shift to a front-wheel-drive platform.

Global marketing group vice-president Jim Farley told GoAuto at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show this week that the strong reception of the revamped Taurus in the United States, coupled with the FG Falcon’s success in lifting its market share in Australia over the past year, meant Ford was as committed as ever to a strong large-car presence over the next decade.

Asked if Ford was thinking of “canning” the Falcon in Australia Mr Farley replied: “Absolutely not!”

Although he would not enter into specifics about Ford Australia’s role in the company’s future large-car strategy, Mr Farley said Ford Motor Co would continue to leverage the know-how and expertise of the Broadmeadows team.

“We will continue to look carefully,” he said.

Ford’s global product manager Derrick Kuzak revealed to GoAuto at the Detroit motor show in January that Ford was close to committing to a shared front-drive/AWD replacement for both the Falcon and Taurus by the middle of the next decade.

Ford Australia president Marin Burela also confirmed in April that the next Falcon would fall into line with Ford’s Global One resource-sharing program, adding that a decision on whether the next-generation large car will switch to a front-drive platform would be made in 2010.

It is still unclear which engineering and design teams will take the lead role in developing the all-new global D-segment (large) vehicle.

There has been some speculation that the model will be paired with the next-generation Mondeo, although this is unlikely given the current model successfully uses a highly modified variation of the Focus small car’s C1 underpinnings.

Production locations for the all-new large car are also still to be divulged.

“The bottom line is that the market share has increased for the Falcon,” Mr Farley told GoAuto. “There’s still a very vibrant market in Australia – although it’s been declining for many years.

“I do think that all the different manufacturers have to look at all kinds of different technical solutions down the road now for D-segment cars – for a lot of reasons: fuel efficiency, global utilisation of platforms…

“But you know, we have nothing new to announce – as I’m sure Marin has told you a million times – but we will continue to look carefully.”

Mr Farley said different model demands from various markets clouded the model-selection issue.

“When you get to the D-segment it starts to get a bit cloudy – what does China want, what the US wants, what Australia wants – but we have really have a core competence and expertise in D-cars in Australia,” he said.

“Plus the performance element and the whole reputation around the performance division – there is a really unique niche to fill – and we have obviously want to continue to leverage all of that.

“The D-car is critical for our company. It is critical around the world. We have had a tremendous amount of success with Falcon in Australia, with Taurus here in the US, with the revitalisation of Lincoln too here in the US, and we will continue to make the right decisions for Ford and our customers as we have done before, and we will always look at any new product with the point of view of Global One Ford.

“That’s just the way we do business now.”

[DJREB5]

for moor go to http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2575A50024954A

[Road_Warrior]

Dude, this stuff was done to death last month. See here:

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11284994

[Raptor]

Thanks Andy but as pointed out it has been covered before.

Closed