The secret deal that 'could have saved' Ford Australia factory in Broadmeadows...

[Junkyard-Dog]

I was just browsing some news articles when I came across this one from a couple of months ago. I know there has been much discussion about Ford HQ's mishandling of Ford Australia but don't know if this topic has already been mentioned here...

http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...d8c763876c2b99

Two secret deals over the past 10 years — involving federal industry ministers from both Liberal and Labor governments — were destined to make the Ford Falcon the biggest selling police car in the US.

Exporting up to 70,000 vehicles per year would have given Ford Australia’s production line enough volume to continue making the Falcon for another 20 years and secure the jobs of about 1000 workers.
But Ford executives in Detroit blocked both proposals — one in 2005, the other in 2009 — to protect their own US factories.

Was a (modern) LHD Falcon ever really on the cards though?

http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...d8c763876c2b99

p.s. yes I have noted who authored the article so I think some of the "facts and figures" might be questionable.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by Junkyard-Dog

I was just browsing some news articles when I came across this one from a couple of months ago. I know there has been much discussion about Ford HQ's mishandling of Ford Australia but don't know if this topic has already been mentioned here...

http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...d8c763876c2b99

Two secret deals over the past 10 years — involving federal industry ministers from both Liberal and Labor governments — were destined to make the Ford Falcon the biggest selling police car in the US.

Exporting up to 70,000 vehicles per year would have given Ford Australia’s production line enough volume to continue making the Falcon for another 20 years and secure the jobs of about 1000 workers.
But Ford executives in Detroit blocked both proposals — one in 2005, the other in 2009 — to protect their own US factories.

Was a (modern) LHD Falcon ever really on the cards though?

http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...d8c763876c2b99

p.s. yes I have noted who authored the article so I think some of the "facts and figures" might be questionable.

The FG had some LHD design elements about it, but more work was needed to make the platform fully LHD. I remember hearing the phrase "design reserved" or something to that effect when it was released in 2008.

[Bossxr8]

Design protected for LHD is the terminology. The original design was done so that there was nothing stopping it from ever becoming LHD.

The yanks didn't want a bar of Falcon ever being sold there though, so it never went anywhere.

[Nu66et]

There was plenty of good reasons for why Ford went with Taurus and Explorer based Police Interceptors. There's a high level of parts commonality between the cars, even down to using the same wheel and tyre.

[turbodewd]

I can entirely understand Americans wanting to protect American jobs.

Ford is an American company, we have been lucky to have the Falcon for as long as we did.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Design protected for LHD is the terminology. The original design was done so that there was nothing stopping it from ever becoming LHD.

The yanks didn't want a bar of Falcon ever being sold there though, so it never went anywhere.

So how much extra work would have been required should a LHD version received the green light?

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Design protected for LHD is the terminology. The original design was done so that there was nothing stopping it from ever becoming LHD.

The yanks didn't want a bar of Falcon ever being sold there though, so it never went anywhere.

They may have been a little worried that it could have been a success and really taken off ..... can't have that happening from a small backward colony "down under"

[Mercury Bullet]

Originally Posted by turbodewd

I can entirely understand Americans wanting to protect American jobs.

Ford is an American company, we have been lucky to have the Falcon for as long as we did.

Wasn't the Crown Vic built at the St Thomas plant in Ontario Canada?

Ford might be an American company but they were willing to accept our profits.

[CyberWasp]

There was a photo in one of the other threads a while ago that showed the firewall of a later model Falcon with all the LHD parts stamped out ready to go.
I think it was taken at a wrecker yard.

It would have been so easy to do....sigh.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

They may have been a little worried that it could have been a success and really taken off ..... can't have that happening from a small backward colony "down under"

I'm sure if this, or the G8 based Caprice cop car had been successful, their respective companies would have taken the tooling back to the usa for stepping up production.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Ok, so I basically had it right in my mind to begin with - it could/should have been done but was blocked by Detroit to protect USA's industry.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Originally Posted by Trump

So how much extra work would have been required should a LHD version received the green light?

Oh, and this. If anyone actually knows...

[Nu66et]

Originally Posted by Junkyard-Dog

Ok, so I basically had it right in my mind to begin with - it could/should have been done but was blocked by Detroit to protect USA's industry.

Well this article is a beat up, they're not going to sell 70K units a year when that was close to what the Crown Vic peaked at, and half that number will be made up of local Jimmy John sheriff's and town police who will baulk at getting diff bushes shipped half way around the world every month.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by Nu66et

Well this article is a beat up, they're not going to sell 70K units a year when that was close to what the Crown Vic peaked at, and half that number will be made up of local Jimmy John sheriff's and town police who will baulk at getting diff bushes shipped half way around the world every month.

That's why the Crown Vic survived for as long as it did, it was near on indestructable.

[GT450]

Can't we just let sleeping dogs lie. Not enough Falcons were being sold in Australia that's the reason they are gone , nothing to do with anything else. Now get over it and look to the future.
GT450

[Dauphin]

I have a lot of old car magazines and I reckon at least once a year since 1980 there was always talk of deals being worked out for the next gen Falcon to go overseas to the UK and/or US in considerable numbers.

Sadly nothing ever became reality.

[xisled]

If Aussies weren't buying Falcons then why would Americans buy the Falcon.

It all comes down to money, what would make Ford more money.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Trump

So how much extra work would have been required should a LHD version received the green light?

Well being design protected they would have made the car with the locations for the LHD bits, steering rack, steering shaft etc set in the design I would imagine. So at least those required locations were kept clear of anything getting in the way. But I would assume that would be as far as it got, and if it got a green light they would have gone back to the engineering teams to design the appropriate parts to make it all fit. Still a big job but nothing like a new model. Fuel tank was already forward of the rear axle as required in US crash regs etc.

But the know how was available, Ranger is LHD and RHD.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by xisled

If Aussies weren't buying Falcons then why would Americans buy the Falcon.

It all comes down to money, what would make Ford more money.

The horrible late 90s (97-01) box-car Camry lead the sales charts in the US. The AU and even clumsy VT surpassed in every way that dull, lifeless, dynamically unstable, ugly excuse of a motor vehicle the Americans held dear..

[CyberWasp]

Where there's a will there's a way.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/506503/n...manufacturing/

[blackf6]

I think that deserves it's own thread CyberWasp.