NB4C Member 328 Member For: 15y 11m 22d Gender: Male Location: Sydney Posted 15/01/09 02:09 PM Share Posted 15/01/09 02:09 PM (edited) http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleD...193&IsPgd=0Uncertain future for Australian FalconJez Spinks, drive.com.au, January 14, 2009Ford's decision to drop its global rear-wheel drive platform development puts added pressure on the locally made Falcon and increases speculation Australia could get the American Taurus.The future of the locally built Falcon large car faces fresh uncertainty after Ford said it was abandoning its rear-wheel-drive development program in North America.Ford Australia was expected to play a key role in the program, with rear-wheel-drive Fords and Lincolns being built on the Falcon’s platform.The large American cars were due to go on sale in 2013, about two years before the next-generation Falcon is anticipated.Ford’s product planning chief Derek Kuzak confirmed the decision to axe its rear-wheel-drive plans at the 2009 Detroit motor show debut of the new-generation, front-drive Taurus.“Because of [government] directives on [stricter] fuel economy, we did have a substantial rear-wheel-drive program under way, but we put that vehicle program on hold and stopped it,” says Kuzak.“We’re now looking through various alternatives [for Ford large-car platforms] as we look into the future. But we have stopped work on rear-wheel drive.”Ford has admitted it’s now focusing on fuel efficiency, with American large cars and utes suffering a decline in 2008 when petrol prices almost tripled.Kuzak acknowledge the reputation of the Falcon’s underpinnings in the Ford Motor Company empire, though suggested it could become a front-wheel-drive car in future.“We have a very capable rear-wheel-drive platform in Australia; we don’t have to change that tomorrow, so we have time to look through what the alternatives are [for a future platform] … rear-wheel drive, front-wheel drive.“We haven’t made a decision yet and we don’t have a formal program in place at the moment.”Kuzak didn’t rule out a next-generation version of the American-built Taurus becoming Ford’s new global large car as part of the company’s new One-Ford strategy – where one Ford product is designed to be sold worldwide rather than completely different vehicles for separate markets.2009 Ford Taurus2009 Ford Taurus2009 Ford Taurus2009 Ford Taurus“At this point, the Taurus is a North American vehicle only,” he says. “We haven’t developed it yet [as a global vehicle] at this point, but it’s part of the alternatives we’re looking at.”The new Taurus is powered by the 3.5-litre V6 Duratec engine that was set to be installed in the Falcon from 2010 before Ford Australia reversed its decision in late 2008.Already industry speculation suggests Ford made the decision to stick with the inline six-cylinder it has built in Geelong for five decades because it made more business sense than reingeering the existing Falcon for a new V6. While Ford is confirming it will build Falcons with a version of the existing engine until 2013 it will not confirm the future of locally made Falcons beyond that date.From 2011 Ford will begin building the Focus small car at its Broadmeadows factory.Kuzak says he wasn’t surprised Ford Australia changed its mind to instead stick with the ageing inline six-cylinder engine. “It was part of an overall business strategy in Ford Australia,” says Ford’s product boss.Former Ford Australia boss Tom Gorman, however, said in 2007 that the new V6 would put the local car maker in a stronger position to be involved in its parent company’s global rear-wheel-drive development.“[The V6] brings us one step closer to better integrating with Ford’s global product development,” said Gorman at the time. “The longer we remain an ‘orphan’ in terms of our technologies in Australia, the less likely we are to fully participate in all the activity that’s under way in rear-wheel drive.”It’s not clear whether Ford Australia last year announced it would stick with the inline six-cylinder it builds in Geelong after learning the Falcon’s platform would no longer be used globally.Sorry to break the mood with another bad news thread, the almightly I6 Falcon could be replace with a half-arsed V6 FWD Taurus . There's a market for large FWD V6s and they prefer Aurions and Accords. The Falcon is the highlight of Ford in Australia. It'd really suck, if we had to look to Holden (if GM survives) for affordable performance. Edited 15/01/09 02:17 PM by never_buy_4cylinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagabond Bored Member Administrator 35,722 Member For: 22y 1m 22d Gender: Male Location: Dé·jà vu Posted 15/01/09 02:18 PM Share Posted 15/01/09 02:18 PM Trumped up rehashed story if you read between the lines....Theres nothing new there that wasnt said back when Gorman was trying to run the show the rest is just hear say...Kuzak's a yank as well and not talking specifically on the Australian market the quotes have just been lifted to make it sound that way.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCRIBR Yaris member Member 4,486 Member For: 18y 6m 15d Gender: Male Posted 15/01/09 03:36 PM Share Posted 15/01/09 03:36 PM I just picked up a sweet deal on one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senna_T Forged Member Lifetime Members 15,818 Member For: 17y 10m 29d Gender: Male Location: SW Sydney Posted 15/01/09 09:14 PM Share Posted 15/01/09 09:14 PM Lol, Do you really think they are going to scrap it any time soon after they decided to keep the Geelong plant and re-engineer the I6, its all Scare Mongering and that sort of press is whats killing the local car industry"Cue Charlie Cox's Rant From Top Gear Australia"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCRIBR Yaris member Member 4,486 Member For: 18y 6m 15d Gender: Male Posted 15/01/09 10:59 PM Share Posted 15/01/09 10:59 PM that's all the media ever does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iTec TEAM BA Donating Members 1,755 Member For: 20y 29d Gender: Male Location: North of The Bridge Posted 15/01/09 11:47 PM Share Posted 15/01/09 11:47 PM ford: The new mitsubishithey arent dead.. but if we say they are long enough then one day we will be right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tab Sucker Moderating Team 32,303 Member For: 20y 8m 11d Gender: Male Location: Brisbane Posted 16/01/09 12:00 AM Share Posted 16/01/09 12:00 AM "Cue Charlie Cox's Rant From Top Gear Australia"...Best part of the whole series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil F6 Donating Members 830 Member For: 18y 11m 28d Gender: Male Location: Sydney Posted 16/01/09 03:27 AM Share Posted 16/01/09 03:27 AM Lol, Do you really think they are going to scrap it any time soon after they decided to keep the Geelong plant and re-engineer the I6, its all Scare Mongering and that sort of press is whats killing the local car industry"Cue Charlie Cox's Rant From Top Gear Australia"...Well even fwd cars need an engine.The world won't be worse off if the big 3 go under. Ford's ludicrous decision is about saving 1mpg, yes that's what they say the difference between equivalent fwd and rwd cars amounts to. Not that they have built identical cars and performed the experiment.Ford US is easily the most conservative company and it's reflected in their timid update of the BF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senna_T Forged Member Lifetime Members 15,818 Member For: 17y 10m 29d Gender: Male Location: SW Sydney Posted 16/01/09 04:01 AM Share Posted 16/01/09 04:01 AM Unless they start importing F-Series again and make those front wheel drive (it won't fit E/W in anything else), the 4L 6 aint goin in a bum dragger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venom XR6 Member 1,460 Member For: 21y 8m 10d Location: Geelong Victoria Posted 17/01/09 06:16 AM Share Posted 17/01/09 06:16 AM Journos keep looking at the decision to cut the global RWD platform as a bad thing for Ford Australia, but its actually a good thing. Because of that it gives Ford the opportunity to replace the Crown Vic, which is due for the scrapheap in 2012, with a LWB Falcon ie Fairlane. Since Ford US aren't going to make a replacement for it anymore, or the Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car, due to being unable to pass future crash tests due to its ancient separate chassis, who do you think could provide a cheap platform for it. I've also heard the Mustang and Falcon may come off the same platform as well, which would make sense. The FG is light years ahead of the Mustang in terms of chassis tech. Canning Global RWD provides opportunities they didn't have before, the global RWD platform would have made the platform US centric.Also, FWD has been dropped for Falcon as far as I know. They know a FWD Falcon would be a disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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