New FG wins 5 star safety rating

[zak88]

ford marketing would be crazy if they don't come up with a big advertising for the FG being the safest Australian manufactured car ever.

[uranium_death]

"In a day and age where there are more Toyota drivers than ever, safety is important to us, as well as your family. You never know what moron will hit you.
Ford has answered, and delivered with the safest Australian car ever...5 star safety-rating. Count the stars...1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Five stars!

If you don't buy a new Falcon, you clearly don't care about your family."

[ZA-289]

That is great news! that should definatly help the sales figures, as long as ford lets everyone know about it!

[Walt Kowalski]

Originally Posted by deesun

But it won't happen cos Ford don't know how to market.

Unfortunately you are 100% right but I hope to stand corrected.

[alecrain]

Just watched the news and it wasn't mentioned, well maybe they'll say something on Wednesday after the official ANCAP release.

[Jason[98.EL]]

the way i look at it is

what is the best way to advertise a product you sell ???
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word of mouth is my answer let others blow the trumpet for you

now if ford au jump on this what is likely to happen ??

i can see the headlines now

Ford Australia blowing own horn on safety standard

if i was in the ford marketing dept i would let it go and let the other people that want to blow the horn blow the horn

BIG TIME

just my thoughts on this one

[GT 4eva]

marketing now please!!!!!!!!!!!!! and stick it up the other makes about it also!!!

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Grimus

the way i look at it is

what is the best way to advertise a product you sell ???
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
word of mouth is my answer let others blow the trumpet for you

now if ford au jump on this what is likely to happen ??

i can see the headlines now

Ford Australia blowing own horn on safety standard

if i was in the ford marketing dept i would let it go and let the other people that want to blow the horn blow the horn

BIG TIME

just my thoughts on this one

If they throw it in the add, where they talk about the features, fuel economy, that the interior has been compared with european cars etc. Then it would be better then an add where they talk about just the safety.

[sedgie]

Saw this and am not sure what to make of it. Love the way an article entitled 'Falcon safety report premature', still manages to discuss the VE Commodore more so than the falcon. Love to know what Holden are doing to the different media outlets behind closed doors for this sort of attention.

http://editorial.carsales.com.au/car...w/2966246.aspx

[uranium_death]

Nice one Sedgie.

Agreed.
Despite the Falcon being superior in almost all areas, they seemed to place doubt on the Falcon's safety and put full confidence into the Commodore's.

All that "real-world" stuff spouted by Holden would be great...except that fecking A-pillar immediately gets rid of any credible claims from them.

[snappy]

Ford is a safe car has been for a while now . My cousin crashed a ef futura on his L plates rolled the car 4 times and hit a tree roof first both my cousin and aunty walked away (minor injures) Every ses,police,ambo said they were sure it would of been fatal when they turned up . This is the very reason my uncle said he would never by any car other than a ford.

[new2ford]

It will be interesting to see the actual score. Ford has actually previously got within a whisker of 5 stars with the Territory which previously held the honour of the highest Australian car ANCAP rating. Of course the press at the time gave all the credit to the Mitsu 380 whose score was 28.09 out of 37 (it was a 'car' you see whereas the Territory apparently wasn't - well really the Territory is a Ford which is the problem with the press!). The TS Territory scored 31.57/37. How close to 5 stars this was is shown by the 5 star BMW X5 which scored 32.66/37. The VE Omega scored 27.45/37 and Holden's safety star the barina scored 14.9/37!

What interests me more is primary safety. For that we have to look at the Wheels WASP tests and here Ford really comes to the front and Toyota goes to the rear. Not that it matters to the average moron buyer.

[EgoFG]

Originally Posted by sedgie

Saw this and am not sure what to make of it. Love the way an article entitled 'Falcon safety report premature', still manages to discuss the VE Commodore more so than the falcon. Love to know what Holden are doing to the different media outlets behind closed doors for this sort of attention.

http://editorial.carsales.com.au/car...w/2966246.aspx

This was my emailed response to the article

Loved the way you made this article 3/5th Ford, and 2/5th Holden.
And for some reason the Holden content comes off in a better light and at the conclusion of the article (as ed, you would be aware of the significance of the final part of any communication).

This is a big deal for the local industry, and one that the two biggest (Toyota/GM) car brands in the world have NOT been able to deliver in AU.

[mik]

in the article the Holden guy seems to insinuate the ancap test does`nt cover the other area`s of the car it appears to be, excuse the pun (DAMAGE CONTROL) on his part.

[Jayden]

The unofficial australian safety test.

Driver survives +1
driver dies -2
has side airbag +5
side airbag fails half the time -0
is ford -1
is holden +1
beats mysterious merc benchmark +10

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by new2ford

It will be interesting to see the actual score. Ford has actually previously got within a whisker of 5 stars with the Territory which previously held the honour of the highest Australian car ANCAP rating. Of course the press at the time gave all the credit to the Mitsu 380 whose score was 28.09 out of 37 (it was a 'car' you see whereas the Territory apparently wasn't - well really the Territory is a Ford which is the problem with the press!). The TS Territory scored 31.57/37. How close to 5 stars this was is shown by the 5 star BMW X5 which scored 32.66/37. The VE Omega scored 27.45/37 and Holden's safety star the barina scored 14.9/37!

What interests me more is primary safety. For that we have to look at the Wheels WASP tests and here Ford really comes to the front and Toyota goes to the rear. Not that it matters to the average moron buyer.

I alluded to your point about the territory new2ford in my earlier post, teh territory really is a 4.5 star car IMO. .Also worth noting that the TS had curtain airbag while the TX didn't if i remember correctly.....hence it was a 4 star car. The TS did come damn close though....close enough that another car on another day might just have clinched it....almost within testing error i would have thought.

Holden is in damage control frankly....the decision to put the 6 airbags standard (and not just match ford with side airbags on low spec) seemed like overkill to me so maybe Holden was just preparing for this outcome. Either way the comment that VE can be 'made' 5 star capable is ridiculous IMO....you would need to make some significant changes to attain this since as i noted the VE has issues in other, non curtain airbag related areas.

If Holden added a seat belt minder and then did the test again, including the pole test, the VE MIGHT get 5 stars, but it would have to improve on its previous results in leg injuries....it had 2 point deducted off this test area due to unsafe results (VZ had one point deducted, niether BA or Territory lost any points here). If this is just a case of new adsorbing dash plastics or something it coudl do it, but this would cost money i suspect Holden isn't willing to spend. Traditionally until all new models (or very significantly upgraded) are launched safety scores don't change much. Otherwise Ford would have just tweaked Territory to get it over the line......

Finally, i still think it is pretty damning that Holden didn't get 5 stars (at least for high spec variants) at launch...given the big marketing coup over Falcon which had no chance of matching it until FG, i think they knew damn well it wasn't going to get 5 stars. And that includes high spec variants, otherwise they would have surely made them available to test for advertising purposes. I would be very surprised if the VE gets 5 stars ever....would need a new body design for that..... :

[Mercury 8]

Originally Posted by Swordsman88

I alluded to your point about the territory new2ford in my earlier post, teh territory really is a 4.5 star car IMO. .Also worth noting that the TS had curtain airbag while the TX didn't if i remember correctly.....hence it was a 4 star car. The TS did come damn close though....close enough that another car on another day might just have clinched it....almost within testing error i would have thought.

Holden is in damage control frankly....the decision to put the 6 airbags standard (and not just match ford with side airbags on low spec) seemed like overkill to me so maybe Holden was just preparing for this outcome. Either way the comment that VE can be 'made' 5 star capable is ridiculous IMO....you would need to make some significant changes to attain this since as i noted the VE has issues in other, non curtain airbag related areas.

If Holden added a seat belt minder and then did the test again, including the pole test, the VE MIGHT get 5 stars, but it would have to improve on its previous results in leg injuries....it had 2 point deducted off this test area due to unsafe results (VZ had one point deducted, niether BA or Territory lost any points here). If this is just a case of new adsorbing dash plastics or something it coudl do it, but this would cost money i suspect Holden isn't willing to spend. Traditionally until all new models (or very significantly upgraded) are launched safety scores don't change much. Otherwise Ford would have just tweaked Territory to get it over the line......

Finally, i still think it is pretty damning that Holden didn't get 5 stars (at least for high spec variants) at launch...given the big marketing coup over Falcon which had no chance of matching it until FG, i think they knew damn well it wasn't going to get 5 stars. And that includes high spec variants, otherwise they would have surely made them available to test for advertising purposes. I would be very surprised if the VE gets 5 stars ever....would need a new body design for that..... :

All true but the marketing department won't have much trouble convincing the sheep that VE is easily made 5 star by adding a warning light and not undergoing the test again.These guys are good.Otherwise wouldn't they have supplied a car this time around for the side impact tests.

[ltd]

From the carsales.com link

"In the marketplace, people look at the Commodore and the safety features it offers... and realise it's a very safe vehicle."

Lindsay believes that, given the VE Commodore's migration to six airbags earlier this year, the difference between the current four-star rating and a future five-star rating might be something as inconsequential as a passenger-seatbelt reminder, although Lindsay hastens to add he's not saying it's just as simple as that.

"I was led to believe that that is one thing that would stop us getting a five-star [rating] now."

Of course, the one mitigating factor that has been overlooked and can never be engineered out of the car is the Bogan factor. No matter what they do, Bogans will attempt to be the next Mark Skaife and still suffer needlessly at the behest of the Holden marketing company. Presumably, the same fans of the commo believe that Meat Pies are primarily made of meat. Holdens wrap around trees better.

[FoMoKid]

Falcon First 5 Star Australian Made Vehicle
Published: Wednesday 6th August 2008

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program, Australia’s leading vehicle safety advocate, today announced a five-star safety rating for the Australian made Ford Falcon FG sedan– the first time a locally made vehicle has received a maximum safety rating.

The Falcon was awarded the 5-star rating following a series of crash tests conducted by ANCAP.

ANCAP Chair, Lauchlan McIntosh, congratulated Ford and said that this is a significant milestone for an Australian made car.

“The Ford Falcon now leads the pack in safety for the large Australian made family car.”

“ANCAP has high expectations that this achievement will encourage other manufacturers to build 5 star cars.”

From ANCAP website http://ancap.com.au/media/pressreleases/40/

[mcnews]

AAA WELCOMES 5-STAR CAR


Australia’s peak motoring body, the Australian Automobile Association, today congratulated Ford Australia following the announcement it has produced the first locally-made vehicle to receive a 5-star safety rating.

The 2008 Ford Falcon received the top safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) following a crash test program conducted in line with recognised international protocols. The AAA is a stakeholder in ANCAP.

The Australian Automobile Association and constituent motoring organisations – the NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAASA, RACWA, RACT and AANT – paid tribute to Ford on its 5-star rating and encouraged other manufacturers to follow suit.

“This is a great result for Australian motorists and their families,” AAA Executive Director Mike Harris said.

“And it is also a positive announcement for the Australian automotive industry – it should serve as a benchmark for other manufacturers to incorporate safety features such as Electronic Stability Control and head protecting side air bags into their vehicles.

“Today’s announcement also highlights the important role of ANCAP and Australia’s motoring clubs as consumer advocates.

“ANCAP has been crash testing vehicles and reporting the results to the motoring public for more than 15 years now, and it can claim some success for the improvements in vehicle safety over that time – especially in the past five years.

“New car buyers now have real safety choices when making their purchase – we look forward to having more Australian-made 5-star cars on the market and available to motorists.”

[Quicksand]

And more on John Mellors GoAuto News:

http://www.mellor.net/mellor/mellorw...oAuto%20e-News

Hooray!

[HSE2]

So it is just a bit more than the seat belt alarm which the compition wanted to make out.

[FordFella]

Wow it got the maximum safety rating in side impact despite not having curtains - which proves that it would be impossible for Ford to do better even with side airbags (at least within the test). So if we hypothesize over this, if the VE were to get better seatbelt alarms (maximum an extra 2 points), a pole test (maximum of 2) and the side airbags improve the side to 16 (an extra one), VE would have 32.5 - just enough for five stars. However that is based on the maximum amount it could score - chances are it wouldn't get that.

[FPV 5TH]

Just saw it on Channel 10 news with 1/3 devoted to Commodore and how it only needs the seat belt alarm for 5 stars. WHat utter crap

[FordFella]

Originally Posted by Lightning BF_GT

Just saw it on Channel 10 news with 1/3 devoted to Commodore and how it only needs the seat belt alarm for 5 stars. WHat utter crap

You are in Adelaide, what do you expect lol.
Just looking at at EuroNCAP, the only executive (large car) result that betters the FG is the Lexus GS - and that was after a retest when a door came open. Not to mention it doesn't say if the result is rounded up or not.

[Silver Ghia]

The VE has achieved only 11.5 points for the offset frontal impact test, where 12.5 minimum is required for five stars.
So it needs much more than just a warning light for that test alone.
Also wonder how it would go in the pole test? Commodores dont have a good reputation for that.

[FordFella]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

The VE has achieved only 11.5 points for the offset frontal impact test, where 12.5 minimum is required for five stars.
So it needs much more than just a warning light for that test alone.
Also wonder how it would go in the pole test? Commodores dont have a good reputation for that.

Just saw that. Lol seatbelt warning lights will fix that too...

[Falc'man]

Holden's (and Toyota's) marketing campaign will fix everything.

Ford's campaign ain't aggressive enough. I'm not talking about the ad, I'm talking about taking it to the next level and reverberating everything the positive stuff the media has about FG. Drum it into the heads of all Aussies that this car leaves the rest far behind in most if not all areas.

Well done on the result to FG's engineers.

[Nikked]

we need adds! New falcon safer and more fuel efficient then the commodore!

[vztrt]

Well the head of marketing at FoA has just changed (look at page 21 on the go Auto PDF) so hopefully something may happen.....yeah I know long shot.