Major Ford announcement

[Brazen]

The Ford press release was disgusting

[Lukeyson]

Although we knew it was coming, once I heard the announcement, everyone said I was cranky for the rest of the day. lol

I wasn't planning on it, but I will be looking to purchase a 2016 FPV GT as a final goodbye, in 3 years ofcourse.

RIP Falcon 2016, I will still be enjoying mine for many years to come.

[P6LTD351]

Originally Posted by redloamrules

Dont want say to much before the wake but are interested in knowing what this announcement has on the future of parts supply, pricing and availability of the later model falcon parts. Will aftermarket suppliers be keen to manufacture spares, does anyone know what extent Ford Australia will back up there previous model spares.

Ford have stated that parts will be available until at least 2026 (meeting legal requirements of having parts available for 10 years after the particular model).

Parts will be available.

[SSD-85]

Today is a sad day for anyone who truly bleeds blue. It has broken my heart.

Thankyou for the memories FoA, and may we continue to make new memories in the Australian built Fords that we hold so dear.
The Falcon may go, but it continues to live on in the hearts, minds & garages of people like me.

The Legend will never die.

[PridenJoy]

In my street two people own Falcons, me and another bloke a few houses down.

We don't really talk to each other but funny how we both decided to wash our cars tonight.

[Brent]

The temptation to write on for ages here is immense, but I feel not appropriate here. I've only ever owned three Falcons in my life:

XE Sedan with the err [cough] 3.3 litre 6 (my first car and I loved it)
ED XR6 (awesome in its day)
BF GT (my current ride. Black with gold stripes......you don't see 'em every day with that combo and it looks damned nice on the road if I don't mind saying so myself. A good drive too).

So, some thankyou's are in order:

To Ford Australia, thanks for the memories. For making the whole thing possible for the last 20 years of my life as a car owner and for the decades that preceded that.

To all the guys & girls in the design & engineering divisions who put a very good product together on a shoestring budget.....thank you.

To the often maligned finance guys from the Ford Aust head office who made the whole thing work for so long with sweet FA help from successive governments and from the parent FoMoCo parent...... thank you.

To the guys who bolted the whole thing together on the production line. Thank you as well.

Thanks Ford Aust.

Brent.

[Crazy Dazz]

Just SO Angry.
People’s jobs, people’s lives, people’s businesses. Every politician in Australia for the past 40 years should hang their head in Shame.

[PridenJoy]

Originally Posted by DanielXR8

I don't really see that as funny at all. They gathered around an incredibly important car for the Australian car industry to hear about the death of another that has been so important to it. A poignant moment if you ask me.

Each to their own, but to me there was a hint of Holden (and the article) sinking the boot, which to me I found funny that they couldn't help themselves even on a day like this.

[mr smith]

I've been thinking today about the last 30 years of being in love with the auto industry and cars. My uncle worked for Ford PD and would bring over cool posters and Ford badges when I was a young bloke. I even got a ride in a pre production EA, freckin awesome for a 15 year old and I was hooked as a Ford fan. My mums first job was working in exports at Fisherman's bend sending CKD Holdens' to South Africa.
I have also been lucky enough to spend time in most of Fords Australian facilities and some GM ones too. What a great experience, being exposed to current tech and the current and future models, which sometimes just blended into the working day but every now and then I would have a thought on how cool the job was and to not ever take it for granted. I also loved the history of the facilities, most areas still retained the same architecture of their original design and just dripped with coolness. Some thought they were out of date, but most areas were well kept and did the job as good today as when they were new.
The local auto industry has played a part in who I am today and I recon there is a lot of those on here that feel the same. Yup, with todays news the world will go on, but it is not the same as it was yesterday.

[mrghia]

This news sucks **** I'm absolutly guttered. But I guess I will have to find a way to buy a new falcon hoping I can budget for one

[mrghia]

Now they are only gonna close the plant I wonder if they will sell the land off? Or keep it?

[dom_105]

I've really got nothing further to add to what's already been said in this thread, except that I've been laid off in the recent past when a large organisation in this company disappeared up it's own ****, and it was horrible.

My thoughts first and foremost are with the workers at Broady and Geelong.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by mrghia

Now they are only gonna close the plant I wonder if they will sell the land off? Or keep it?

Sell sell sell, the developers are salivating at the prospect of several hundred blocks in beautiful downtown Broadmeadows...

How ironic, Sam Newman has done tonights Street Talk in Broadmeadows

[BLOHSV]

Very sad indeed love my fords my rides have been XD falcon, EL ghia, BA XR8 ute, PJ ranger and now have FG boss 335 and PX ranger XLT and its so disappointing knowing that in 2016 no more falcons I'm just guttered I feel for the staff that are going to be made redundant but I'm sure ford will give them a nice payout why can't ford just continue to make the falcon overseas getting rid the falcon badge is hurting they better bring a ford V8 we need a V8 oh and a turbo 6

[Blem]

The line has been drawn so now we need a GT HO to finish Aus Ford in style.
.................................................. .................................................. ..
Saving has now begun

[GT014]

No shock but I love my gt and will buy another ford this year.

I bet my bottom dollar that sales will now drop further and give ford an excuse to close earlier.

[GTP-RPD]

Sad, sad, day for this country. Angry is an understatement.

My view and it is only my view. A recession is on the way. Libs will win the election and have to fix the mess, labour will blame them for the recession and we? WE will cop the bills for another decade. The indicators are all there. Starting with our Prime Ministers speech. The audacity of only worrying about the 1200 employees. Well what all the support industries and the rest of the friggin country.

[kelad]

Sad day and i feel for the Ford workers. Anyone driven past Bosch lately in Clayton on Centre Rd ? Whelan The Wrecker is busy at work..... :-(

[burnz]

Originally Posted by GT014

No shock but I love my gt and will buy another ford this year.

I bet my bottom dollar that sales will now drop further and give ford an excuse to close earlier.

it could go the other way, the last of the falcon...exclusiveness.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by kelad

Sad day and i feel for the Ford workers. Anyone driven past Bosch lately in Clayton on Centre Rd ? Whelan The Wrecker is busy at work..... :-(

I work around the corner from the Bosch plant in Clayton, very sad to see how its shrunk in the few years I've been working in that neck of the woods.

[Blem]

Some Ford ppl are stuck in the past & won't support NEW Fords.
Ford Australia doesn't earn money from classics.
We drive an econovan, Ba & Fg.
Also buy Bailey ladders Oz made rather than save a few dollars on imports

[FlipXW]

Im hoping Ford and FPV go out with a bang and release something extra special for the last Falcon. I will sell my, XW, Patrol, guitars, surfboards, kidney and anything else of value I have to get one and I will keep it till the day I die.

[mik]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

makes you wonder doesnt it . probably the u.s putting us out of work moreso than our own doing

very true mate, it seems pretty obvious Ford US has been feathering its own nest for years, but to a degree i guess it is understandable,
the other things stacked against our local cars are a lack of government support......, it just defies logic to make manufacturing more and more expensive in this country(unless they actually want to kill it off......check out the lima agreement !)
at the same time like typical politicians make themselves out to be good blokes and cry a few crocodile tears in front of the tv cameras while adding a few piddling handouts, yet year after year lowering the tariffs on bloody imported cars knowing exactly how it will end up for our manufacturing !
Let us hope the next pack of so and so`s have some gonads and save what is left of our manufacturing in this country.

[wulos]

Ford may have made an announcement that they are struggling here in Australia, with losses in excess of $600million over 5 years. Has anyone stopped to consider exactly how many billions of $$$'s FoA has put back in to the Australian economy since it began local manufacturing back in 1924?
Ultimately Ford have my respect, and support, not just for what they have done in the past, but also now, during tough economic times, having the balls to stand up and make what will unfortunately be seen by many passionate Australian blue oval supporters as a slap in the face.
On a positive note they have not gone down the route of "other" manufacturing companies, propping up a sinking ship with tax payer dollars, merely making product, to fill holding yards / warehouses with stock that is simply not going to sell. Or if it does sell at a loss / subsidised price.

Having recently attended the product launch for the New Kuga, it is clear that Ford are no longer looking at vehicles that are designed solely for one market. Like it or not, the car market has gone global. Vehicles are designed for multiple markets. They may be tweaked and tuned to suit a particular market, but I don't think that ANY Ford product that receives production approval will ever be sold in one single market.
The other take home message that I got from speaking to a few of the 'key' personel present was that Ford are quite active in listening to what the market is saying. Be under no illusions that Ford are not well and truly aware of the passion behind the falcon brand.
It is my sincere hope that they do hold true and ensure that there still remains a rwd FULL family sized sedan. Something that can fill family duties when necessary, AND offer the enthusiast something to keep his heart thumping solidly in his chest with pride.

Today holds some mixed emotions. In just a few short weeks time, I will be in Detroit, visiting Ford HQ. This is somewhere I have planned upon visiting since I was a very young boy. Seems kind of ironic that a few short years back our American cousins were going through very similar heartache, when it was announced that the Mustang would no longer be manufactured in Dearborne...

Who truly knows what the future will hold. It may be good, it may be not so good, but I do know for sure of one thing.

What the Ford brand means to me will never change...

[dan xr6 ute]

I work for a ford dealerwe were told buy our owner an he was told by ford the fg update will happen an parts for fg an current shape be kept until 2025 . Yes it is a big shock but with the euro laws changing coming into place the I6 motor cannot be made to pass those emissions . There are many things for could should of done diesel facon perhaps . But the land is changing gone are the times whne we jumped in big family sedan now you jump in your fwd suv or small 4wd . I own a second hand fg an deal with police etc a lot . but times have changed when I no of one big dealer in melb only selling 22 falcons in month a barely making any money on them yet selling lots diesel terras you no things aint right . I no te falcon is a n icon I ve owned 4 of them an would love my son to have one when he is older buy folks compare apples to apples the awd Taurus more power more space less thirsity an sorry to say it better looking car more features which ford have had access to but not used . Yes it is awful but its not this govtto blame go back into our history it was the govt that said we will reduce import tariffs on imported cars . Here is another fact Australia has more access to a wider variety of makes an models than either the uk or usa . So more choice more quality or some there lack off makes for less spread on the older models we grew up with .

[tranquilized]

I've just finished reading this entire thread. Like a few other have said, the news was completely expected, yet somehow still really hits you.

My thoughts go out to those affected - employees and their families mainly. At least there is 3 years to find the next job, must be some consolation.

There have been some staggeringly naive posts on this thread. (Its because of the carbon tax!) Everyone is looking for someone to blame - yes its difficult to build things in this country etc, but the main culprit for FoA predicament is the head office in Detroit. If it was an Australian owned company there would have been attempts to export, and better marketing here - no doubt.

Ford Australia were held back by their parent company, the Geelong born CEO was replaced with a guy sent here to close the manufacturing operations, and thats exactly what he's done.

As was pointed out in that Age article, it really sucks that a bunch of suits on the other side of the world have the power to strip us of such an icon. Maybe Holden and Toyota can go as well and all 3 be replaced by an Australian owned and operated car company. Call upon our core competencies and build some amazing cars that would only have to sell abroad in comparatively tiny numbers to make the operation viable. One can only dream...

[BOSSGTE]

Anybody that puts this down to a government issue (Liberal State or Labor Federal) is an ignorant fool. This thread should be about celebrating the Falcon, not pointing fingers and complaining. For the record, I have owned several Australian built Fords and I am just as upset as the next guy (maybe not as upset as a Ford factory worker, but I feel for them too).

I have owned the following: XD Fairmont, ZK Fairlane, XF Fairmont Ghia, ZJ Fairlane, XF Fairmont Ghia, EF Fairmont, XE Falcon, ZL Fairlane, FG Falcon XT (*company car, not privately owned), FG G6E, FG GT-E.

[zipping]

The feds gave Ford 103milly and they lost approx. 140 mill.

Does anyone know if that means they lost 37mill overall or they actually really lost 243mill on operations? just curious how the fed contribution gets treated in the numbers.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by GT014

No shock but I love my gt and will buy another ford this year.

I bet my bottom dollar that sales will now drop further and give ford an excuse to close earlier.

Yep I agree....

[Blem]

Atleast Ford will keep on it's R & D.
GMh got rid of theirs. They are only here to leech the gov.