2014 Ford Falcon still on the plan

The year is 1979 and I'm driving in a giant Falcon cavalcade through the streets of Melbourne, with a police escort and every junction blocked as if I was part of a Presidential motorcade. The XD Falcon is the biggest news in the country, even though the giant family fighter is being launched at a time when the world is downsizing its wheels in the wake of global energy crises and Holden has a bright new star with its first Commodore.

Ford Australia is on the front foot and the Blue Oval's global boss and family patriach Henry Ford II has landed in Melbourne to put his personal stamp on the XD and talk about his company's aggressive plans for the future.

Now it's Tuesday, this week, and I'm one of 850 invited guests at a $4 million Ford function in Sydney billed as 'Go Further - Vision for Australia'. It's a vision without the Falcon and this time the fly-in heroes are Ford's three amigos - global president Alan Mullaly,  chief operating officer Mark Fields and marketing boss Jim Farley. They're all talking big about a future for Ford in Australia with lots of new cars, lots of fresh thinking, and a new focus on customer relationships.

Each takes the spotlight to introduce the new models, including the Transit vans and the mid-sized Mondeo that must do a much better job against the Toyota Camry in the mid-sized class. But there are no real answers to a range of questions, including the future of Ford Performance Vehicles and V8 Supercars racing, and no deviation from the prepared message that's been tailored to bring cheers and clapping from Ford employees and dealers.

When Carsguide asks about the real future for the Falcon, from the planned facelift in 2014 through to the end of production in 2016, Alan Mullaly is short and not-so sweet. "That's the plan," he says.

The Falcon and Territory die soon and Ford is switching to a fully imported lineup, from the baby Fiesta ST to the Mustang as the halo car. The Everest is the real hero, because the seven-seater SUV has been designed and developed in Australia, even though it will be built in Thailand.

There is plenty of razzle-dazzle, including a mocked-up "showroom of the future", but no chance to drive any of the promises and no talk about the people in Melbourne who will lose their jobs. As I walk away from the 'Go Further' event I can see what Ford Australia is planning, and the commitment to its new future.

But I'm also asking what would be happening in 2013 if the same cash and confidence and commitment that gave us the XD Falcon in 1979 had been applied by savvy management and smart salespeople in the days between then and now.

Twitter @paulwardgover