Territory adds a star for $2

A front passenger seatbelt reminder light will be added to all TS, TX and Ghia and Turbo Territorys from January 1, giving the car the best-possible Australasian New Car Assessment Program crash rating.

When it was initially tested in 2006, the Broadmeadows-built crossover comfortably scored four stars and made do with dual front airbags on the base models.  Since the arrival of the Series II facelift earlier this year curtain airbags have become standard and the car has now been re-engineered for the seatbelt light.

Since the facelift and other improvements there has been a modest resurgence in Territory sales, according to Ford president and CEO, Marin Burela.  Demand is such that Broadmeadows employees worked overtime earlier this month to build an extra 321 Territorys.

It is the first time since July 2005 the factory has been on overtime.  "We've been planning to do that for a couple of months because there is a strong demand," Burela says.  Burela is confident that when the 2.7-litre V6 turbo-diesel arrives next year, Territory sales will ‘grow it back to where it was’.

However, despite the Series II update, the car has remained largely unchanged, with the same interior and six-cylinder petrol engines it had at launch.  Newer rivals in the hotly contested medium off-roader segment, including diesels, are nibbling at the Territory's heartland.

Sales have gone from a high of 23,454 in 2005 - its first full year on sale - down to just 9659 year-to-date.  Given its maturity, Burela is reluctant to confirm whether Ford is close to signing off on the next-generation version.  More immediately the future of the Falcon wagon is expected to be decided early next year.

"It's still doing its job," Burela says."We're clearly looking at a number of options.  "We'll probably come out sometime in the first quarter and advise you about what we're doing with the wagon."

Given the arrival of the Mondeo wagon, Ford must decide whether to continue with two load-luggers.  "Right now we can because they appeal to different customers," Burela says.  Ford could further leverage Mondeo wagon sales by introducing a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel but Burela has refused to confirm it.

"It's too early to say," he says.  However he did acknowledge that a diesel wagon could have strong fleet appeal because of its economy.  "The big opportunity for us is how do we compete with the Holden Sportswagon?," he says "The customer for the Sportswagon is the same as the Mondeo wagon."