Ford Falcon 2012 News

Ford says their capped price service offer, MyFord, has been successful in bringing thousands of owners back to the brand -- 13,000 in 2013 alone. So they're taking the offer further, raising it to seven years and 135,000km from the six years/105,000km that rolled out in 2011.The revised program -- available on vehicles built from 2007 -- has been extended to cover brake pad replacements and rotor machining across the range except the sporty FPV, ST and XR5 variants and the light commercial Transit van. All eligible models will have front pads capped at $259 and rear ones at $219, except the rear-wheel drive Falcon and Territory rear pads, which will be capped at $259. Machining is capped at $88.Ford has also announced a year's free membership and roadside assistance with state motoring organisations -- NRMA, RACV, RACT, RACQ, AANT, RAA and RAC -- at participating dealers with the sale of any new car, except FPV and Transit.“The addition of the Auto Club Program is another customer-focused offering that Ford owners will enjoy,” Ford Australia general manager, customer service division, Stephen Kruk, says. “Customers expect this level of certainty from their dealers and we’re happy to say that since it was introduced in July 2011, the program has been very well received by our customers.”Owners can check the maximum price for a service, and all terms and conditions at www.ford.com.au/myfordcps.  MyFord Capped Price Servicing is available on the following vehicles.Ford Fiesta – WQ, WS, WTFord Focus – LS, LT, LV, LVIIFord Mondeo – MA, MB, MCFord Falcon – BF, BF FPV, BF MkII, BF MkII FPV, BF MkIII, FG, FG FPV, FG MkII, FG MkII FPVFord Escape – ZD, ZCFord Econovan - JHFord EcoSport - BKFord Kuga - TE, TFFord Territory – SY, SY F6X, SY MkII, SZFord Ranger – PJ, PK, PXFord Transit – VM, VNThis reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Ford is recalling 3256 of its FGII Falcon EcoLPi sedans and utes due to a production error that means they may be missing an o-ring seal between the fuel delivery module and the wiring connector insert of the LPG tank.The carmaker says the missing seal means gas could leak from the LPG tank, posing a potential fire risk.The affected sedans were built in Ford's Victorian facility between August 4, 2011 and July 18, 2012; and the utes between September 15, 2011 and July 18, 2012.Ford is contacting owners of the vehicles, but advises that until the problem is rectified, the cars should not be parked in confined areas.Concerned owners can contact their nearest Ford dealership to have their cars inspected and the fix implemented, or can contact Ford's Customer Relationship Centre on 1800 503 672 for more information.

The Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 are joint winners, edging out the Hyundai i30 after an intensive three-day round of judging and more than 6000km of evaluation by nine COTY judges with more than 100 years of combined motoring experience.The result is no surprise, because the Japanese sports car twins have been COTY favourites since the day they were unveiled. They also embody the Carsguide mantra and COTY methodology: "Real cars, on real roads, for real people".The 86/BRZ is a landmark collaboration between Toyota and Subaru, classy engineering with a concentrated focus on driving enjoyment, and value packaging by both brands. That means a $29,990 starting price for the Toyota and driveaway pricing with free servicing on the Subaru."This is the era of the SUV and that makes the BRZ and 86 quite remarkable. It's a ground-breaking car, regardless of the badges it wears," says Carsguide editor, Paul Pottinger. "This car is a gift. Has anyone got out of either one without a smile on their face?" says James Stanford, summing up the majority feeling.The performance of the i30 is a surprise, as it edges the new Toyota Corolla to make the final four showdown alongside the Kia Sorento and Honda CR-V, which fly the flag for the SUV stars of 2012. "I really like the i30, and would give it my number one vote," says Chris Riley.The COTY showdown for 2012 involves 11 cars including The Twins -- as we dub 86 and BRZ -- nine judges, video and backup crews, and the photographer who insists on a 5am start on Day Two. The judging starts with a 120km run west from Sydney into the Blue Mountains, then laps around a testing and varied 44km loop from Mount Victoria.Each car has been chosen to reflect the best value and strongest sales, not just for the way it would look if it was fully loaded with an unrealistic bottom line. From the start, the troubled Ford Falcon is in trouble again. Its sales have slumped this year and, despite the addition of the excellent EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, it is still too old in too many ways to make much of an impact.But by even making the Top 10 COTY contest, it's a winner. It's a pity Ford has not done nearly enough to promote the car, and not enough people have driven a package that makes it the best riding and handling Falcon of its generation. The Ford Ranger, too, struggles. It's a pickup that can do double duty as a family car, and it led the world with five-star ute safety, but it cannot compete in such a classy field.From the Holden camp, the plug-in electric Volt is a window on the future that's not good enough for the present. We could live with the cramped back seat and the crimped boot and the confusing dashboard if the car was priced at around $35,000. But it's $59,990. "It's trying to be the car of the future but it falls down today," says Karla Pincott.The COTY crew is doing lots of laps on day one, cycling through the cars and usually going back-to-back with direct rivals such as the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5. This is one mini-contest that produces a surprising bias towards the Honda, as the Mazda is beaten on boot space with a lower loading lip, value and the little things that make a difference to families.At the end of the day, as push comes to shove and the preliminary scores are tallied, the four finalists become clear -- although The Twins make it five if you're getting picky. Leading the near misses is the Corolla, which is narrowly trumped by the i30. The CX-5 also falls, and we lose the fun little Volkswagen Up."The Up is a great city car. But there is no auto and you really can't drive it with any comfort beyond the city,'' says Pottinger. Day two begins early but the focus has shifted, even if some of the judges cannot resist more driving time in cars like the Falcon and the CX-5, and even the Up and Ranger."This is a great chance to cover some miles," says James Stanford. By Day two the judges are separating into two camps, as the shortcomings of the Sorento and CR-V take them out of the final fight. The Honda is not strong enough in the engine room for most. Despite the classy Australian suspension settings, the Sorento is not good enough to claim a COTY crown.The i30 scores for its classy cabin, its affordable starting price, and an overall package which edges the Corolla despite the Toyota's impressive $19,990 starting point. The result comes down to the final voting, with each of the cars scored 4-3-2-1 by each of the nine judges. The Twins win. "This car is brilliant, and it's such a great drive," says Stanford. The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ are also real cars, on real roads, for real people.PAUL POTTINGER1) BRZ/862) Hyundai i303) Kia Sorento4) Honda CR-VPAUL GOVER1) BRZ/862) Hyundai i303) Kia Sorento4) Honda CR-VKARLA PINCOTT1) BRZ/862) Hyundai i303) Kia Sorento4) Honda CR-VCRAIG DUFF1) BRZ/862) Hyundai i303) Kia Sorento4) Honda CR-VSTUART MARTIN1) BRZ/862) Hyundai i303) Kia Sorento4) Honda CR-VJAMES STANFORD1) BRZ/862) Hyundai i303) Kia Sorento4) Honda CR-VCHRIS RILEY1) Hyundai i302) BRZ/863) Kia Sorento4) Honda CR-VNEIL DOWLING1) Hyundai i302) BRZ/863) Kia Sorento4) Honda CR-VJOSHUA DOWLING1) Hyundai i302) Honda CR-V3) Kia Sorento4) BRZ/86 

Ford put the 2014 Falcon up in lights at a preview for the Australian International Motor Show this morning.The car manufacturer took the drastic action in an attempt to curb speculation about the future of the Broadmeadows-built sedan and its broader plans for local production Ford has had seven straight years of sales decline and Falcon deliveries are at historical lows, but the company is hoping the new model will give it the bounce it needs.Even recent four-cylinder versions of the Falcon haven’t ignited sales. So far, Ford has only committed to local assembly until the end of 2016. But anyone hoping for a glimpse of the new model was disappointed.Among the stage smoke, lights and fanfare, the company flashed a dark image of the bonnet – and “2014 Falcon” in bold type. “You’re just going to have to wait until 2014, we just wanted to tease a little bit,” says Ford Australia boss Bob Graziano.Meanwhile Holden repeated its commitment to continue manufacturing in Elizabeth South Australia until the end of 2022 – but refused to speculate on what it might build alongside the Cruze small car after the Commodore comes to the end of its lifecycle in 2017 Holden has said it will build a new generation of the Cruze small car and an as-yet unnamed second model, thought to be an SUV or mid-size sedan.“We have made our decision, I’m just not telling you what it is,” Holden boss Mike Devereux told media at the Sydney Motor Show. Holden says it is about to begin working on the first of its two new models, ready for a 2016 or 2017 rollout. “In two months we’ve got to start ground works in our plant in Adelaide to get ready for bodyshop stuff,” he said.

Demand for traditional Aussie cars is down by another 25 per cent this year, hitting the Holden Commodore even harder than the Falcon last month, and that means the Broadmeadows brand is about to wind back its production.It intends to cut the build rate at Broadmeadows from 209 to just 148 cars a day, with half of those expected to be the Territory SUV. The bad news from Ford comes in a dismal year for the three local carmakers, as Toyota and Holden have also reduced their workforces."It's a sad day for us," the president of Ford Australia, Bob Graziano, tells Carsguide. "But we also have to manage our business to be as efficient as possible going forward." The redundancies are the first at Ford since April of 2011, when daily production was cut from 260 cars. The losses will be shared across Ford's sites at Broadmeadows and Geelong, with almost all coming from the manufacturing areas of the company. They will be voluntary at first, although Graziano says there may be some forced redundancies to hit the target.The downsizing will cut the company's workforce by 14.5 per cent, leaving it at 2574 people. Graziano refuses to discuss the latest move on the long-term future of the Falcon, which is only currently locked to the end of 2016 following a $133 million commitment earlier this year to a facelift in 2014.We are committed to the Falcon to the end of 2016 and I stand by that," Graziano says. "This takes us to the end of 2016. And between now and then we'll continue to look at where the market is moving. I don't want to speculate on what vehicles we'll have in 2016 and beyond." 

The lift comes as manufacturers offer sweeteners such as hefty discounts or free on-road costs in the end-of-financial-year sales war.

There has been another poor month of sales and a backhanded slap from the brand's global chief.Alan Mulally ignored the Falcon while painting a clear picture for Ford's future products at the Geneva motor show.He is putting the emphasis on globalisation under a program called One Ford, which is likely to mean a Ford Taurus from America under the Falcon badge in 2017, at the same time as the Falcon slumped to 18th in the February sales results with a total less than half the best selling Mazda3.Ford has only given a commitment to the local Falcon until the end of 2016 following a government-backed $103 million cash injection in January, similar timing to General Motors' current plan for the Holden Commodore.The Falcon and Commodore are both facing a downsizing crisis, as Australians flock to small cars and compact SUVs, as well as integration into worldwide development plans that call for an end to unique small-volume models tailored for individual countries."The family is now really becoming clear to everyone," said Mulally, the CEO of Ford Motor Company."You look at the Ka, the Fiesta, the Focus, the Fusion and the Mondeo, and of course then the Taurus and then the Mustang, the Escape, the Edge, the Flex, the new Explorer, the Expedition, the new Ranger, the F-Series, the E-Series and the Transit and that family now is a complete family that serves 100 per cent of the markets worldwide."But what does Mulally have to say on Falcon? "We love the Falcon," he said in Geneva, continuing to run a line he has spruiked to Australians for more than three years. "It's a real good vehicle for us ... we're going to provide the things people want in all the different segments."Mulally's comments sparked a predictable response from Ford Australia, which has been firefighting at global motor shows for more than two years. "There is nothing new in this. It's a beat-up," said Neil McDonald of Ford Australia.While the future of the Falcon looks tough, Mulally's time at Ford is earning him huge rewards including more than $34 million worth of stock for his performance in 2009, reported on Tuesday to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.Mulally earns a salary of $1.9 million and banked a $9.4 million cash bonus last year, as well as a $33 million win on stock options.

Not only did the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla finish first and second on sales for the month, but the Holden Cruze beat its big-brother Commodore for the first time and the compact Ford Focus also trumped the Falcon. January provided a solid start to the 2012 showroom sales race, with an overall lift of 4.3 per cent over 2010 powered mostly - as usual - by growing demand for SUVs.But Falcon had its worst year on record and even a claim that hundreds of cars were damaged by hail at Broadmeadows could not balance the bad news. The Focus victory over the Falcon is a tick for the compact, with a towering margin of 1576-931 cars, but also another cross against the long-term future of the locally made family car. "It was a shocking storm. They really took a hit," a spokesman for Ford Australia, Neil McDonald, says. Holden has admitted for nearly a year that the Cruze would eventually become its local hero, but no-one expected the switch from big to little to happen so quickly.It's unlikely to be sustained every month, as Commodore sales in January are traditionally down while fleet buyers are on holidays, but it's a pointer to a sea change in Australian carmaking."It's a good problem to have," says Holden's spokesperson, Emily Perry. Holden, like Ford with Falcon and Territory, is now also combining Commodore and Cruze totals each month so people get the correct picture of their total local production.And it's claiming strong early returns from a variety of sources. "Holden's product renaissance is really picking up pace and key models are notching up very pleasing performances in their respective segments. Our focus remains on building and selling the cars Australians want to buy and with a raft of new models due in the coming months, we're looking forward to an exciting year ahead," says Holden's director of sales, Philip Brook. The margin between Cruze and Commodore was much closer than Focus and Falcon at 2445 sales to 2170. But neither could come close to the overall winner in January, the Mazda3 with 4045, or the second-placed Toyota Corolla with 3383. The Mazda is still powering off the back of its number one run through 2011 and led the company to a January record of 8479 sales, and 11.0 per cent of the market. The result reflects an increase of 1279 cars, or 17.8 per cent, over the result in 2011. "We are both delighted and humbled by customer acceptance of our whole range during January. While we are quietly confident of a strong year, particularly with the imminent launch of our all-new CX-5, our primary focus will remain on looking after our customers," says the managing director of Mazda Australia, Doug Dickson. As usual, Toyota was Australia's favourite brand in January, ahead of Toyota and Mazda, with Hyundai in fourth after the best January in its local history.

Taking the special "GTHO" wraps off son James's race car for this year, Moffat declared the Blue Oval teams are ready to take it up to the Red Lions.Holden has won the past two constructor titles with 14 to 12 race wins in 2010 and a dominant display last year, winning all but four races.While no one is suggesting James Moffat is ready to win the title, his father and DJR boss Dick Johnson believe he is ready to go much better than his two fourths places at Queensland Raceway and Surfers Paradise last year."He's very brave just to take the family name to racing," Moffat says. In his first year in the main game, 27-year-old Moffat finished just 23rd, but with enough moments of brilliance to attract the attention of other drivers such as Craig Lowndes who declared Moffat the one to watch this year."That's a big compliment coming from someone of his calibre," says young Moffat. "I'm not getting too far ahead of myself and I won't say we will win every weekend; I'll just be building on my experience."The advantage this year is I know what to expect." He says his father has been "more of a help than a hindrance"."The only hindrance is the fact that people expect too much of me, which is only natural," he says. "The biggest things dad has taught me over the years are the importance of preparation and finishing." DJR preparation last year was thrown into disarray with their championship-winning chief engineer moving to Triple Eight and their replacement dying early in the season. DJR competed all year with only one full-time engineer.Johnson says the new four-car team now has a host of full-time engineers and they have sorted out the "technical issues" that haunted them late in the season. "We've now recognised the problem that was put into the cars at Queensland Raceway," he says."You don't go from being a top three qualifier to the bottom two without some dramatic change. It was a human error issue."We had a huge void in our engineering for most of the year, but now we have one of the strongest engineering teams."Johnson says his relationship with his former Ford opponent was also strong. "He's unlike the typical driver's father. He knows when not to interfere. He knows James is getting the best treatment possible."Johnson says the GTHO cover for the Moffat car had brought back a lot of good memories. "But it just shows how far technology has moved on in 40 years," he says. "The major difference is today you have more grip and stopping power."Those old race cars were basically road-going cars but damn fast. Today they are formula race cars."1973 Ford Falcon GTHO race carEngine: 5.7-litre V8Power: 224kW @ 5400rpmTorque: 515Nm @ 3400rpmTransmission: 4-speed synchro H patternTop speed: 225km/h0-100km/h: 6.4 secsQuarter mile: 14.2 secsBrakes: 286mm discs (front), 254mm drums (rear)Wheels: 6 x 14-inch steelWeight: 1524kg2012 Ford Falcon V8 SupercarEngine: 5-litrePower: 470kW @ 7250Torque: 650Nm @ 5500rpmTransmission: 6-speed sequential0-100km/h: 3.4 secsQuarter mile: 10.8 secsTop speed: 303.8km/hBrakes: 375mm discs (front), 343 discs (rear)Wheels: 11 x 17-inch alloysWeight: 1345kg

It has slashed 350 jobs from the workforce at its factory at Altona in Melbourne as a result of falling demand for the Camry, most notably in the Middle East, that pegs production for 2012 at just 95,000 cars.That's a drop of more than 30 per cent in just four years, to an unsustainable level without cuts to the 3500-strong Victoria workforce."Toyota Australia is facing severe operating conditions resulting in unsustainable financial returns due to factors including the strong Australian currency, reduced cost competitiveness and volume decline, especially in export markets," says Max Yasuda, president of Toyota Australia.But Toyota is not alone on the crisis line. Falcon sales fell to less than 19,000 cars in 2011 and the total production at Broadmeadows - including Falcon ute and Territory - was only 45,000 vehicles, while the Commodore lost the top spot in Australian motoring last year and GM Holden is now relying on joint production of the Commodore and compact Cruze to keep its Adelaide factory spinning at profitable levels.Less than two weeks ago the spotlight was on Detroit with questions about the future of both Ford and Holden. The blue oval brand reacted first with a $103 cash injection and General Motors is promising news by the middle of the year on a production deal beyond the next Commodore, the VF that hits the road in 2014.Planning the future for Australian manufacturing is being done at the highest levels, with the Federal Minister for Industry, Senator Kim Carr, meeting Ford CEO Alan Mulally and GM honcho Dan AkersonThe major focus was development of a fresh co-investment strategy between the Federal government and the carmakers, taking advantage of the $3.4 billion fighting fund included in the Automotive Transformation Scheme as part of the motor industry plan that runs through to the end of the decade.Senator Carr was upbeat when he emerged from the talks, firstly to pledge his support of Holden and then to announce the new Ford deal which has been fast-tracked in less than six months. "We had very, very productive conversations. We are at the table," he says.But that was ahead of the Toyota job cut, which is also raising questions about the future viability of the hundreds of component companies that are tied to Ford, Holden and Toyota.“This is an industry that employs 46,000 skilled Australian workers directly and over 200,000 indirectly.  It is an industry that is the cornerstone of research and development activity in Australia and an industry that is one of our top export earners," says Carr.“The enormously competitive situation for automotive globally highlights more than ever the need to support our local automotive industry, to retain core capabilities and to provide skilled jobs so that the industry can rebound when economic conditions improve.“The mining boom won’t last for ever and we need to make sure that we have a core of key manufacturing industries with export potential – including automotive – to turn to when that happens."Break-Out: FundingThe troubles at Toyota have again raised questions about government support for carmaking in Australia.The three locals all get some form of support from Federal and State governments, with Ford Australia recently announcing a $103 million co-funded injection from Canberra and its parent company in Detroit.There has been talk in recent years that taxpayers are funding the industry at the rate of more than $1000 a person every year, but a new independent survey by the Sapere group shows the reality.The actual cost of government backing is $17.30 a year - a level that Sapere rates as the lowest among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.The level of support in Britain is only $27.270 but it rises sharply from there, to $87.90 in Germany and $93.70 in Canada to $143.30.At the top end, government support in France is $143.30 per person and in the USA it's a whopping $257.40.Break-Out: OpinionThe troubles at Toyota reflect the latest change for Australian carmakers.The best model for success in the 1990s and early 2000s was to have a strong local sales base and then cream the top with an export program.It worked for Holden with the Pontiac G8 version of the Commodore, and Ford also looked for a time at building the Focus in Australia for exports through the Asia-Pacific region.Toyota did it best with the Camry and in its peak export year, it shipped more than 100,000 Camrys from Altona to the Middle East.But carmaking has contracted, the Australian dollar is far stronger, and the best model now is to export expertise - not cars - with work like Ford's T6 pickup program, Holden's design job for the Chevrolet Camaro, and even Toyota's inhouse design jobs.There is still a place for the local makers, but they have to be tightly integrated into a global plan that means more for Australia than just trying to crank out orphan cars for local buyers.