Ford Falcon 2013 News

What have been the most significant Australian cars since January 1, 2000 so far? With the first 25 years of the 21st century now out of the way, we rate the 10 most important models that left their mark, or came into their own afterwards.

The Federal Government's recall website has urged drivers of certain Ford Falcons and Territorys to not adjust their steering wheel in case it causes the engine to shut down.

Australia is still a nation of gas-guzzlers even though new data shows tailpipe emissions have fallen to their lowest since records were first calculated 10 years ago. Small-car specialist Suzuki topped the latest car emissions study while Jeep ranked last among the Top 15 brands.Figures released by the National Transport Commission show the average emissions for all new cars sold last year fell to 192 grams per kilometre compared to 252g/km in 2002.But our cars are still pumping out 45 per cent more carbon-dioxide compared to those in Europe (132g/km) and we’re not far behind the gas-guzzling capital of the world: North America (231g/km).Although small cars and SUVs have overtaken the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon as our family favourites, Australians have been relatively slow to adopt more efficient vehicles because we are the fourth cheapest developed country in the world for petrol and the sixth cheapest for diesel.“There’s no doubt that one of the biggest factors that drives the European result is their substantially higher fuel taxation,” said the executive director of the Australian Automobile Association, Andrew McKellar.For example, the petrol price average in the UK last year was 217.3 cents per litre compared to 146.6 cents per litre in Australia. Fuel excise in Australia is also among the cheapest in the world: 38.1 cents per litre versus the UK’s 59.3 cents per litre.“Australian car buyers still tend to favour size, power and performance over fuel economy,” said Mr McKellar. However, the study should not be a “black mark” for motorists because Australians are more reliant on the motor vehicle.“In Europe, when you want to travel between cities it’s not uncommon to catch a high-speed train,” said Mr McKellar. “Australia obviously doesn’t have that network so we depend more on cars, and ones that can be driven comfortably over long distances.”The NTC figures also reveal private buyers are doing more to save the planet than are government and businesses. The average emissions of vehicles bought by private buyers last year was 186g/km compared to 198g/km for businesses and 210g/km for government fleets.This is partly because government purchasing policies have favoured Australian-made vehicles, which aren’t as efficient as equivalently-sized imported cars.Toyota has the most efficient locally-made cars, with the Camry and Aurion sedans producing an average of 179g/km, ahead of the Ford Falcon sedan and Territory SUV (213g/km).Despite manufacturing the Cruze small car alongside the Commodore, Holden’s emissions were the highest of the local makers (237g/km), according to the report.Indeed, none of Australia’s three manufacturers figured in the Top 10 list of the most efficient car brands.Top honours went to small car specialist Suzuki, whose average fleet emissions was 158g/km, ahead of BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai.Toyota, Ford and Holden ranked in the bottom of the Top 15 brands, with Jeep ranked highest among the group (226g/km).Toyota may have the largest hybrid model range but it was penalised by its high proportion of commercial vehicles and SUVs.Meanwhile the locally-made Ford and Holden six-cylinder cars outweighed the improvements in with their imported four-cylinder cars.The study covered only the Top 15 brands as they represented 92 per cent of vehicles sold in Australia in 2013.Meanwhile, Australia’s regulations for carbon dioxide vehicle emissions lag European standards by more than six years.The latest “Euro 5” rules, as they are known, aren’t due to be enforced in Australia until November 2016; they were introduced in Europe in September 2010.Europe is targeting even stricter standards by 2015 (to an average emissions rating of 130 g/km) before limboing to just 95 g/km in 2020.The European target for light commercial vehicles such as utes and vans are 175 g/km in 2017 and 147 g/km in 2020.The Top 15 most efficient car brands in AustraliaSuzuki 158 g/kmBMW 158 g/kmVolkswagen 162 g/kmMercedes 165 g/kmHyundai 175 g/kmHonda 176 g/kmSubaru 181 g/kmMazda 184 g/kmKia 184 g/kmMitsubishi 191 g/kmNational average 192 g/kmToyota 203 g/kmFord 205 g/kmNissan 209 g/kmHolden 212 g/kmJeep 226 g/kmAverage CO2 emissions by brand in 2013.Source: National Transport CommissionThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

Fast forward. The year is 2020. The last Falcon left the production line over four years ago and it was joined by the last Commodore not long after. Toyota's local operation has also been looking pretty shaky, because the departure of Ford and Holden from the production scene has driven up the cost of parts. Toyota is hanging on, thanks to the extra exports it picked up from Holden - but by the skin of its teeth.No more Falcons or Commodores of course means no more utes either, V8 or otherwise - what's a buyer supposed to do? It's time for a reality check. The missus isn't happy because the beaut VF you bought six years ago has been playing up and will need updating sooner than later (tomorrow if the ball and chain has her way).The question is: what to buy? A hybrid or an electric vehicle maybe or perhaps one of those new-fangled hydrogen jobs - they're supposed to be pretty good on gas? At this point in time, the figures suggest your next car will probably be a Corolla or a Mazda3, because as much as we profess to love them buyers have been deserting the big family six for years while sales of smaller cars and SUVs have continued to rise. That's on paper.But can you really see some big boofy bloke stepping out of an XR6 or V8-powered SS Commodore into one of these econo-boxes? The clock is ticking and it is time to choose. The top 5 selling vehicles in Australia as we speak are: the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai i30, Toyota Hilux and the Holden Cruze in that order. Forced to choose which one what would you buy if you had to for out for a new set of wheels tomorrow? Will it be one of these vehicles or perhaps a WRX, an EVO or something else with a bit of street cred? 

Holden says it’s as True Blue as football, meat pies and kangaroos -- but a secret document has revealed the cars it plans to build with more than $275 million taxpayer dollars will be less Australian than a Toyota Camry.The local content of the latest Holden Commodore has already dropped to 50 per cent, while less than one-third of the Cruze small car is made from Australian-sourced components, even though Holden has received $1.8 billion in government assistance over the past 12 years.By comparison, the local content of the Toyota Camry and Ford Falcon sedans are 70 per cent, according to figures supplied by the car-makers.Holden’s confidential plan to increase the foreign parts in its cars will likely come as a kick in the guts to local automotive parts suppliers who today (Monday December 2) will hold a rally at Adelaide’s Stamford Hotel before lodging their submission to the Productivity Commission.“The Productivity Commission must understand that this isn’t just about economics, it’s about families and communities,” said John Camillo, the SA secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.The Federal Coalition Government has postponed any new taxpayer assistance deals with car makers and automotive component suppliers until after the Productivity Commission delivers an interim report on the industry by December 20 and a final report on March 31.Critically, this is after a global General Motors deadline to allocate investment in future models and it is feared the fate of Holden's factory may already be decided.Holden yesterday declined to comment on its future model plans. But the SA Government “Cabinet In Confidence” document -- partly funded by and compiled with co-operation from Holden -- says there will be a “significant reduction” in locally-made components for the two cars General Motors plans to build in the future.“The Next Gen plan sees two vehicle ranges with the majority of components for each being imported,” says the report prepared by University of Adelaide Professor Goran Roos. "Accordingly the Next Gen plan would see a significant reduction in the Australian-based suppliers to GM Holden.”The report contradicts Holden’s public claim that if its factory and the jobs of its 1760 production line workers are saved, Australian component manufacturers will also benefit.Holden boss Mike Devereux says the “ripple effect” of a shutdown would be felt across the parts supply industry -- and up to 7000 jobs in South Australia and up to 18,000 in Victoria would be lost.But, in fact, if General Motors receives the funding boost it needs to continue production in Australia, some local parts suppliers are likely to lose their contracts with Holden and may themselves face a shutdown.Critically, even if local parts suppliers can match or undercut the price of foreign rivals, they are unlikely to be awarded the business because of General Motors’ global parts supply contracts.“Even if an Australian-based supplier could offer a cheaper alternative for (Holden) locally it would not be adopted as it could interfere with the broader global GM supplier relations,” the report says.Holden’s decision to increase the foreign content of its “Next Generation” cars now risks bringing Toyota and the rest of the Australian automotive manufacturing industry down with it.If Holden weakens the parts supply base, the remaining component manufacturers may not have the economies of scale to help Toyota find the $400 million in annual savings it needs to survive.Toyota Australia says it must slash $3800 -- or about 15 per cent of the production cost -- from each car it builds if it is to retain the Middle East export deal that is critical to keeping its Altona factory running.Only 35,000 Camry and Aurion V6 sedans are sold locally each year; about 70,000 Camrys are exported. Toyota Australia says it must build a minimum of 80,000 cars a year to remain viable.In Tokyo last week, the executive vice president and member of the board of Toyota, Nobuyori Kodaira, said local parts suppliers were key to the survival of Toyota’s Australian operations.“In Australia currently we are having a difficult situation,” said Mr Kodaira. “Because this is a business we need to have economic viability.“In order to continue the manufacturing there, we are cooperating with our suppliers on activities such as rationalisation and also cost reduction. We definitely think those activities are necessary.”A Toyota insider told News Corp Australia: “If Holden goes, we’ll be right behind them. It won’t be announced straight away … but we’ll be gone too.”Toyota Australia executives are still fighting hard to save the Altona car assembly line and engine plant, by trying to find new ways to cut production costs.In Tokyo last week a Toyota Australia executive said a decision about Altona would come from Japan by mid-2014. But representatives for the company have since told News Corp Australia a deadline has not been set, and it may be in the second half of 2014.In the meantime about 2000 of Toyota’s 2500 factory workers at Altona have been asked to vote on an amendment to their workplace agreement that cuts bonuses but improves shift flexibility.Unlike Holden workers -- who in September voted for a three-year wage freeze if production is secured from 2016 to 2022 -- Toyota factory workers will get to keep two longstanding pay rises due next year: a 3.25 per cent increase in April and 2 per cent in September.The Toyota workers must cast their vote by Friday the 13th of December. If Toyota were to close its Altona facility, it would likely happen in 2018, at the end of the next Camry model cycle.In August this year, Toyota Australia announced it had received $30 million in government funding to go towards an update for the Camry to be built at Altona from 2015 to 2018. There is no suggestion this deal is under threat.As reported by Carsguide last month the SA Government briefing paper forecast the possibility of a Holden shutdown in 2016, the same year as Ford. The secret document also said Holden’s factory shutdown could be delayed until 2018 -- even if it did not proceed with the two new “Next Generation” models -- by extending production of the current Commodore and Cruze."Our key working assumption is that manufacturing/assembly of mass-market vehicle platforms at GMH is not sustainable,” the report said.“It is therefore likely that vehicle assembly will eventually cease: 2016 being the earliest likely date.”The report also found Holden exaggerated its sales forecasts for the two new cars, which means State and Federal Governments would again be threatened with a shutdown at a later date.“The sales assumptions of the Next Gen case err towards the optimistic,” the report says. “(Holden assumes) all unit sales of the current Commodore sedans migrate to the new proposed front-wheel-drive large vehicle, and that all current unit sales of the Commodore wagon migrate to the Next Gen small vehicle wagon.“The case assumes an overall increase in sales of small vehicles … in the most cost competitive segment of the market. We believe that these assumptions have greater downside risk than upside risk,” the report found.Carsguide understands that under the “Next Generation” plan Holden expects to build just 65,000 cars per year at Elizabeth, down from approximately 84,000 this year and a peak of 165,000 in 2004.Holden has received more than $1.8 billion in taxpayer support over the past 12 years, and in March 2012 had signed a deal with the former Federal Labor Government for a further $275 million to build two new models.But since Ford announced in May this year that it will shut its Australian factories in 2016, Holden has asked for a funding increase because it says economic conditions have “changed dramatically”.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Volvo is getting ready to join the V8 Supercars next year – fielding two S60 sedans under the banner of Volvo Polestar Racing in partnership with Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM).However the Swedish brand is already thinking about increasing the number of cars the following year. In 2014, Volvo’s racers -- Scott McLaughlin and a second one yet to be named – will pilot their two cars Holden’s 13 Commodores, Ford's six Falcons, four Nissan Altimas and three Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGS.But Volvo's global motorsport boss Derek Crabb said the prospect of having more S60s appealed to him. "Clearly, the more cars on the grid, the more exposure Volvo gets and the more chances Volvo has of getting a win, which we need," Crabb said. "But then you have to put the cost back into it. So yeah, we dream about year two and year three but let's get through year one first."Polestar Racing owner Christian Dahl agreed. "I think if you are going to fight for the championship in the long term, you need more cars out there because there are a lot of Holdens and only two Volvos," Dahl said. "But that is a question for the future." But for the moment Volvo is dealing with GRM’s sponsor since 2010, Fujitsu, announcing yesterday it would not renew its association with the team next year due to a shift in their "commercial focus".However Garry Rogers is optimistic about finding a new sponsor. "Next year's program has generated a lot of interest and we will now be following up all avenues so as to secure suitable commercial business partners to join the GRM team," he said.

Having been born in England, raised in Canada, and starting his career in Detroit -- before doing a stint in the Middle East ahead of his Holden assignment -- you’d think Mike Devereux had seen it all. But even Devereux was not prepared for the first question from the Holden factory floor when he arrived three and a half years ago.Having replaced Alan Batey and Mark Reuss -- the two successive executives who rescued Holden from closure in the grip of the Global Financial Crisis -- Devereux was revving up the workforce in an Anthony Robbins-style motivational speech. There were tough times ahead, he warned. Improvements needed to be made in quality (the Pontiac version of the Commodore sold between 2007 and 2009 in the US was not Holden’s finest hour, especially when judged against global standards).But most important of all, Holden needed to find ways to become more cost-efficient while building better cars, a challenging double act at the best of times -- and Holden was facing the worst of times. It took Devereux no time at all to figure out that Australia is the most competitive new-car market in the world, with more than 60 brands competing for 1 million sales. (In North America 38 brands compete for their share of 15 million sales).As Devereux finished talking the audience through his vision for success he figured it was a pretty good opening address, all the key points were hit. As part of his direct yet approachable management style that would define his time in the Holden office, Devereux then took questions from the floor. “When are we going to get Christmas cakes back?” a worker asked.Not sure quite what the worker meant, a minder whispered in Devereux’s ear, explaining that Holden workers used to get a Christmas hamper each year but they turned to crumbs in the GFC. Holden was on the brink of extinction and someone on the factory floor wanted cake, Devereux thought to himself. “Let me get back to you on that one,” he said, before asking if anyone had any manufacturing questions.It was a telling insight into just how shielded the workers -- and the rest of Australia for that matter -- were from the grim realities Holden was facing, despite the redundancies leading up to that moment, and the hundreds that would follow. The possibility of life without Holden seemed impossible because it had been bailed out so many times before. It’s not that Holden is too big to fail, it’s too iconic. Or so people naively believe.Car companies are brutally pragmatic these days. All major brands have shuttered dozens of under-performing or unprofitable factories across Europe and the US in the past four years alone. Almost as quickly, they’re replacing them with factories in countries with low-cost labour, primarily China, Thailand and other parts of South-East Asia where cars can be built for a quarter of the cost of Australia.From the moment of that first question, Devereux realised he had a job on his hands to educate his workers -- and the rest of Australia -- about the true challenges facing the car manufacturing industry. What we got was one of the most open and out-spoken car executives Australia has ever seen, traits which only seemed to amplify as time passed.In one of his first media interviews Devereux was asked if he was sent here to shut Holden down. Still getting to know the joint, he said he’d rather not answer that question right now. But those in the room were left with the distinct impression the end was near. What happened after that is unclear. But what we do know is that Mike Devereux very quickly fell in love with Holden, its workers, their passion and, most of all, their capability to design and engineer cars from the ground-up on a fraction of the resources in Detroit or China.Devereux became so intoxicated with the place he is restoring a 1962 EK Holden. His predecessor Mark Reuss also restored a late 1950s FC Holden and took it back with him to Detroit. It’s now in the GM museum, the only Holden represented among hundreds of GM cars from around the world.There is no doubt that passion has helped drive Devereux’s negotiations with State and Federal Governments for more taxpayer assistance. Devereux has pushed for the manufacturing future of Holden against all odds -- and sound economics -- pulling on any lever that might get a deal over the line. But the grim reality is that Holden loses money on every car it builds locally. Over the past 12 years it has produced, on average, a paltry $28 million profit from an average annual turnover of $5.5 billion.When you consider that the balance sheet looks like that after more than $1.8 billion in taxpayer funding over the same period, you can see why Holden cut the Christmas cake. Even if Devereux were able to get a deal done (“governments rent our industry to create jobs, that’s the reality,” he says) it’s worth noting at this point that the Holden taxpayers are trying to save is not the Holden Australians have known to grow and love.The two new cars Holden will build if the factory continues beyond 2016 will be “global” vehicles designed and engineered offshore and made with more foreign parts. In other words, despite the Holden line that local manufacturing will help local suppliers, the next car it calls the “Commodore” will be less Australian than a Toyota Camry.The current Commodore has just 50 per cent local content, and it was designed here. The Cruze small car has just 30 per cent local content. The Toyota Camry has 65 per cent local content (based on figures supplied by the car makers). The Ford Falcon, incidentally, tops the lot with 70 per cent of its parts sourced locally.So, will Holden manufacturing stay or will it go? The odds of it staying, sadly, are now extremely slim. If General Motors was confident Holden's manufacturing operations could survive, they would let Devereux finish the job and bed it down. Most car executive appointments run for three years; Devereux was scheduled to stay for five. His leaving early can only mean one thing. Holden’s manufacturing operations won’t be far behind him.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Ford and Toyota are concerned the "buy Australian cars" policy — rushed through by the Rudd Government to make up for the damaging changes to Fringe Benefits Tax — has been interpreted as "buy Holden".Government sales for both Ford and Toyota have fallen as Holden Commodore deliveries surged by 15 per cent last month.The two rival car-makers believe some government departments have misinterpreted the policy announced in desperation by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in the lead-up to the election."We're concerned that some of our (government) customers may have misinterpreted the 'buy local' campaign," said Toyota Australia spokeswoman Beck Angel."Some of Toyota's longstanding fleet customers have expressed confusion on whether they are still allowed to buy our vehicles because of the campaign."Sales of the Ford Falcon fell to new record lows over the past two months and the car maker, which is closing its Australian factories in 2016, had to schedule 12 production down days.Ford spokeswoman Sinead Phipps told News Corp: "We hope the buy Australian cars policy will be evenly applied to all brands."SA Labor Premier Jay Weatherill has been one of the most vocal advocates of the "buy Australian" policy as he tries to shore-up taxpayer support for the struggling car maker and help save the 1700 factory jobs at Holden in Adelaide and several thousand more workers employed in the surrounding supplier base.Toyota says it will be "closely monitoring" its government sales figures to see whether there has been "any impact because of the misinterpretation".Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt declined to comment on the "buy Australian" policy and if the company thought it had advantaged Holden.The Rudd Government believed the FBT changes would affect "BMW drivers" but industry figures showed locally-made cars would be worst hit because of their reliance on government and fleet sales.For example, up to 70 per cent of domestic-market Toyota Camrys are sold to government departments at Federal, State and Local Council level.While much of the focus has been on Holden as it fights for survival, Toyota is in fact the biggest automotive manufacturer, employer and exporter in Australia, with about 2500 factory workers building more than 100,000 cars a year.Toyota and Ford vehicles built here also have more locally-made content than Holdens, figures supplied by the car makers show.Meanwhile the newly elected Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has vowed to reverse the FBT changes. The fleet sales and salary packaging industries have already reported a turnaround in business since the election.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Stand-by for a short-term price war as car dealers panic sell to clear orders cancelled due to the Rudd Government’s controversial changes to Fringe Benefits Tax rules.“Thousands of cars here or on their way here have had their orders cancelled or postponed because of the sudden changes to FBT," said Richard Dudley, the CEO of the Australian Automobile Dealers Association.“There will be an initial glut of new cars but what happens depends on the outcome of the election. The government is not prepared to move on its FBT decision whereas the opposition says they will abolish the changes."As Ford Australia confirmed it is considering cutting production of the Falcon sedan and Territory SUV, its arch rival Holden issued an urgent bulletin to dealers offering new discounts across most of its model range.“Due to the uncertainty created by the recent announcement on FBT … Holden is offering an additional bonus over and above the current retail incentives”, the confidential bulletin obtained by News Corp said.All new Holdens except the Commodore have an extra $1000 slashed from their prices while the Colorado 4WD has an extra $2000 discount. It means the cheapest car in the Holden range, the Barina Spark, can be bought for $12,990 drive-away.Toyota is understood to be preparing to clear up to 1000 Camrys over the next two months because it is unable to cut production at short notice. The last time Toyota had to quit Camrys, prices dipped to $27,990 drive-away, about $5000 off RRP.Ford, which will end production in Australia in 2016, has foreshadowed further cutbacks. “We can confirm we are looking at what mean for our August production,” said Ford spokeswoman Sinead Phipps.Ford Australia has also put an immediate halt on its employee company-car program. “We’re not calling cars back, but we’re not issuing any new ones at this stage.”Manufacturers have stopped most company-car deliveries to their own staff because the new rules will increase their FBT bills by more than $50 million -- an estimated $20 million each for Toyota and Holden and about $15 million for Ford which has a smaller fleet.The car industry is yet to accurately measure the impact of the FBT changes on new-car sales because the data is compiled on the last day of the month.“It is too early to determine the impact of the FBT on sales after just 10 days, but we will likely see a slowdown in the next two months,” said Tony Weber, the chief executive of the Federal Chamber Automotive Industries. “Long term, if the FBT changes are not reversed, we expect to see a reduction in new-car sales of at least 10 per cent.”Industry estimates say a 10 per cent drop in new-car sales would wipe $1.3 billion in GST revenue a year. When the Rudd Government announced the changes to company car tax rules it forecast a contribution of $1.8 billion towards the axing of the carbon tax.State governments would also miss out on an estimated $100 million in stamp duty revenue from new-car sales and about $50 million in registration fees each year.Luxury car buyers will also be able to grab a bargain. BMW took out advertisements in daily press during the week advising customers against novated leasing because under the new circumstances “a novated lease may no longer be the most suitable way” to buy a new car.Mercedes-Benz is understood to have a surplus of about 400 of its most affordable sedan, the C-Class, which is Australia’s second-biggest selling medium-sized car after the Toyota Camry.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Mark Skaife has declared incoming manufacturer Volvo is not a replacement for Ford in the , with the V8 Supercars commissioner set to do everything he can to make sure the famous brand remains in the