Ford Falcon 2014 News

This isn’t quite the bang that Ford was hoping the last ever GT Falcon series would go out on.Ford has stopped delivering cars — and called back more than 300 already in customer hands — because of a problem with the handbuilt supercharged V8.A seal in the engine can become dislodged and damage the transmission’s bell housing — the part that links the engine to the transmission — causing a loud noise similar to a marble on a roulette wheel.It is not deemed a safety issue so there is no official recall. Instead, Ford is addressing the problem discreetly.RELATED: Ford says factory to stay until 2016 MORE: Almost $400,000 raised for first and last GT FalconA statement from Ford said: “Ford is committed to delivering leading quality, including this customer satisfaction campaign that we quickly initiated for a small number of (GT Falcons) after learning a grommet in the engine block may not have been properly installed.”Ford says 325 of the batch of 500 cars have already been built and that it has contacted most customers directly.There is no risk the car would lose power suddenly but Ford says the misplaced seal could cause “an obvious noise to indicate service is required”.The mechanical malfunction is an embarrassing hiccup for the iconic car, which is the most powerful GT Falcon of all time, and the last of its type before Ford closes its Australian manufacturing operations in October 2016.When the Ford Performance Vehicles division closed at the end of 2012, Ford Australia retrained workers at its Geelong engine plant so they could build the GT Falcon’s supercharged V8.However, unlike the mass-produced six-cylinder engines which are made on a production line for the Falcon sedan and Territory SUV, the GT Falcon’s supercharged V8 must be built by hand.Last month, Ford raised almost $400,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation when it auctioned the first and the last of the final series of GT Falcons.Car number 500 alone fetched $236,100 — triple its recommended retail price — to an enthusiast in Melbourne while car number 001 went to a buyer in Western Australia.

The first and last Ford Falcon GT-F sedans have raised $393,700 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation

Australia, your last ever Ford Falcon is almost ready.  This is the car that will signal the end of local manufacturing for Ford after 91 years when its Broadmeadows factory closes in 2016 and brings with it the death of the Falcon nameplate, at 56 years of age, one of the oldest in the automotive world. Ford has taken the unusual step of releasing photos of the final Falcon at least four months before it is due in showrooms to finally quash rumours of an early shut down.  "Our plan is to continue to build cars until October 2016, and the new Falcon ... is part of that plan," said Ford Australia spokesman Wes Sherwood. Ford has released just one photo of the final Falcon: the XR8 performance model which is fitted with the supercharged V8 from the previous Falcon GT. It will release details of other models closer to the car's on-sale date, likely November. Ford invested $103 million on the final Falcon and a refreshed Territory SUV -- $34 million of which came from the Federal Government, with an estimated $19 million from the Victorian Government. The changes to the front and rear of the car are more than what was expected given that the Falcon's life is due to be cut short.  Customarily, mid-life facelifts usually include minor changes to the headlights, tail-lights and bumpers -- the "plastics" in car industry jargon -- but Ford has taken the expensive step of moulding new metal parts, including the bonnet, front fenders and bootlid. However the doors, roof, engines and interior are largely unchanged.  Nevertheless, it's an even bigger financial commitment when you consider the final Falcon will sell for just two years; car makers typically try to recoup manufacturing costs for changes such as these over at least four years.  But Ford has braced itself for another couple of years of heavy losses.  According to insiders Ford cannot close its factories early even if it wanted to because the vehicles that replace the Falcon and Territory won't be ready until sometime around October 2016 -- and Ford doesn't want to lose existing customers of those vehicles, or have empty spaces in its showrooms. Ford Australia has lost a staggering $1.1 billion since 2005 -- including $267 million last year -- as Falcon sales hit record lows to 10,600 last year, compared to a peak of 81,300 in 1995, the last time the Falcon was the top-selling car in Australia. Back then Ford built more than 600 Falcons per day, now production has slowed to 83 per day after it sacked 250 more workers last month.  Ford's remaining blue collar workforce has been trimmed to 800, split between the Geelong engine and stamping plant (350) and the Broadmeadows car assembly line (450), which has been building the Falcon continuously since 1960.  Ford says it will become the biggest employer in Australia of automotive engineers once the factories close.  The company plans to use its Australian design centre and test track -- and the 1100 designers and engineers who will remain -- to develop foreign vehicles.  Ford Australia has already had a key role in developing new models for India and China, two of the fastest growing car markets in the world.ALSO SEE: 2015 Ford Falcon XR8 teased | video

Ford Australia is finally going public with a full reveal of the Falcon's new bodywork after a series of teaser pictures, and Carsguide has it first here.The new look on the XR includes a bolder grille opening — with an Aston Martin flavour — laser-cut headlamps, LED daytime running lights and a bigger bonnet bulge. The cabin will be more upscale and there will be some mechanical changes as Ford completes the package to take the Falcon through to the Broadmeadows factory shutdown in 2016.The new Falcon will make an instant impact when it hits the road and its importance cannot be overstated. It is truly the end of the line for an Australian icon and ends a chapter of motoring history that began in the early 1960s."We designed this car to be our best Falcon ever and expect it to live up that goal," Ford Australia president Bob Graziano tells Carsguide."Falcon has always been a special part of the Ford line-up and this model is no different. This is not only our best-ever Falcon, but it also shows the new face of Ford." That means the new nose is similar in style to the latest front end on the baby Fiesta and a range of coming global models."You'll also notice a strong family resemblance linking Falcon to the new Mondeo and Mustang which will join the line-up next year as our future flagships," Graziano says. But Graziano says the Falcon is more than just a car."It's important to show how the spirit of Falcon innovation will live on. A very important part of Falcon is the people behind the car, many of the same people who will now direct their passion and energy to a variety of global Ford products."There is a lot of pride behind it from the designers, engineers to the assembly teams that will be putting them together." It's too early for Ford Australia to reveal the technology, equipment, pricing and — crucially — the name for the new car. Even so, we can confirm it will not wear FG III badges and the XR models will come with a paddle-shift automatic for the first time.Graziano might be keen to talk about the car, but will not be drawn on the name. "Stay tuned.You are going to have to wait a little longer to find out what it is. There are still a number of features to reveal but it’s too soon to talk about those,” he says.He confirms the XR8's return at the top of the Falcon line-up, as well as the continuation of the current engine selection. "The XR range makes up a significant portion of our Falcon sales and our customers have been asking for the return of the XR8 for some time now."As the new model in the line-up with a bold and sporty new look, it's the model our XR customers can't wait to see. You'll learn more about the rest of the range including the premium G6E very soon. The new range broadens customer's powertrain choice as well with four, six or eight (cylinders). We offer EcoBoost, the locally developed EcoLPI engine, turbo and naturally aspirated six and the venerable Miami V8 on Falcon."Graziano denies that the final Falcon is just a run-out special for Ford tragics. "Falcon has always been a car for customers who appreciate great driving dynamics. Response to the look of the car has been very positive so far and we think this is a car that customers will enjoy owning. "He is not making any outrageous predictions on the sales front. "It's ultimately up to customers. We will continue to match production with demand which is a core tenet of the way we run our business."Consumer tastes have changed with Australians moving towards SUVs and small cars. Customers still looking for a large sedan will find (the new Falcon) bold in design with great technology and more powertrain options than before.We have something for everybody who is looking for a large car. "We are all proud of this car and the global products we are now designing and engineering here for the future, like (the Territory replacement) Everest. Everyone at Ford is committed to making this car our best ever Falcon and taking that passion to shape our future."

New video shows fresh details of the upcoming V8 XR8, and gives a look inside the mysterious world of vehicle development.

Forget record high petrol prices: Aussie revheads are rushing to buy V8-powered Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons in record numbers as the iconic sedans near the end of the production line.

Ford is likely to close its Geelong and Broadmeadows factories before 2016 and shut the car industry overnight, a union has warned. Dave Smith, the head of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union's vehicle division, said that Ford's future was unclear."While Toyota and Holden seem to be quite genuine that they want to stay until 2017 and build cars, Ford's position is not as clear," he said. "The component industry is fragile. It can fall over at any moment." Mr Smith said he also feared cuts to the Automotive Transition Scheme in next month's Federal Budget. "If they decide to drop off on that, then it will be over very quickly," he said.Holden and Toyota have both vowed to stay until 2017. Ford said its aim was still to stay on until the planned closure in October 2016. "Our aim is to continue manufacturing until October 2016," Ford spokesman Neil McDonald said. "We are committed to the new Falcon and Territory models and they will be on sale at the end of the year."Victorian Manufacturing Minister David Hodgett said he'd had no indication that Ford would close early, but it would depend on sales. "In all my discussions with Ford, they've given every indication they'll be here to the end. Of course, this is dependent on sales figures, and I encourage all Victorians to continue to buy Australian-made cars, including Ford."The imminent threat of Ford's closure will also put pressure on the Federal Government to bring forward a $100 million package to help sacked car workers. Discussions on the fund, announced after Holden pulled the pin in December, were delayed after Toyota also announced its closure here.Ford's 1350 workers make Falcon and Territory models. But just 641 Falcon and 900 Territory vehicles were sold in March. Ford is facing hundreds of millions of dollars of losses if it stays to 2016 and rolls out a new Falcon model in August. 

THE Holden Commodore has made a surprising recovery in the March sales race with a staggering 85 per cent sales increase compared with the same month the prior year -- narrowly missing a place on the podium as the nation’s fourth most popular car.Official figures released today show it was the Commodore’s third-best monthly sales tally since the new VF model went on sale 10 months ago, as the Holden brand overall posted a 19 per cent sales surge -- the strongest growth of any Top 10 brand and the seventh month in a row it has outpaced the market.However, the sharp percentage increases are largely due to the Commodore posting its second-lowest monthly result ever in March last year (1606 sales). The Commodore’s tally for March this year of 2967 sales is still down compared with the 2012 figure of about 3200 deliveries.But the Commodore’s old arch rival, the Ford Falcon, continued to rank well outside the Top 10, with just 641 deliveries. The Cruze small car that is built alongside the Commodore had a tough run, with sales down 30 per cent on the same month last year -- about half the sales rate as the same month just two years ago.March is the typically the second-biggest month for new-car sales as the Japanese brands have a surge in the lead-up to the end of the Japanese financial year, which closed on March 31. The sharp discounting prompts also the non-Japanese brands to compete.Last year’s top-selling car, the Toyota Corolla, led the March sales race -- but the Mazda3 small car, which was the market leader in January and February, still leads the year-to-date tally. The third-placed Toyota HiLux ute again squeezed the Commodore off the podium in March. But the Commodore still managed to outsell the popular Hyundai i30, Ford Ranger ute and Toyota Camry sedan.The Commodore also proved more popular than the updated Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4 SUVs, which ranked just inside the Top 10 sellers list for March. The official figures show the new-car market is beginning to make a recovery after a downturn in January and February. Sales in March were down by just 0.1 per cent, to 97,267 deliveries, while sales in the first three months combined are down by 2.4 per cent.But the downturn has been exaggerated by Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi, which have all posted massive sales slowdowns for the first three months of this year, likely because their dealer networks are still clearing cars that were declared as sold in 2013.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

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