Ford Territory 2010 News

And it's nearly ready for the road, judging from these shots of a car undergoing testing in regional Victoria.  Alert Carsguide reader Dave Fairley spotted this test mule at a service station in Bright and was quick enough to snap a few frames before it could drive off. The car bra camouflage can't mask the new front and rear styling, complete with projector-style twin headlights.  "The guy driving it wasn't too upset by me taking photos, but he wouldn't confirm or deny what it was," Fairley says. The Territory had a minor makeover in February with the release of the SY Series II, but that was primarily a mechanical tweak to revise the suspension — and address owners' complaints about excessive ball-joint wear. This version promises a major overhaul, inside and out. Ford has already announced it will fit a Jaguar-sourced 2.7-litre V6 turbodiesel.  The diesel engine's output should be comparable with the turbocharget petrol model, but fuel consumption should drop to around 8 litres for 100km, well down on the petrol's 11.6litres/100km. Ford's production communications manager Neil McDonald says the dealers are desperate to get the new model into showrooms.  "There's a lot of expectation about this car, especially with the diesel engine," he says. "It will keep typical Territory buyers happy and should open up a new market for us."  The Territory has been the backbone of local production for Ford after the Falcon suffered from the move away from large cars. It has recently been overtaken by the Captiva in the SUV sales race, but sales will surge when the new model goes on sale in March or April next year.

Just a brief look into any junior sports club shows fewer people now do more to keep such clubs and teams afloat.

The recall was prompted after two drivers reported problems with mats jamming the accelerator. Ford Australia spokesman, Todd Nissen, said the drivers were able to slow their vehicles and were not injured."We had two reports that drivers weren't able to stop the vehicle because of the mat," he said. "So we looked into and determined that it was one of three mats we sell that could have caused the problem."The carpet mat set can be identified by its black colour with silver "Territory" lettering and rubber backing material. It is sold as an accessory with a Ford parts number 5R7J A13002 AA and is not a standard fitting on the car. Nissen said because it was an accessory, Ford dealers are being asked to contact purchasers directly."Unlike a vehicle recall we don't have a database of names," he said. "But what we do have is a good dealer network that can contact owners."The mats have been available since last June.Anyone who bought one of the 4990 mat sets as an accessory are being urged to return it to a Ford dealer in exhange for a free replacement of another design. Nissen said the mat set was one of three available. The others are not affected, he said.Ford has placed ads in newspapers and is posting notifications with dealers to alert Territory drivers.Earlier this year Toyota in North America was forced to recall millions of cars globally because of a similar floor mat-related problem that was found to jam the accelerator, causing cars to accelerate suddenly and uncontrollably."It's also important to note that there are no issues with accelerators or brakes or any other part of the Territory," Nissen said.

As the company moves ahead with plans for a V6 turbo-diesel Territory, a liquid-injection gas version is not likely any time soon, according to Ford Australia chief, Marin Burela.  Burela says Ford is looking at LPG for the Territory but "we want to make sure we get the petrol and diesel right first".  "The LPG becomes another opportunity for us," he says.  "But it will be market driven."The Falcon will be the first Ford to get the new liquid-injection LPG engine from early next year.  The engine comes as a significantly revised six-cylinder petrol engine and new V8 arrive later this year to comply with Euro IV emission standards that come into effect from July 1.The more fuel efficient engines are part of a $230 million investment by Ford into sustainability initiatives.  The newer liquid-injection LPG Falcon will deliver better fuel economy, lower C02 emissions and significantly improved performance over the existing engine.Ford has not revealed numbers, but engineers expect better performance and driveability than the current 156kW/371Nm E-Gas Falcon.  By comparison Holden's dual-fuel LPG 3.6-litre Commodore delivers 175kW/318Nm.Apart from the six-cylinder petrol upgrade, the new V8 is expected to provide a performance shot in the arm for enthusiasts.  The current "Boss" 5.4-litre V8 is expected to be replaced by a hot supercharged 5.0-litre V8 - codenamed Coyote - when the existing engine is put out to pasture.Ford is in the final engineering stages with its turbo-diesel Territory, which arrives next year.  The diesel promises significant fuel economy gains over the petrol six.Apart from economy, the diesel is expected to get a particulate filter to reduce harmful emissions.  Ford says the "clean" diesel version of the 2.7-litre V6 turbo-diesel, shared with Land Rover, will reduce C02 emissions by 25 per cent compared to the existing six-cylinder petrol engine.Burela is not talking Territory diesel sales numbers but he is confident it will be successful, particularly given an expected output similar to the Land Rover engine, which develops 140kW/440Nm.  "We haven't refined the numbers but clearly the whole concept behind the diesel Territory is to have an uplift in volume on the total Terrtory vehicle line," he says."We're very confident we'll achieve that.  "We'll have a petrol Territory, a diesel Territory and we can hardly wait."

Production of the two local heroes will continue into the next decade at the earliest, according to the president of the Ford Motor Company, Alan Mulally. But the long-term future of local carmaking under the blue oval is likely to be with the smaller European-designed Focus, which will run side-by-side with the local family fighters on the Broadmeadows production line from 2011. "I think there will always be a Falcon-sized vehicle. There is a market for Falcon, both here and overseas," Mulally said in Melbourne this week. But he would not confirm a local production future for the Falcon that will eventually follow today's FG, or even the chance of it being designed in Australia. And he refused to be drawn on the potential for an imported car wearing a Falcon badge after 2012. "There will be no new announcements today," Mulally said. The worldwide Ford chief hit Melbourne the morning after lobbying Federal ministers in Canberra, including Prime Minister Rudd, for what he described as a `pause' in the planned cut in import tariffs on motor vehicles from 10 to five per cent in 2005. "The key thing about the pause is the near term. It's an important time right now to take this pause. Right now I think it's a critical piece," Mulally said. "Clearly, we are at a real transitional time in the auto industry worldwide. Our commitment is to continue to invest. "Our real plan is to create a viable, complete business in Australia. Australia is a tremendous opportunity for us." Ford has already announced the end of local engine assembly and a switch to an imported V6 from 2010, then the start of Focus production in 2011, as the local operation is integrated into the One Ford global plan. Mulally said he had good news for local workers as he headed for a staff briefing at Broadmeadows, although he could not rule out any additions to the 350 job losses announced last week as the company adjusts Falcon and Territory production to falling sales. "We will size our production to the demand," he said. Mulally said Ford Australia is strong and viable despite its recent troubles, including the resignation last week of company president Bill Osborne. "You guys have got to be bullish on your industry. For where we are, in a terrible business environment, it's doing extremely well," he said. The switch to Australian production of the Focus, which is currently imported, is part of a regional export plan for the car. "In all honesty, Australia's connection is to Asia-Pacific. We need a strong export program. And we need to export into Asia," the executive vice-president for Ford in Asia-Pacific and Africa, John Parker, said at the Mulally briefing. "It is absolutely critical that our Australian operations make the transformation from only building large cars, which have only one way to go which is down, to making cars which are relevant to what the Australian customer wants and what the AP customer wants. "We can have scale. That was the big decision in driving Focus here."  

The hi-tech 5.0-litre V8 will be introduced in 2010 - a year that is shaping as a boomer for Ford Australia with the first facelift of the Orion Falcon, the switch to V6 engines in Ford's family fighter, and the likely introduction of the next-generation Territory.There is a good chance 2010 will also bring the first diesel engine to the Falcon and Territory, a 2.7-litre powerplant already in use in Europe. The good news on the V8 front comes as Ford Australia confirms plans to axe its existing 5.4-litre V8, which was standard in the G8, Fairlane and LTD and optional in a range of other Fords, including the Falcon ute.The Jaguar V8 is a new all-alloy design that was developed for the upcoming XF hero car, which is a make-or-break model for the legendary British luxury brand.The new Jaguar V8 will be available both in naturally-aspirated form and with a supercharger and the basic bottom line is 375kW. It will be the hero engine for the XR8 Falcon and will also be used in the fliers from Ford Performance Vehicles.The move to the Jaguar V8 is part of a shift prompted by the end of production of the existing 5.4-litre engine.Ford Australia imports the engine from the Essex plant in Ontario, Canada, which has been steadily phasing out the engine.Locally, the engine was known as the Barra 220 or Barra 230, depending on the application, with the number reflecting its kilowatt output.Still, Ford will continue with the part-locally assembled, four-valve twin-overhead camshaft version of the same engine in its Falcon XR8 and FPV models. The three-valve V8 was optional on the base-model BA Falcon from 2002, replacing the ancient 5.0-litre Windsor pushrod V8.But Ford's Broadmeadows factory has had little use for the engine, according to Ford Australia's president Tom Gorman.“Quite honestly, we were down to about 10a month and it's not a major impact on our business,” Gorman says.“They've actually ceased production in the US and, as you know, we're ceasing production on our long-wheelbase cars.”Gorman says Ford has enough remainingV8s stockpiled to meet demand in the long-wheelbase cars until production of the Fairlane family in a few months. 

Ford Australia boss Tom Gorman has declined to guarantee a long-term future for the company's flagship Falcon and Territory models. In announcing the decision to build the small Ford Focus in Australia from 2011, Gorman also pointed to “opportunities to walk away” from less profitable business.“Over time, what you really want to do is pursue the most profitable business so if it gives us some opportunities to really revenue-manage and go after profitable segments and maybe walk away from some less profitable business ... you have that opportunity when you are at full capacity,” Gorman says of the plans to build 40,000 Focus cars at the company's Broadmeadows site.But Gorman wouldn't directly identify what those less profitable models might be.“It is probably inappropriate that I do that today (identify the less profitable business),” he says.“You can imagine that in certain segments we have better margins than in others ... that is a hypothetical question until we are at full capacity.”Gorman's comments come after CARSguide revealed last Saturday that the Territory might be under threat in future production plans. With only three models to be built in Australia; Focus, Falcon and Territory — the obvious targets for rationalising are the two large cars which compete in shrinking segments.While Falcon will still be relatively new in 2010 once the switch has been made from the inline six to a new V6 engine and with a high fleet demand, Territory will not have those defences.Gorman says initial Focus production projections of 40,000 could expand with additional export opportunities and continued local market growth. “Of the 40,000, we are anticipating 25,000 domestic and 15,000 will be export,” he says.“Now if we do 2000 Focus we are walking around like it's a real success but that has to become a bare minimum for us. Some of the other players like Corolla and Mazda3 routinely do 3000 a month. If we can lift our numbers to 2500 a month religiously that is 30,000 right there.”Gorman says Australian Focus production will initially be in right-hand drive only, with exports to South Africa and New Zealand but additional export markets are being identified.“This is a watershed event for us in Australia, really going after what is the largest segment of the market and having the opportunity to control that product locally should be a huge advantage for us,” Gorman says.“If you go back 10 years, small cars used to be less than 100,000 units in the marketplace and this year there is likely to be 220,000-225,000 in Australia. We are not happy as a distant number three player and localisation should help us.”The good news flow-on for Ford, less than a week after announcing the 2010 closure of the Geelong engine plant and subsequent loss of 600 jobs, is that Focus production will have benefits for Ford and its suppliers.Plus there are 300 extra jobs at Broadmeadows and unspecified further job opportunities at Geelong. 

The new model will be offered in two all-wheel-drive specification levels - Territory Turbo, and the more luxuriously appointed Territory Ghia Turbo. Both will be powered by Ford's 245kW turbo engine. "Territory Turbo and Territory Ghia Turbo build on the many fine attributes inherent in the original Territory and then adds additional performance," said Ford Australia President Tom Gorman. Enhancements introduced on the recently released SY Territory range will also feature on the Territory Turbo, including a slick shifting six speed automatic transmission as standard. "Our design engineers had a brief to create a Territory Turbo with enhanced performance but not to compromise functionality and versatility," said Mr. Gorman.