Ford Territory 2015 News

In June, Australians bought more new cars than in any single month in history, yet Ford sales were down by 17 per cent. Year-to-date, the slide is even worse.There isn't a major brand that is losing market share at the same rate. Or one that has slipped in share for as long as Ford. Sales have been in decline for more than a decade.In 2004, more than 135,000 Australians bought new Fords. This year, it's on track to be roughly half that number.And that's only half the story. Look more closely at the figures and the picture is bleak for the brand that twenty years ago topped the sales charts.How will sales improve when the brand has trimmed its line-up in the biggest segment of the market?Everybody assumes the sales slump is tied to the impending death of the locally-made Falcon and Territory, but the company's local products aren't the biggest problem.Sales of locally-made Fords are down 9.5 per cent year-to-date. Compare that with the imported Mondeo (down by almost 60 per cent), Focus (down 54 per cent) and Fiesta (down 32 per cent).Which makes this week's decision to drop the cheapest model from the Focus line-up all the more puzzling. How will sales improve when the brand has trimmed its line-up in the biggest segment of the market?There are promising products on the horizon, with Everest and Mustang due this year, but products aren't Ford's problem. Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo are all cars most brands would love in their line-up, but the Ranger is the only one that sells.Ford used to be labelled the Falcon car company. It's now in danger of becoming the Ranger car company.Ford says market share isn't everything and it is building a profitable business. But surely there's a point when the showroom traffic slows to a level where profit suffers?

But if you missed out there are still good deals to be found.As one dealer told us this week: "now we've got to push a rock back up a hill again". We're pretty sure that's industry jargon for selling more cars to meet monthly sales targets.Hyundai is backing up again this month, after the i30 hatch became the top-selling car in June.This time the deal is on the Active X, which is the next model up from the base grade and comes with automatic transmission, a rear-view camera, alloy wheels and leather seats for $21,990 drive-away, a massive saving of $7000 off full retail price.Need something smaller? You won't see the price advertised widely but a Toyota Yaris automatic hatch can be had for $17,590 drive-away if you ask nicely (the price premium for auto is back down to $1600, after a few months at $2000 above the $15,990 drive-away for the manual).The Ford Kuga MkII petrol automatic SUV makes good buying at $29,990 drive-away, sweetened by a 1.9 per cent finance offer. The low interest rate also applies to the diesel Territory at $41,490 drive-away.Holden's Colorado LS crew cab 4WD ute is now at "fleet price" ($36,865 drive-away for the manual and $37,865 drive-away for the auto) but the five-year warranty deal offered in June has ended.There are a handful of superseded Mitsubishi Tritons left in stock at $29,990 drive-away, and the about-to-be superseded Mitsubishi Challenger SUV is a rock bottom $39,990 drive-away, close to $10,000 off.Nissan is offering sharp finance deals but is still not putting the price of its cars in a headline number.But we can tell you a Pulsar auto hatch or sedan can be had for $24,990 drive-away with 0 per cent finance over three years. There is still some wriggle room in that price, so be sure to haggle.

Half-time is typically a time for reflection.With six months of 2015 gone — and the official sales results arriving last week — it's time to look at what was hot and what was not in showrooms this year.At a glance, small cars are out and tiny SUVs are in. Diesels and hybrids are out, and turbocharged petrol cars are in. Luxury brands are in demand, local cars are not.Honda and Isuzu sales are surging, Ford and Holden have hit new lows.Sales of baby SUVs are up by 23 per cent in the first half of the year, thanks to the arrival of new offerings from Mazda and Honda. The surprise last month was that Honda's HR-V outsold Mazda's CX-3, despite a get-in price that is $5000 more than the baby Mazda. Buyers are no doubt attracted by the roominess of the Honda's cabin, which shares the clever design of its donor vehicle, the Jazz. Mitsubishi has also benefited from the increased showroom interest in this type of vehicle, with sales of its ASX surging by more than 45 per cent.They share their underpinnings with the new breed of SUVs, but they haven't been hurt by their arrival. Honda again leads the charge, with sales of its City sedan and Jazz hatch surging. Sales of the all-new Mazda2 are also strong and it remains best-selling car in the class. Other models that have captured the imagination of buyers are the evergreen Suzuki Swift and Toyota Yaris, as well as the Volkswagen Polo, which is up by more than 50 per cent thanks to sharp pricing.Low interest rates mean that a luxury badge is now within reach of more car buyers. As a result Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus are all enjoying double-digit growth. Understandably, most of the action is at the lower end of the market, with models high on the shopping list including BMW's Mini (up 59 per cent) and Audi's A3 (up 23 per cent). BMW's new 2 Series coupe and Lexus's NX small SUV have also launched with a bang, but the biggest success story is CarsGuide's 2014 Car of the Year, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which has doubled its sales in the first half of the year.Somebody is cashing in on Australia's property boom, with sales of sports cars costing more than $200,000 rising more than 20 per cent, albeit off a low base. Ferrari and Lamborghini dealerships are busy this year, with Ferrari logging 95 local sales compared with 52 in the same period last year and Lamborghini jumping from just seven sales to 60. The segment's most popular car, the Porsche 911, also enjoyed solid growth. At the other end of the spectrum, sales of affordable sports cars slumped as the initial shine predictably wore off the Toyota 86, Subaru BRZ and Hyundai Veloster. That will change, though, when Mazda's all-new MX-5 arrives in the second half of the year.They're big news in Japan and Europe, but micro cars haven't captured the Australian car buying public's imagination. Despite the arrival of an all-new model in the Suzuki Celerio and a midlife update for the Nissan Micra, sales are down by almost a third.They're still the nation's car of choice, but the arrival of baby SUVs has put a dent in the popularity of the small-car brigade led by the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3. This time last year, the Mazda3 was the top-selling vehicle in Australia, but sales this year are down by almost 10 per cent, cannibalised by the newer and funkier CX-3. Toyota, which has no mini-SUV in its range, fared better with the Corolla, which almost held its own in a market segment that shrank by 10,000 cars.When locally made cars began to slide in popularity, most pundits said it was because they were too big and thirsty, but the figures show otherwise. Large cars are down by 14 per cent this year, but medium and large SUVs have enjoyed solid growth. Toyota's Camry, which has a hybrid version, has fared better than the rest of the locals, but the Holden Cruze small car has experienced a bigger sales slide than Ford's Falcon and Territory. Overall, the prognosis remains bleak. Australians bought almost as many German-made cars as locally-made ones in the first six months.The Europeans are mad for it — and most 4WD utes use it too — but Australians, it seems, don't like getting their hands dirty. After an initial spike in interest in diesel passenger cars and SUVs among private buyers and fleets between 2005 and 2010, the interest continues to wane. Sales of diesel passenger cars grew sixfold from 2005 to 2010, while diesel SUV sales more than doubled. But in the first six months of this year — and on the back of a decline last year — sales of diesel cars fell by more than a quarter. Diesel SUV sales were stagnant despite big growth in overall SUV sales.Honda - up 33.4 per centIsuzu - up 30.3 per centSkoda - up 30.2 per centRenault - up 30.1 per centLexus - up 24.9 per centFord - down 17.6 per centVolvo - down 16.6 per centFiat - down 16.4 per centHolden - down 8.9 per centNissan - down 0.6 per centToyota - 101,714 - up 0.6 per centMazda - 56,591 - up 9 per centHolden - 51,737 - down 8.9 per centHyundai - 50,099 - up 1 per centMitsubishi - 35,866 - up 9.8 per centFord - 34,810 - down 17.6 per centNissan - 32,950 - down 0.6 per centVolkswagen - 32,020 - up 12.1 per centSubaru - 21,659 - up 8.1 per centHonda 20,602 - up 33.4 per centToyota Corolla - 21,750Mazda3 - 20,427Toyota HiLux - 18,781Hyundai i30 - 15,801Ford Ranger - 14,144Holden Commodore - 13,769Mitsubishi Triton - 13,709Mazda CX-5 - 12,489Volkswagen Golf - 11,829Toyota Camry - 10,426

New-car sales hit the accelerator for the second month in a row after the best March result of all time - but former Australian favourites Holden and Ford hit a wall.

The total of 105,054 registrations was one of the best ever and confirms an upswing in February, following a Reserve Bank interest rate cut.The figures, obtained by News Corp Australia ahead of their official release next Tuesday, show a broad-based rebound among private and business buyers and across all vehicle types.One in every three vehicles registered is now a high-rider.SUVs accounted for the bulk of the additional 7800 sales with demand up 15.3 per cent, led by Mazda's CX-5.One in every three vehicles registered is now a high-rider.However, the Toyota HiLux spearheaded a resurgence in light-commercial demand, with 2000 additional private buyers cancelling out a fall in business purchases. Rather than looking to utes, fleets bought an extra 1400 passenger cars over the same month last year in a rare boost for the traditional format.Toyota's Corolla, which was March best-seller with almost 4300 sales, and the company's locally built Camry, with deliveries up 11 per cent over last year, were two of the main beneficiaries.But Holden and Ford's Australian-made vehicles failed to fire, with the recently refreshed Falcon finding only 700 buyers and Commodore sales slipping 18 per cent.Ford's Melbourne-made Territory SUV also missed out on the sunshine, with sales down 15 per cent, while Holden's Adelaide-built small car, the Cruze, slumped 24 per cent.Most mainstream carmakers had a strong month but luxury brands were among the biggest winnersAs all three Australian makers prepare to halt production over the next two years, fewer than one in 12 vehicles sold is made locally.Most mainstream carmakers had a strong month but luxury brands were among the biggest winners, with Mercedes recording a 30 per cent increase and its second-highest number of registrations ever.The new Mercedes C-Class, which this week was awarded the World Car of the Year accolade during a ceremony in New York, is on a roll and outsold all other mid-size cars at any price except the Camry.Most premium makers outperformed the overall market, with demand for Lexus and BMW both up 14 per cent. Land Rover was up 19 per cent, Audi 22 per cent, Porsche 87 per cent and Maserati tripling its sales compared with March last year.

Big price cuts and extra value for new Ford Falcon and Territory.With Falcon sales continuing to fall further behind those of arch-rival Holden Commodore, Ford Australia has announced significant price cuts across the range led by a reduction of just under $10,000 on the range-topping G6E Turbo.Additional equipment in what is destined to be the final Falcon model has also been added with front parking sensors and a reversing camera now standard in all models as well as an upgraded version of the Ford SYNC system including an 8-inch colour touch screen. There’s now also a new Wi-Fi hot spot capability, a second USB socket and new DAB+ digital radio.Styling changes include new alloy wheel designs and new graphics across the range as well as new front fascia, badging, headlamps and daytime running lights on G6E and XR6 models.The prices of the entry-level Falcon Ute have increased by $800 although that is more than offset by the inclusion of climate control air conditioning, a $2000 option in the FG Mark II. The XR6 Utes are all down by between $1380 and $3750. List prices of the new Ford Falcon FG X range (previous FG MkII in brackets) are:Falcon XT 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $35,900 ($37,235)Falcon XR6 4.0-litre petrol manual: $35,590 ($39,990)Falcon XR6 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $37,790 ($40,990)Falcon XR6 Turbo 4.0-litre turbo-petrol manual: $42,990 ($46,235)Falcon XR6 Turbo 4.0-litre turbo-petrol automatic: $45,190 ($48,235)Falcon G6E 4.0L petrol automatic: $40,110 ($46,735)Falcon G6E Turbo 4.0-litre turbo-petrol automatic: $46,550 ($56,235)Falcon Ute cab chassis 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $29,390 ($28,590)Falcon Ute SSB 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $29,790 ($28,990)XR 6 cab chassis 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $32,140 ($35,890)XR 6 SSB 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $32,640 ($36,190)XR 6 Turbo SSB 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $39,910 ($41,190) The Ford Territory SUV has received the combination of lower prices and extra equipment with all models now getting SYNC including emergency assistance and price cuts of between $3000 and $6500.List prices of the new Territory SZ Mk II (previous Mk I in brackets) are:TX RWD 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $36,990 ($39,990)TX RWD 2.7-litre diesel automatic: $40,240 ($43,240)TX AWD 2.7-litre diesel automatic: $45,240 ($48,240)TS RWD 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $41,740 ($47,740)TS RWD 2.7-litre diesel automatic: $44,990 ($50,990)TS AWD 2.7-litre diesel automatic: $49,990 ($55,990)Titanium RWD 4.0-litre petrol automatic: $48,490 ($54,990)Titanium RWD 2.7-litre diesel automatic: $51,740 ($58,060)Titanium AWD 2.7-litre diesel automatic: $56,740 ($59,990)

Ford Territory family SUV to become more affordable and better equipped with MkII updates.The Australian-built Ford Territory mid-size SUV is being updated for 2015, and - like the revised FG X Falcon range - the family-favourite is receiving significant price cuts.The entry-level TX trim grade will receive a $3000 price cut when the new MkII Territory goes on sale later this year, starting at $36,990 for the rear-drive petrol model and tops out with the $45,240 all-wheel drive diesel. A rear-drive diesel model is also available, priced from $40,240.The Territory entry-level TX comes with five seats as standard, with seven seats available as a $2500 option.  All TS and Titanium models come standard with the seven-seat layout.A new ZF 6-speed automatic gearbox brings fuel efficiency gains across the SZ MkII Territory petrol range, and is shared with most FG X Falcon models.The TX model uses 10.2L/100km in rear-drive petrol guise – down from 10.6L/100km – while the turbodiesel equivalent still uses 8.2L/100km.Opting for the all-paw diesel model sees combined fuel consumption rise to 8.8L/100km.The price of the mid-spec Territory TS is being slashed by $6000 for 2015 across all engine and powertrain combinations. The rear-drive petrol TS will cost $41,740, while the diesel option starts at $44,990 with two-wheel drive and $49,990 if all-wheel drive is specified.Combined fuel consumption for the TS rear-drive is down 0.1L/100km at 10.5L/100km, while the diesel uses 8.2L/100km in two-wheel drive form and 9.0L/100km in all-wheel drive guise.The range-topping 2015 Territory Titanium will be up to $6500 less expensive than the outgoing model with prices starting at $48,490 for the two-wheel drive petrol.Diesel-powered Titanium models start at $51,740 for the rear-drive proposition, while all-wheel drive requires $56,740.Fuel consumption figures for the Titanium mirror those of the TS model.For 2015 the Territory features a small number of cosmetic changes, including new alloy wheels and slight variation in grille design, otherwise the overall design is unchanged.The engines also carry over from the current model, meaning customers have the option of either a 4.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol or 2.7-litre turbodiesel V6 unit.Inside, the updated Territory gains new seat and dashboard material as well as Ford’s Sync 2 multimedia interface with 8-inch touchscreen and voice-activated audio and climate systems. Emergency assistance, DAB digital radio and a Wi-fi hotspot are also part of the new media system.There will also be greater levels of standard equipment across the entry-level TX model grade, including a reversing camera and front parking sensors, while the Titanium gains automatic wipers.The SZ MkII Territory will be the last SUV to be built by Ford Australia, with Ford set to close its local manufacturing facilities by the end of 2016. However, Ford Australia will continue to develop and engineer vehicles for the global market.

It’s official: the updated Falcon and Territory can save your life in one phone call to Triple Zero. .Ford has confirmed that the last ever Ford Falcon and the refreshed Ford Territory SUV will come with lifesaving technology that will automatically call 000 immediately after a crash. If the airbags deploy, the car will automatically call emergency services, providing a mobile phone is already connected via Bluetooth and is in range. The line will stay open -- and block all other calls -- until the emergency operator can make voice contact. If there is no response, the operators at Triple Zero can send police and ambulance crews to the scene because they have the exact location thanks to the GPS co-ordinates sent by the phone. There are no costs or subscriptions associated with the service; it will be free on every new Falcon sedan and ute and Territory SUV from later this year. The technology has been available on some imported Ford models for about a year but this is the first time it has been fitted to an Australian-made car. Ford says the technology will be on all Ford vehicles sold in Australia by 2017. “Ford’s Emergency Assistance has already proved itself as a life-saver overseas and we expect our Falcon and Territory customers will appreciate the reassurance that comes with this technology,” said Ford Australia Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service, Graeme Whickman. 

As the roll-out of the final Falcon accelerates, Ford has issued first official picture of the last update for the Territory.

New Honda Jazz sets new benchmark for rear view cameras: $14,990.