Ford News

A new safety report has rated some popular used cars.Monash University’s Accident Research Centre Used Car Safety Ratings for 2025 have been revealed, with 23 new vehicles added to the handbook that covers vehicles built between 1982 and 2023.Top picks of the newly added vehicles were the 2013-22 Ford Transit van, 2014-21 BMW 2 Series, 2019-23 Mazda CX-30, 2017-23 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and 2018-23 Subaru Forester.The report revealed the average risk of being killed or seriously injured across all road users involved in a crash is 34 per cent lower in a vehicle manufactured from 2022 onwards, compared to 20 years ago. The ratings report looked at crash data analysing more than 9.5 million vehicles and 2.6 million road users in Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2022. It rated 561 vehicle models that were built between 1982 and 2023 looking at factors such as crash location, driver age and the number of vehicles involved. It measured safety through an overall rating with three categories: driver safety, other road user safety and crash avoidance. All are ranked out of five.Certain vehicles received a ‘Safer Pick’, where they scored five stars for overall and driver protection, with at least four stars for other road user safety and crash avoidance. Almost all 'Safer Pick' vehicles are available second-hand for under $25,000 and more than half priced below $10,000, according to Monash University.The report made particular note of the high risk attached to ute crashes, with only one ute achieving a five-star overall rating, and 70 per cent one or two stars.Some of this real-world data does not line up with ANCAP safety ratings. The Ford Mustang, manufactured from 2015-2022, received a two-star rating, which was later upgraded to three-stars with ANCAP. Yet, it achieved a near all-excellent rating in real-world crashes, according to the data.The full data set is available here.

Ford currently offers around half a dozen EV models around the world that Australians cannot buy. But arguably the absent electric Ford with the most potential in Australia is the one that may also be the easiest to import, since it is already part of an existing model range, and so has already been homologated for sale here. And it is also different enough to stand out in a growing crowd of EVs in the $60,000 to $100,000 bracket.

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A top-end ute has received a major set of upgrades. The price and specifications for Ford’s 2026 F-150 range have been revealed. There are three variants, all in dual-cab form, with the base XLT starting from $114,950, which is an $8,000 jump from the previous model.There is some good news on the price front, with buyers now able to choose from short or long wheelbase options without additional cost. It keeps its 3.5-litre six-cylinder twin turbo-petrol engine that produces 298kW and 678Nm, with a 10-speed auto transmission. The XLT gets a part-time four-wheel drive system, while the two more expensive variants get a full 4WD set-up. There is plenty of new kit available on the base XLT, receiving several standout cosmetic additions such as chrome door handles and an exhaust extension. It also gets a 12-inch touchscreen and 12-inch digital drivers display as standard. The F-150 will battle Chevrolet’s Silverado and the RAM range for market share, with the two brands combining for more than 80 per cent of Aussie large dual-cab sales.All F150s are imported to Australia and then re-manufactured to right-hand drive in a Victorian RMA Automotive factory.Deliveries will commence in early 2026.The XLT grade comes as standard with20-inch alloy wheelsChrome door handles12-inch touchscreen12-inch digital drivers displayChrome exhaust extensionCloth seats12V port in load box Lariat adds20-inch chrome-like alloy wheelsPower tailgate14-speaker sound systemWireless phone chargerHeated and cooled front seatsRear heated seatsLeather accented seatsTwin panel sunroofExtended chrome side stepsRain-sensing wipersPower and heated mirrorsPlatinum adds20-inch painted gloss alloy wheelsBlack Ford badgingSmokes colour exhaust tip extensionAuto side stepsMulti-folding tonneau coverMassaging seats2026 Ford F-150 safetyThe Ford F-150 has not been crash tested. Safety features on XLT grade: Auto emergency breakingReverse brake assistRear parking sensorsPost-impact brakingBlind spot monitoringTrailer backup assist360-degree camera Lariat addsAdaptive cruise controlEvasive steer assistIntersection assistFront parking sensorsPlatinum addsRear cargo view cameraFord offers a five-year/unlimited km warranty on its vehicles. 

A computer chip company bust-up threatens to send global auto supply chains for cars back to the COVID-19-era with extensive manufacturer delays. According to Reuters, computer chip maker Nexperia NV, is embroiled in a standoff involving the Chinese and Dutch governments, which has seen exports of its finished products banned. Nexperia is an important supplier of basic chips used in cars, it manufactures them in large volumes in Germany, before being packaged and distributed from China to the wider car industry. China has now banned the export of finished chips.China’s ban was in response to the Dutch government’s decision to seize control of Nexperia in late September, which is a subsidiary of Chinese-owned Wingtech. The Dutch government took the decision after it got wind of Nexperia potentially transferring ownership of some of its technology to Chinese parent company Wingtech in response to US restrictions. Nexperia became at risk of being impacted by a new US rule extending export control restrictions for certain companies. Wingtech was added to this new US restriction list, and because the company owns 100 per cent of Nexperia, they also fall onto the restriction list. Nexperia reported a net profit of $331 million in 2024, highlighting its value to the car manufacturing supply chain. While there are alternatives available to Nexperia chips, car manufacturers' significant dependence on them means there will likely be a lag in transition. Earlier this month, US-based Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella, which represents General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen and Hyundai said Nexperia’s shutdown would quickly hamstring production. “If the shipment of automotive chips doesn’t resume quickly, it’s going to disrupt auto production in the US and many other countries and have a spillover effect in other industries," he said according to Reuters. The good news is that negotiations are ongoing and the dispute could be resolved within the next few days.The growing Chinese car industry is also reliant on Nexperia chips, giving incentive for all parties to end the standoff according to Netherlands’ Economy Minister Vincent Karremans. “We have a mutually dependent relationship,” he said in an interview on Dutch television show Buitenhof. Karremans will personally meet with the Chinese minister responsible soon to attempt to resolve the industry-threatening dispute.

History’s most influential van ever turns 60. With a global impact that includes Australia, the Ford Transit changed the way vans were designed, engineered and marketed from the very moment it hit the streets – initially in the UK and Europe – in October, 1965. Today the Transit is to Europeans what the Holden and Ford utes meant to Australians and what the F-Series pick-up is to Americans.