AIMS: Ford's new Falcon LPG system “imminent”

Ford Australia is putting the finishing touches on a new hi-tech LPG system – and although its arrival in showrooms is imminent, it can’t come soon enough.

LPG-powered Falcons account for up to 25 per cent of the family sedan’s sales – and Ford has largely been without an LPG option since the old system was phased out due to emissions regulations late last year.

It now seems apparent that Ford didn’t stockpile enough of the older LPG Falcons before the new regulations came in – and engineering hurdles have delayed the arrival of the new hi-tech system.

“The old fumigation [LPG] system was not capable of meeting Euro 4 standards, which is why we had to develop the liquid phase injection,” the president and CEO of Ford Australia, Robert Graziano (pictured), told Motoring.com.au.

“Many believed … that was existing technology somewhere in the Ford world, it was not. It was engineered from the ground up by the local engineering team here and it takes a lot of time.

“I think the team did a good job of building all that they could under the old emissions standards and, and then we had to develop that new system and ensure that it delivered everything that we needed it to. The launch is coming, it’s imminent now.”

Graziano said Ford would host media test drives of the new technology in August, ahead of the technology’s showroom debut in September.

The new system uses liquid phase injection, as opposed to vapour, which means there’s more power and less waste.

Ford has also re-engineered the boot to create a flat load space and a metal floor, rather than an intrusive LPG tank.

There’s room for two golf bags but in a display car at the Melbourne motorshow it was not apparent where a spare tyre would be stowed, if at all. It is possible the new LPG Falcon will be available with an inflator kit only, not even a space-saver spare.

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