Ford Territory production reaches 150,000

Ford Australia produced its 150,000th Territory last week, marking a significant manufacturing milestone for Australia’s only homegrown SUV.

What began as the pet project of Geoff Polites, Ford Australia’s charismatic president between 1999 and 2004, became one of the nation’s top-selling vehicles bar none and, arguably, a lifeline for a company whose Falcon staple remains in serious decline.

In fact, Territory sales are up 16 per cent so far this year to 12,459, eclipsing the 11,719 Falcon sedans registered to October 2012 (down more than 26 per cent).

Of course, Ford has also sold 4920 Falcon utes (down 14.3 per cent year-on-year), but the Territory continues to provide a ray of light for Ford’s local manufacturing operations by claiming a dominant 14.5 per cent share of the mainstream large SUV segment.

So far this year the only large SUV to outsell the Territory is Toyota’s rugged Japanese-built Prado off-roader, which owns 16.9 per cent of a segment that has soared 25 per cent higher in 2012.

But, while Holden has high hopes for the new Colorado 7 it will release next month, the Territory has remained more popular than almost 20 other imported large SUVs, including the Toyota Kluger, Holden Captiva, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mitsubishi Pajero, Subaru Outback, Mazda CX-9 and Hyundai Santa Fe.

Launched as the first Australian-made and developed SUV in 2004 – the same year it won the Wheels Car of the Year award – the Territory was the result of a $500 million investment by Ford, following extensive market research that established a growing need for a vehicle combining the best characteristics of family sedans, traditional SUVs and people-movers.

The SX Territory was an overnight success with 13,583 finding new homes in its first year, before a high of 28,447 examples being built at Broadmeadows in its first full year, 2005.

Sales slumped markedly between then and 2011, when the current SZ model was launched with a new high-series ‘Titanium’ model, which remains one of the most popular variants, plus a more efficient petrol engine and, for the first time, a 2.7-litre turbo-diesel engine, returning the Territory to the top of the monthly sales charts as Australia’s best-selling SUV.

Matched with a sophisticated six-speed automatic transmission, the V6 TDCi diesel was added as part of Ford Australia’s $232 million investment in sustainability, with assistance from the federal government’s Green Car Innovation Fund and the Victorian state government.

The same program resulted in the 2.0-litre EcoBoost turbo-petrol four-cylinder and Liquid-Phase injection (LPi) six-cylinder engines for the Falcon.

Apart from offering five-star crash safety, the Territory delivered a number of Australian firsts over the years, with the original model being the first Australian-made vehicle to offer Inflatable Curtain Airbags and Dynamic Stability Control. In 2005, the SY Territory added the availability of a reversing camera to that list.

“This is a significant milestone for us at Ford Australia, to have designed, engineered and manufactured a vehicle that has proven to be a hit with customers since launch,” said Ford Australia President and CEO, Bob Graziano.

“Territory was the brainchild of Ford in Australia and we are incredibly proud of this car and what it has achieved. The latest Territory, which is now available with a diesel engine, continues to be an incredibly strong seller for us, providing a versatile solution to our customers’ driving needs.”

The 150,000th Territory to roll off Ford Australia’s Broadmeadows production line was a RWD TX TDCi in Winter White.