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NEWS
Ford to import new Territory from Canada?
$720 million investment announced for Canadian plant to go 'global'Ford in the US has announced it will spend AUD $720 million on its Oakville plant in Ontario, Canada.
That would normally mean little to Australian consumers, but the Oakville facility is where Ford builds the Edge and Flex models for North America – and both those cars have been rumoured to succeed the locally-built Territory in 2016, when Ford closes down manufacturing in Australia.
According to a press release issued by Ford yesterday, the investment will ensure the security of 2800 jobs at the Oakville plant through enhancing the plants ability to supply fuel-efficient products for global markets.
"This investment is helping us find much needed capacity for global products and securing jobs, and it is positioning Oakville as one of the most competitive and important facilities in the Ford system," president of The Americas, Joe Hinrichs, was quoted saying in the press release.
"Global fuel-efficient products, built in a state-of-the-art facility, by a great workforce are a win for everyone today."
Ford expects the Edge (pictured) will this year beat its 2007 sales record of 130,000 units. Changes to the way the Oakville plant will operate mean Ford can shift production to meet global demand faster than before – and that includes additional sales demand from other markets... like Australia perhaps.
"If consumers suddenly shift their buying habits, we can seamlessly change our production mix without having to idle a plant," said Hinrichs. "Flexible manufacturing enables us to get vehicles to consumers faster than ever before. This is a great value proposition for everyone."
It has been speculated that the next generation of Edge will be available in a seven-seat configuration – the current model is restricted to five seats – and a global focus for the Canadian vehicle production facility should mean RHD versions of the car available for those markets.
The money that Ford is investing won't be spent entirely on upgrading the manufacturing facility; some is also being directed towards R&D efforts in Ontario – primarily aimed at reducing fuel consumption through weight reduction and drivetrain technology advances.
Ford anticipates the upgrade works at Oakville will be completed by the southern hemisphere spring of 2014, which allows around two years for RHD production to commence for the Australian market... along with any other market-specific requirements for a new model to replace Territory.
In the meantime, Ford Australia can be expected to maintain its current Territory advertising blitz, to keep the model name at the forefront of community cognisance. That suggests the Territory name will carry on after the indigenous model has ceased production.
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