Marton Pettendy•28 Jun 2013
NEWS
Ford to reveal its new wares
All-new Blue Oval models to be revealed at Sydney future product preview in AugustFord will reveal some of the new models it will release in Australia before it axes Falcon production and local manufacturing in 2016 at a future product briefing in Sydney on August 13.
The Blue Oval’s Australian president and CEO Bob Graziano today invited selected media outlets to attend a special event, dubbed “Go Further: A Vision for Australia” and hosted by Jim Farley, the Ford Motor Company’s Executive Vice-President of Global Marketing, Sales & Service and Lincoln.
Ford told motoring.com.au the event was not a product launch per se and that there would be no drive component, but confirmed it will unveil a number of new models to be released here in the near- to mid-term.
When Ford Australia announced on May 23 that it will cease local manufacturing and kill off the Falcon and Territory by October 2016, it said it would expand its current model portfolio by 30 per cent before then.
As we’ve reported, based on Ford’s current model range, that means an additional three models within the next three years.
Ford has already confirmed two of those all-new models, including the Indian-built EcoSport compact SUV that goes on sale here in December priced from about $20,000, and the new Transit Custom commercial van due to replace the existing Transit here in the second quarter of next year.
Ford Australia has ruled out local releases of the smaller Focus-based Transit Connect van and C-Max and S-Max people-movers.
Also on the agenda but unlikely to be revealed in Sydney is the new T6 Ranger-based SUV, which is yet to be officially confirmed for Australia but is expected to be revealed in concept form by the end of this year before going on sale some time in 2014.
More than a dozen prototypes of the Australian designed and engineered, Thai-built off-road wagon – Ford’s first direct rival to the Toyota Prado and Holden Colorado 7 – are currently undergoing development testing on public roads around Australia.
Other new models to replace existing vehicles in the Ford range within the next 12 months or so include the facelifted Fiesta range – with the all-new Fiesta ST hot hatch (pictured) due in late August – and the fourth-generation Mondeo mid-size family. European production delays for the Mondeo have pushed back its local launch until at least mid-2014.
The third quarter of next year will see Ford Australia launch its final facelift for the Falcon sedan/ute and Territory SUV lines, before both models are discontinued forever two years later.
Replacements for both those models remain the subject of speculation, but Ford has confirmed it will continue to be represented by a vehicle in the large sedan segment – without a Falcon badge – and that the Territory nameplate could continue on an imported large SUV.
Although neither model is currently produced in right-hand drive form for export from North America, the most likely Falcon successor is the Taurus and the vehicle most logical to replace the Territory is the Taurus-based Explorer.
Two dark horses could also join Ford’s current line-up of Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Kuga, Ranger and Transit models, in the form of the pint-sized Ka city-car and the Mustang coupe – both of which are due for renewal in coming years.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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