Ford’s Fiesta could be over

The doubt over the Australian future of the Ford Fiesta continues following a declaration from the Blue Oval’s regional boss that sales success here is now based on pick-ups, SUVs and performance cars.

Speaking to motoring.com.au at the Detroit auto show, Peter Fleet refused to clarify the future of the mini-car in Australia.

“I don’t have anything to say about that,” he said.

While the Fiesta has been overhauled into a seventh generation for Europe, Ford Australia is continuing to take supplies of the superseded model from a Ford plant in Thailand.

A sad spin-off of that situation is the highly-rated Fiesta ST hot hatch is about to disappear from the Australian market. Currently in run-out while stocks last, the existing Fiesta ST has already been replaced in Europe, where it is produced.

“I think it’s clear our business now in Australia is going to be anchored around the trucks, SUVs and performance vehicles,” Fleet said.

“That’s how I see that business shaping up and you can see that already in existence by what we have been successful in Australia with already.”

In 2017 Fiesta sales collapsed 43.1 per cent to just 1550. Its big brother the Focus was off 12.2 per cent and the biggest of the European-designed trio, the Mondeo, was down 5.2 per cent.

None of them are volume players in their segments and only the Focus is guaranteed to continue on sale in Australia in its next generation, which is due as soon as late 2018.

Ford’s passenger car line-up in Australia has already been dramatically pared back by the end of production of the Falcon large car.

Asked if there could be further paring back, Fleet replied:

“I am not announcing anything different about that now, but if you look at the volume of those [passenger cars] we sell relative to the rest of the business … I think where I see the most exciting future for the Ford brand in Australia -- both as a business and for our customers -- is around trucks, utilities and performance vehicles.

“That is where I see the most exciting opportunities.”

The undoubted success story in Ford’s current line-up has been the Ranger. It was the biggest selling 4x4 pick-up in Australia last year; add in the 4x2 and it was the second biggest selling vehicle in the Australian market overall.

It also accounted for more than 50 per cent of Ford sales, and there’s an upgraded Ranger coming here by mid-2018.

Ford’s second biggest seller, the Mustang is a dominant performer in the sport car market and will be facelifted this year.

Ford’s SUV sales performance isn’t strong, but it needs to get the segment right because it is now the biggest in Australia, surpassing passenger cars for the first time in 2017.

Ford is increasing promotion of the Escape, which is a modest player in the booming medium SUV segment, the EcoSport small SUV has been freshly refurbished, the large Everest off-roader is building sales as its model line-up expands and the large Endura crossover arrives before the end of 2018, albeit with only five seats and a turbo-diesel engine.

There are also plans to potentially reintroduce the next-generation Explorer, a larger crossover with seven seats.

Fleet defended the reliance on Ranger to sustain Ford’s sales volume in Australia, which dipped 3.8 per cent in 2017 as last stock of the locally-built Falcon and Territory disappeared.

“I am delighted with the success of the Ranger,” he said. “Do we want everything to be about Ranger 4x4 in Australia? No.

“There are other things we are doing now to try and grow other elements of the portfolio. Escape is one, we are putting a lot of effort in there. We will also be introducing Endura.

“But Ranger anchors our line-up and it’s great to see its success.”