One Ford shelved

The ‘One Ford’ global transformation plan that promised Australians access to the blue oval brand’s international model portfolio and contributed to the end of local manufacturing is no longer the company’s mantra.

While still referenced within the company, new Ford Australia president Andrew Birkic says One Ford has evolved into a more region-centric approach.

“It’s about the right product for the right market at the right time, knowing your customer,” Birkic told carsales.

One Ford was the masterplan of former Ford global boss Alan Mulally, who ran the company from 2006 to 2014 and saw it through the global financial crisis without entering bankruptcy.

A key benefit of One Ford for Australian fans has been the first global Mustang. The iconic pony car was made available in right-hand drive ex-factory at an affordable price for the first time.

But Mulally’s drive to integrate the company into one global product development team, reduce regionalisation, avoid double-ups and cull the number of platforms also spelled the end of the Ford Falcon and Territory and local engine and vehicle assembly.

The company has, however, retained a massive investment in Australia through its Victorian-based product development centre that is the global engineering homeroom for the Ranger pick-up and Everest SUV.

At an event in Sydney in 2013, Mulally promised Australian consumers “they are going to have a complete family to choose from Ford.”

But beyond Mustang and the slow-selling Endura SUV – judged by many to be over-priced – the product bonanza promised by One Ford has failed to materialise.

As we reported separately, the Ranger-based Bronco that was developed in Australia isn’t available in right-hand drive, the F-150 full-size pick-up shows no sign of an Australia launch even as rivals RAM and Chevrolet find success and the full-size American SUVs like the Explorer and Expedition have missed the boat too.

Even the high-spec Ford Performance Mustangs are off the table for Australia, forcing the supercharged R-Spec solution that is bolted together locally.

An examination of Ford Australia’s current and upcoming models, including the soon-to-be launched Escape and Puma SUVs, shows that apart from Ranger and Everest the local division continues to rely on Ford of Europe for much of its product line-up, because it builds cars in right-hand drive for the UK.

The good news is the Mustang seems to be an exception to this rule. The next-gen due in 2022-23 is already pencilled in for Australia.

Asked if One Ford no longer applies, Birkic said: “I think the better lens is who is your customer, who is your target market and then ensuring you have the products to meet that.

“And to be honest it needs to be more than product, it needs to be non-product as well.

“For us, that’s what we need to focus on; a multi-faceted approach. It has to be about the overall business, but it’s really got to start with the customer and is there a market need.

“I think that is the lens … and I think that is where product development will go and the way we allocate our capital.”

One of Ford’s most senior global executives, Hau Thai-Tang, touched on the subject of One Ford’s evolution during an August conference call with US media.

“Alan Mulally, with his outsider’s perspective, was able to say ‘You guys are a global company but you’re not acting like it’,” said Thai-Tang.

He told the media Ford’s latest globalisation plan involved fine-tuning the balance between using the biggest possible number of parts in common to achieve economies of scale, versus the need to tailor parts to regional requirements.