Territory for Thailand

Ford Australia this week shipped 100 high-spec Territory vehicles to Thailand, marking a “small but important” export deal that it hopes will lead to further export programs.

The company today announced it loaded the shipment of top-shelf all-wheel-drive Territory Titanium TDCi models on to the ‘Gentle Leader’ roll-on, roll-off car and truck carrier at Webb Dock in Melbourne.

All examples are powered by Ford’s 2.7-litre turbodiesel V6, which became available in Australia’s upgraded SZ-series Territory following a $232 million investment that, with assistance from the Federal Government’s Green Car Innovation Fund and the Victoria State Government, also included development of the 2.0-litre EcoBoost Falconand the introduction of Liquid-Phase Injection LPG technology for the Falcon.

“This is an exciting day for everyone here at Ford Australia,” said Ford Australia President and CEO Bob Graziano today. “This is a small but important deal and will provide an important base on which to potentially build further exports.

“Building on the success of the Territory in Australia and New Zealand, we expect the Territory Titanium model to do well in Thailand,” he said.

Ford said the Thai-Territory deal followed strong interest from prospective Thai customers when it displayed a seven-seat Territory Titanium TDCi at the Bangkok Motor Show in March as a toe-in-the-water exercise to gauge public interest.

“It’s clear Thai customers want the roominess of a seven-seater and the features available in the Territory Titanium,” said Mr Graziano.

Thailand-bound Territorys will feature a number of changes for that market, including a radio that has been modified to tune in 50kHz increments instead of the 100kHz increments used in Australia and a rear DVD player that was updated to play Thailand region DVDs.

Ford said the six-speed automatic Territory TDCi has already undergone extensive testing over 800,000km to meet the harshest climates, including extreme hot-weather testing in California’s Death Valley and the Australian Outback.

Ford’s latest export deal follows the shipment of about 80 Territory models to Thailand - which now has a free trade agreement with Australia - in 2006, following the original SY Territory’s appearance at the 2005 Bangkok Motor Show.

Because the Territory (and the Falcon upon which it is based) are produced only in right-hand drive form, Ford Australia does not export vehicles to any of the world’s volume-selling left-hand drive countries.

However, apart from New Zealand – which until now was Ford Australia’s only current export destination – about 2300 Territory vehicles were also shipped to South Africa, where Australia’s only homegrown SUV was launched in July 2005.

The locally designed and built Territory continues to be one of the nation’s top-selling SUVs, with more than 130,000 examples sold since it was launched in June 2004, including more than 12,000 in New Zealand. At its peak, the Territory attracted 23,454 customers in 2005.

However, the small Thai export deal comes as domestic Falcon sales continue to slide, and a month after Ford Australia announced it will cut another 440 production workers as it prepares to reduce output at Broadmeadows by almost 30 per cent from November.

Ironically, Thai exports also occur at a time when the South East Asian country approaches Japan as the single biggest source of vehicles sold in Australia. Production of Australia’s Focus small car switched from Germany to Thailand in recent months, following the opening of a $450 million factory there in May.

The Blue Oval’s new-generation Escape will from next year be produced alongside the Focus in Thailand, which also produces Ford’s Australian designed and developed Ranger ute.

Ford’s new Thai manufacturing plant will have a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year, boosting annual Thai Ford production to 445,000 vehicles.

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