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NEWS
The missing Lincoln
Cadillac has its ATS to rival the BMW 3 Series, but where's Ford's competitor?Opinion
Picture this: You're the president of Ford Motor Company. Things are tracking well and the company is getting good press for having survived the world's second worst economic crisis in living memory without feeding at the [US] government teat. There's plenty of praise for the company's next-generation products, including eco-friendly new drivetrains. The European arm of the company is developing warmly received products that are kicking goals all around the world.
If there's one sticking point – and it's not a major one in the big picture – it's the attitude of the media in far-flung Australia. This outspoken bunch of yobbos with no background in business or engineering is constantly haranguing the company to keep building a car that is well past the end of its natural life. Even traditional Ford customers in Australia acknowledge that. The car is still powered by an inline six, for example, and it's built in a market that has long been considered an expensive place to do business – not least of all for the cost of labour.
Sure, the Aussies have made the Falcon handle and steer properly, but they're selling too few of them and 65 or 70 per cent of those sales are going to fleet buyers, who don't care.
Seriously... who builds cars with inline sixes anymore? And surely any company building a car with a long engine like that doesn't give two hoots about handling, steering or roadholding?
Well actually, there is a company that builds a car like that. And it's a company that cares about vehicle dynamics... very much. It's a German company named BMW. Its 3 Series sedan has been the yardstick for small prestige sedans for years, but it's a car that's gradually growing in size to reach a larger market share. GM division Cadillac has an answer to it, named the ATS (pictured). But Ford has nothing along the same lines.
Recent news that Ford will build the next-generation Mustang in right-hand drive is a small nugget of information that has all sorts of ramifications – and potential for yet more irresponsible speculation from those hoons of the fourth estate Down Under.
So let's get stuck into it. If Cadillac sees an opportunity in the 3 Series' global market share, shouldn't Ford? The Blue Oval killed off Grandpa brand Mercury a few years ago, but has been determined to revitalise the flagship Lincoln brand. Couldn't and shouldn't Lincoln have – at the very least – a competitor to Cadillac's ATS, if not something to battle the BMW?
So how to go about that? There isn't a platform in the Ford world ready to step up to the plate. The next Mustang might be one prospect, being developed with independent rear suspension capability as it is rumoured to be, but Ford presumably anticipates its plant building the Mustang will be fully occupied pumping out the hardtop and ragtop versions for a grateful America. Who could develop a four-door version of the Mustang, with the right sort of powertrains, for global export?
Ford Australia could, that's who. There's a manufacturing plant here and the design and engineering facilities to take a vehicle from conception to consumption in about two years. Take a Mustang platform and design a four-door body to sit on it. Kill off the 'dreamtime' six (indigenous and ancient) that's built in Geelong and bless the new car with the EcoBoost four-cylinder already available in the Falcon, an imported 'Cyclone' V6 plus the atmo Mustang 5.0-litre V8 (with all-alloy construction) for high-performance variants. Dimensionally smaller than the Falcon, the new car could be built for left and right-hand drive markets around the world.
If it seems like a stretch to build a semi-prestige car for global consumption in Australia, don't forget that BMW builds the 3 Series in South Africa. And for a semi-prestige car being built here, the cost of labour would be a smaller component of the landed cost in other parts of the world.
In Australia the pieces fall into place: the imported Mondeo becomes the large family sedan; the new locally-manufactured car moves the brand away from the taxi image; Ford stays in V8 Supercars; Territory is replaced by Explorer and Edge; and...
All is well with the world, viewed from the Down Under perspective. Might even keep the motoring journos quiet... For a time.
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Written byKen Gratton
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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