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NEWS
Who killed Ford Falcon?
Introduced in 1960 to stop the Holden steamroller in its tracks Falcon fell victim to a changing marketWho killed the Ford Falcon? In short, it was YOU...
You – who wanted a high driving position... and paid more for an SUV that grazes its floorpan entering a driveway.
You – who didn't want to buy a 'thirsty' six-cylinder... so you bought a small SUV instead, with 'economical' permanent four-wheel drive, petrol engine and auto transmission.
You – who wanted to downsize to a small or mid-size sedan for the daily commute... only to find it won't tow ski boats or accommodate the whole family at weekends.
You – who really wanted something that delivered cutting edge style... and settled for a Taurus*.
You – who was put-off by the lack of a diesel option... and ignored the EcoLPI option and the EcoBoost alternative.
You – who wanted better resale... and then paid through the nose to have your volume-selling European sedan serviced.
You – who couldn't be seen in a taxi... and bought a Prius.
You – who complained about Australian build quality... and bought a Cruze.
You – who didn't want to be tagged as a bogan... so you bought a dual-cab one-tonner with a bull bar.
You – who boasted about buying Australian... but failed to find out your SUV was built in Korea.
You – who lamented the death of the local V8 sedan... and then didn't buy it when it returned.
You – who preached Australia needs a vibrant local auto industry... and then made Mazda3 the most popular car in the country.
You – who screamed black and blue about a third brand entering V8 Supercars... but you haven't bought a locally-built new car in the past 20 years.
But don't feel guilty, you're one of about a million new-car buyers every year who chose to buy something other than the locally-built large car. And, to start another sentence with a conjunction, it wasn't just you, the general public that ended the Falcon's long run. It wouldn't have happened without the assistance of you, the government bureaucrats; you, the Ford Australia management team; you, at GM-Holden... and us, in the specialist media.
* Few actually bought the Taurus in reality.
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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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