Puma Axed except for EV

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by smoo

From my recollection ford never attempted to market any of the euro cars over the past 10-15 years?

I can remember a hand ful of Euro ford owners on this forum back in the day absolutely piling on the Aussie built Fords for their quality control issues and recalls/warranty.
Little did they know Focus/Mondeo diesel DPF and power shift trans we’re getting ready to say hold my beer.
Don’t think they ever mentioned recalled/warranty again after that drama which likely contributed to the poor sales of Mondeo and Focus.

The Focus DSG was an issue when it was first introduced on the LV Focus TDCI as well, our very own Yellow Festiva, we both bought new LV TDCI Focus around a similar time frame.

His shat its DSG around 70,000km and he had serious issues getting it done under warranty from his Ford dealership, my manual one went 235,000km before I gave the car away last year, it still lives, its up in Echuca now

The DSG has been a drama on Ford Euro cars since its introduction, it wasn't just the latest round of LW Focus and WZ Fiesta that it was an issue, it was just more prominent then because they sold lots more of them.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by smoo

Little did they know Focus/Mondeo diesel DPF and power shift trans we’re getting ready to say hold my beer.

And what a hold my beer it was.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Female 30-something Millennial

image

Does anyone feel like buying me a RAV4 hybrid?

I wish I could afford a RAV4

Ahhhhh I'd love a RAV4 but couldn't justify a car that big just for me

image

Ford isn't converting this demographic into Puma sales, but Toyota is turning them into RAV4 hybrid customers hand over fist.

See how they all know what the RAV4 is?

that's not a troll account that you might run for entertainment?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

that's not a troll account that you might run for entertainment?

No, my boobs are hairy and the wrong shape

[kevino]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

No, my boobs are hairy and the wrong shape

Wow its that dam Damien Parker again.

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

The initial appeal of the SUV was it's higher driving position, and using car construction (monocoque) with it's nicer, more car-like driving & handling rather than ladder on frame and truck like handling, as had been the way in the 80s and 90s with things like the 60 series and Prado... Territory even came as RWD/AWD so you could choose if you wanted the offroad bits, and 5 or 7 seat so you could choose your space.

Territory at 39,990 at launch for RWD TX was a very good deal. I think they maintained that entry point, or close to it, until 2016?

It actually dropped in the end .... could get TS RWD Petrol for that price new in 2016

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by PG2

I was selling Ford when Ford moved from Laser to Focus.

The Laser was a good little nippy car that had plenty of relevant features that buyers wanted. The Focus, while a more refined car, was a slug of a thing that was sparsely optioned particularly in base model. Air conditioning was not even standard.

A big problem with them was that the indicator stalk was on the left. You would be surprised how many people took that into consideration when looking at the Focus.

Ford wanted to go upmarket with their small car range. The problem was that people buying these sized cars back in the early 00's were budget conscious and the price went from $19,990 to a tad over $25,000 overnight.

Laser also got a lot of advertising and TV time as well. I remember when a lot younger I'd see the ads everywhere.

Had 2 Lasers in the family over the years ... gold old KB and then later a KF

[Adamz Ghia]

Ford also botched the Focus launch. They launched it alongside the BA, which was sucking up every piece of media and buyers attention it could. Focus was a brand new nameplate that just got lost.

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by PG2

I was selling Ford when Ford moved from Laser to Focus.

The Laser was a good little nippy car that had plenty of relevant features that buyers wanted. The Focus, while a more refined car, was a slug of a thing that was sparsely optioned particularly in base model. Air conditioning was not even standard.

A big problem with them was that the indicator stalk was on the left. You would be surprised how many people took that into consideration when looking at the Focus.

Ford wanted to go upmarket with their small car range. The problem was that people buying these sized cars back in the early 00's were budget conscious and the price went from $19,990 to a tad over $25,000 overnight.

It would have been a hard job to sell an up spec Ford small car when Falcon GLi could be had for a price starting with a 2 when new.

Even BA XT could be had for mid 30s, and had heaps more standard kit than the Focus at the time.

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Female 30-something Millennial

image

Does anyone feel like buying me a RAV4 hybrid?

I wish I could afford a RAV4

Ahhhhh I'd love a RAV4 but couldn't justify a car that big just for me

image

Ford isn't converting this demographic into Puma sales, but Toyota is turning them into RAV4 hybrid customers hand over fist.

See how they all know what the RAV4 is?

Could it be because Toyota actually spend money on advertising? Toyota know how to sell the dream. They sell the lifestyle, whether it's the lifestyle you have or the one you wish you had. Look at a Corolla ad, it's twenty somethings meeting and falling in love. Look at a Camry ad, it's all about Dad playing with the kids. Kluger ad? The best place to raise a family.

The last time I saw a Ford ad was when the FG was released and it was some pathetic thing begging you to test drive and compare...please!!!

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by ToryMikey

It would have been a hard job to sell an up spec Ford small car when Falcon GLi could be had for a price starting with a 2 when new.

With respect, that’s been the case for a long time and by that I mean back to the late 1960s.
Locally built Falcons and Holdens were exceptional value and exactly why nothing else
either team sold back then really did more than minor sales.


I remember my dad who worked at Metro Ford brought home a brand new ‘69 440 Cortina
$2,250 when the base Falcon started at $2,320, he loved the Falcon but wanted fuel economy

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

With respect, that’s been the case for a long time and by that I mean back to the late 1960s.
Locally built Falcons and Holdens were exceptional value and exactly why nothing else
either team sold back then really did more than minor sales.


I remember my dad who worked at Metro Ford brought home a brand new ‘69 440 Cortina
$2,250 when the base Falcon started at $2,320, he loved the Falcon but wanted fuel economy

My extended family lived off Falcon 500/GLi/Futura/XT for about four decades straight. All bought new. Now that I'm old I totally understand why.

Last non-Ford my grandfather had was a HK Monaro...until his most recent purchase of a Hyundai Tucson :(

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by ToryMikey

Could it be because Toyota actually spend money on advertising? Toyota know how to sell the dream. They sell the lifestyle, whether it's the lifestyle you have or the one you wish you had. Look at a Corolla ad, it's twenty somethings meeting and falling in love. Look at a Camry ad, it's all about Dad playing with the kids. Kluger ad? The best place to raise a family.

The last time I saw a Ford ad was when the FG was released and it was some pathetic thing begging you to test drive and compare...please!!!

Is there a more catchy song in automotive advertising than the Land Cruiser drives you home number.

If im up in parts unknown
Land of bush, dirt and stone
If its weeks since a shower
I need help within the hour
Theres something I'll tell you for sure
Not a lie its almost law
This Landcruiser drives us home
This Landcruiser drives us...home

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by ToryMikey

Could it be because Toyota actually spend money on advertising? Toyota know how to sell the dream. They sell the lifestyle, whether it's the lifestyle you have or the one you wish you had. Look at a Corolla ad, it's twenty somethings meeting and falling in love. Look at a Camry ad, it's all about Dad playing with the kids. Kluger ad? The best place to raise a family.

The last time I saw a Ford ad was when the FG was released and it was some pathetic thing begging you to test drive and compare...please!!!

The thing is, how many Puma target buyers watch free to air TV, and are therefore seeing TV ads? I get where you are going with that, and I'm hardly in that age group now, but even I don't watch free-to-air TV, and the TV I do consume is excludes ALL ads. So, dumping money on TV ads is an act in setting fire to money when trying to reach a younger audience who consume media very differently now.

The above applies to a lot of brands, not just Ford.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Laser also got a lot of advertising and TV time as well. I remember when a lot younger I'd see the ads everywhere.

Had 2 Lasers in the family over the years ... gold old KB and then later a KF

Always loved this one.......................but that sort of ad wouldn't fly these days, someone somewhere would take offence to the car moving that fast!

[Polyal]

Ford have completely forgotten how to get new customers...it will bite them.

Of course they have done well with the ranger but they seem to only target the converted

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by kevino

With the update Ford EUR have dropped the St 1,5 6mt
Setting up to produce a Puma Ev

if this is true, and they no longer produce and Eu5 variant, then the choice is between gas Eu6 and EV

the petrol (hybrid) STARTS at 25k GBP in the UK, so that's $50k here. at least. so maybe an EV isn't too much more expensive

[kevino]

That Puma 1 litre mhev sells for 38 k drive away in Nz so how do ( Nz controlled by Ford Ute Aus ) Ford Nz sell it at 38 Nz which is 36 Aus $

[Blue_XR]

It's a shame that Ford have no idea how to sell a small/mid size SUV. Recently we bought a 2020 Escape (base model) with under 30,000kms for my elderly parents for ease of getting in an out of. I have driven the vehicle and I'm impressed. Great power compared to other mid sizers unless of course you opt for the CX5 Turbo which is more expensive. My parents won't be using the power, but it has heaps of features and safety which is impressive car for an entry level vehicle. I did look at the competition, however at the price bracket we were looking at the Escape was a no brainer. To me the other makes did look like base models where the escape doesn't.
We looked at the Puma but the Escape was just easier to get in an out of.
To get the same power level apart from the CX5 Turbo you need to step up to the Euros which cost a lot more.

[Charliewool]

Pretty amazing the 2L Escape output is more than the first HSV V8

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by kevino

That Puma 1 litre mhev sells for 38 k drive away in Nz so how do ( Nz controlled by Ford Ute Aus ) Ford Nz sell it at 38 Nz which is 36 Aus $

Not since the days of the 39K ZR Yaris hybrid (ie, now, sadly) have I heard so much asked for so little.

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/det...-6320021/?Cr=0

[kevino]

I have been looking at Puma Forums Uk
Apparently the update Puma has been whacked upwards in price
A lot of the models are now unavailable with manual
The halo 1.5 manual st is deleted
Top St now is an over boosted triple with auto


It sounds like they are trying to reduce sales to make room on the production line for the Puma ev

It still surprises me though that they walked away from Aus sales of Puma and Escape

4000 odd sales they don’t need

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by kevino

I have been looking at Puma Forums Uk
Apparently the update Puma has been whacked upwards in price
A lot of the models are now unavailable with manual
The halo 1.5 manual st is deleted
Top St now is an over boosted triple with auto


It sounds like they are trying to reduce sales to make room on the production line for the Puma ev

It still surprises me though that they walked away from Aus sales of Puma and Escape

4000 odd sales they don’t need

Death by a thousand cuts, you leave market share to everyone else, oh this only sells a few units, get rid of it, this only sells a few units, get rid of it, this only sells a few units, get rid of it.

Then you end up like Isuzu with a 2 model range, and it leaves you exposed to legislation changes cropping up out of the blue.

Have a look at Toyota, they dominate the sales figures because they offer 20+ options to the market, they have something for everyone (if you've had a lobotomy and enjoy driving park benches).

How Ford treats Australia reminds me of GM and their entire RHD market pull-out.

[Itsme]

[QUOTE=Franco Cozzo;6874403
How Ford treats Australia reminds me of GM and their entire RHD market pull-out.[/QUOTE]

Might be true what you say but I think Ford is only interested in selling for a niche market here in Australia.
My next vehicle will certainly be not a ford vehicle, which is a pity since they do not have much of an offering.

Cheers

[kevino]

I m sure Ranger Everest are good for their intended use but I don’t need their capability or price
The only thing that could possibly interest me would be Puma ev but I suspect the asking price will be outside my capacity to pay

[Franco Cozzo]

There's no doubt they're the best Thailand Specials hands down, no one else can touch them in the entire category.

What's if you don't want Thailand Specials? That's my issue with Ford. They made absolutely wicked hatches, the stuff that come out of Ford Europe was the value for money king, then Ford Australia is like nah no Fiesta, Focus or Mondeo anymore.

I'm sure you're all surprised that I don't like dual cab utes, I'm a fan of the single cab tray back job, utility vehicle, but I also wouldn't mind one with a bit of pepper - 2.3L Ecoboost job would be the absolute tits for me. The working man's supercar.

The Raptor is the FIFO Lambo.

For me with the absolute state of the new car market it's basically cemented my thoughts that if I'm going to buy a new car again then it's going to be a Tesla Model 3.

If Ford Australia wants to be a Thailand Specials specialist then rebrand to Ford Ute/Commercial Vehicles.

And while they're at, offer the F650/F750.

[kevino]

Yeah no Euro Fords
As you say no Mondeo (dead) Fiesta (nearly dead) Focus (dies 2025) Escape Puma.

They have wiped out hatchback and small and mid sized suvs in the last couple of years.
No entry models.
No performance models under 60k.
Nothing for non ute buyers ( Everest at a stretch)

[DJM83]

Just had a look at FoA website.
In the performance area we have.
Ranger Raptor.
Mustang
Then Ford Performance, which includes both mustang/raptor and some blabbing about them coming to F1 and last years supercars.
Page is also dated 2022.
They've lost the plot IMO.
That FP area could have Fiesta/Focus ST, Mustang, Raptor (maybe a new Focus RS)
Ford US isnt really much better either having racecars listed in there which is pointless.
What a time to be alive as a Ford fan!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Just had a look at FoA website.
In the performance area we have.
Ranger Raptor.
Mustang
Then Ford Performance, which includes both mustang/raptor and some blabbing about them coming to F1 and last years supercars.
Page is also dated 2022.
They've lost the plot IMO.
That FP area could have Fiesta/Focus ST, Mustang, Raptor (maybe a new Focus RS)
Ford US isnt really much better either having racecars listed in there which is pointless.
What a time to be alive as a Ford fan!

We're in that 1950s/early 1960s era of Ford where they had no motorsport program and no interest in sports cars, until Enzo Ferrari told them to go **** themselves

There was just one problem: Ford didn’t have a sports car in its portfolio, and there were no plans to build one. (Iacocca’s legendary Mustang was still a couple of years away from production.)

It was decided that the most expedient way bring a vehicle to market would be to acquire one. That’s when the idea was floated to purchase Ferrari, which in those years was primarily a race car company that sold street-legal machines only to fund its track exploits.

In the spring of 1963, after months of negotiation, an agreement seemed to be near. Ford would pay million to Enzo Ferrari for his company and all its assets. A former racer, Enzo was supposedly eager to put a deal together with Ford, a move that would relieve him of the burden of running the company day-to-day. But at the eleventh hour, Ferrari balked at a clause in the contract that said Ford would control the budget and, thus, all the decisions governing the Ferrari racing team. Enzo was unwilling to relinquish control of his company’s motorsports program. He told Ford’s representatives that he’d never sell under those terms—nor, he added, would he sell to an ugly company that builds ugly cars in an ugly factory. It is rumored that he also insulted Henry II personally by insinuating that he couldn’t hold a candle to his grandfather, the real Henry Ford.

To add even more insult to injury, Enzo then turned around and sold a majority stake in Ferrari to fellow Italian automaker Fiat. Some Ford executives, including the Deuce, speculated that Enzo was never serious about selling to Ford at all but had only negotiated with the company in order to pressure Fiat to come up in price. The ploy worked, and Henry II was left looking like a fool—without a ride.

https://www.forbes.com/wheels/news/f...n-auto-racing/

We need someone to insult the CEO of Ford again so they pull the finger out

[Dr Smith]

Just yesterday, took our daughter's car to a car wash for a full detail...looked so bad I finally said enough....we're going to get this thing cleaned before it turns organic or that apple core wrapped in the tissue in the door pocket starts to grow.....

the car wash is next to Brighton Ford....any way.. my favourite salesperson spotted us and so we started chatting...his own words...."we don't know if it's the chicken or egg scenario....Ford Oz couldn't give us enough cars to sell for the last few years as we are tied to Europe for supply other than Ranger causing a loss in brand-loyal buyers who couldn't wait, plus we've had to raise prices to get some form of ROI on the reduced sales numbers... or... have we lost a generation of loyal passenger car buyers that started before shutting down production that moved to other brands and having available cars would make no difference?

And finally, I've never seen up close a Ranger Platinum and I must say, it's pretty damn nice.....