Are we on the wrong side side???

[Revolver]

Ive said before that I'm usually a glass half full type of guy, But do we have the odds stacked against us?? SERIOUSLY stacked against us? Something dawned on me on Saturday during a quiet period at work. It seriously got me thinking.. Are we as Ford followers on the wrong side??? Now for everyone who just yelled NO! rather loudly at your computer monitor & made the rest of the family jump, including fido, just hear me out...

After flicking through Australian Muscle Car magazine, & reading the article on the FG Ford wagon, or the lack of it, then reading the AFF thread about it, well it planted the seed for thought....

With no FG Wagon, then once again we lose ANOTHER piece of the pie. Another FoMoCo product gone, & like it said in AMC, trying to graft the FG front on the BA/AU body, if they got it to work, just...... wouldnt work. It would have similar results as the EF onto the X series ute.

Now look at the succes of the VE commodore wagon?? & there is such a big range... From Omega to SS, plus the HSV versions... Holden is appealing to such a broad range... & one that is such a good idea: the family wagon that the man of the house thoroughly enjoys driving & take to the strip once the weeks dutys are over. I mean how good is that?? Gone can be the day of having the extra car the he can have to play with.... So less rego, less room taken up... less expenses....less wife nagging (some may say thats priceless) Some people want a car to play with but cant afford costs of buying & keeping it. I can see thats a pretty powerful marketing tool, even if it isn't marketed. I saw two examples of this on the weekend, at the servo. Family in an SS, come in to buy some stuff, the Guy is obviously a car man, you can just tell by the powercruise shirt he's wearing, the note on the VE as he pulled in, & hes on the way to a drag day.....

Then theres the Fairlane. It was said that "Fairlane would have no place in the Orion line up" Now Holden took another slice. I'm seeing More & more Statesmans on the road than ever.... Not to mention the Business Class/Silver Service Taxi's (or the higher class names in other states). More & more Statesmans, 300c's the occaisonal G6E but its not alot of them. Now some of you may say, just buy a G range car, it has the same stuff. Would you buy a GT if it was Axed & something else was similar, but not named the same?? Probably not, its just not the same as the badge on the front that says GT.

Now lets ask some other questions... Why is the Holden range SO varied against the Ford range?? Both mainstream & the Performance market? And for the main part selling against us. I see more clubsports on the road than FPV's. A real shame I have to say. But why? What is it about Holdens marketing appeal that has had them shifting more Holdens for years over us (Im talking Commodore over Falcon, you know the Aussie built stuff). For years they were Ozs' top selling australian made/top selling car (cant remember exactly).

Then there's news/rumours that has the WHOLE ford oz community getting shivers down our spines... The cloud over Falcon remaning as part of the current line up. (you can't count the rebadged versions people, its just not the same). I wouldnt buy the new one... I'll tell you that. Im sure that alot of you have been thinking (& saying on FF), thats the same case.. you wouldnt buy the import. I read somewhere that the Falcon would be confirmed until 2015. What then?? You really want to drive that import? Sorry but Taurus or what ever would replace our beloved bird, (looking at the Taurus failure) HAS NO PLACE IN AUSTRALIA. But maybe thats an opinion. However I do have the facts of sales figures to add substance to my arguement.

Now to me its hard to decifer... What can you trust?? the backyard barbie conversation (theres always one person thinking he knows best), the car magazines (who are printing mags to make money), know it alls, (who really know nothing), the critics, (who are most often wrong), or Ford (who makes a statement, then retracts it, but generally sits on the fence with decisions), even AFF members can miss targets. So where can you draw a substantial amount information to get a confirmation??

Lets face it Ford has a history of just cutting stuff off, look at the V8 in the late 80's. Ford says it's for money reasons. But why isn'y Holden doing this? They too have been hit by finanicial problems. But even head Company GM recognises Holdens ability to create cars that have a big place in the market. Look at GM's import into the state of munny's & commodores, now they are trying to break into the law enforcement market over there. Not to metion that holden is creating cars with a multiuse platform to export. (Ve is interchangable from LH to RH drive) & has rumoured to have a very big hand in the new camaros design... Ford Oz is simply 'the box in the corner' of the worldwide ford vision. - Tuckem over there & let them be. Ford oz just isnt really taken seriously by HQ, or is it because they haven't been given the chance? & if they have & it hasn't worked - Thats worse! Without a exportable platform, ford Australia is heading in a bad direction.

Personally I think that the whole reason that holden has such a big following now is from fords v8 engine termination in the 80's, so with nowhere else to go some switched sides... & of course these people had kids, & grew up with holden branded stuff everywhere, & naturally loved holden. I could be wrong. Are there any holden converts here? Why did you jump?

Lets look at V8SC. We lost BJR a few years back. A good team with solid reults, & the man who has spent more time in a Ford Racing car than any other man, John Bowe. Ok so he retired, but he was a great ambassador for blue. But I saw him at this years V8SC track day at QR in the Vodafone garage, talking with the team... (this can be viewed as harmless though). We lost T8 (no comments please) who were undoubtly our biggest savoir in recent times.

Now breifly on the T8 effect, two of my mates were going to go & by an XR8 each, because of T8's success. An XR8 is about 40K a pop on the road right? or there abouts. After T8 switched they said nope, not now. Thats 80k of lost sales. Now multiply that by 10 fans, 100?? How much business is that? (& if you doubt that many people would do that, think again! there are a few V8SC ford fans out there).

Ok sure, DJR are back with ford funding & so they should be... But I'd say thats more of a "hang on guys, ah, we lost T8, alot of people aren't happy about it. I think we better make ourselves look better & provide some money to DJR" rather than, a true business decision.

Weve lost PCR. Yes I know that SBR, FPR & DJR are running third cars, but its not the same as another team, & how longs this third car thing going to last? I'd say (& weve seen it before) just long enough that teams realise, that, oh geez we can't affod to keep another... Because even Steven Johnson said, its another 50% again over the other 2 cars.

Not to mention, the concept cars, & you've got to give 'em credit. Holden has come out with some ripper stuff. Off the top of my head - New Monaro, the convertible dubbed 'marylin', HRT 427, that gold version that was meant to be a club racer, the new torana (really a heavily modded vectra) but still, the SSX 4wheel drive SS, then Effijy..... Just wow. Now ford..... AH, that red two door AU that was said to be built by the Hilliers, Arrow, the other 2 door AU also built by Hilliers. What else??? Predator? the gas 6 cylinder show car doing the rounds at motor shows in the late 90's? Oh jeez ford really riveting stuff.... NOT. Is there a car design gene that ford australia just doesnt have?

You might say that concept cars are nothing, but it gets people looking at them, creating the buzz, & gets a few people to change.. More to the red side. I had one friend who hated holden but then went WOW at 427, then gradualy start to change. Now hes red!

So are we on a sinking ship?? Do I have merits in my arguements?? Am I badly wrong? Am I just saying out loud that (be honest with youreslf) most if not all of us hav been thinking? Please keep to facts, not the whole "ford is just better' Thats good for a laugh, but I'm serious. I think were in trouble people......

BBII