50 years of Aussie Falcons

[Jason[98.EL]]

taken from carsales

Originally Posted by carsales

Ford celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Falcon and 85 years of manufacturing in Australia this morning, as the Victorian Premier John Brumby and Federal industry minister Kim Carr again pledged their support for the Broadmeadows car plant.

More than 200 classic Falcons from the original 1960s XK to the latest model -- including a selection of rare GTHO Phase III sports sedans -- gathered in the parking lot at the back of the production line for an employee barbecue today, ahead of a gala dinner in Geelong tonight.

Inside the factory, Ford stopped production for about an hour and went back in time as a series of significant Ford Falcons rolled off the end of the line, with V8 Supercar drivers and retired Ford executives behind the wheel.

Race drivers Allan Moffatt, Steven Richards and Mark Winterbottom were joined by former Ford hierarchy from the 1960s and a factory worker who has worked for Ford since 1964.

In a speech to media and production line employees, Ford Australia boss Marin Burela reminded the audience that the Falcon had outlasted 12 prime ministers, and was introduced before colour television, the first moon landing, decimal currency and the Sydney Opera House.

"The Falcon has been the unsung hero of Australian history," he said. "And yet the Falcon has been just as Australian as vegemite."

Ford Australia has produced almost 3.5 million Falcons over more than 27 models over the past 50 years.

However, the Falcon's 50th anniversary comes at a time when Falcon sales over the past few years are lower than they were in the 1960s -- when the Australian new-car market was less than one quarter of the size that it is today.

But Burela pointed out that Falcon sales are up so far this year and the model has a 41 per cent share of the large-car market.

"This is still a strong, viable position," he said. "To have that sort of market share inside a segment that has 10 per cent of a 1 million-size market, that's no mean feat. These are good numbers."

Burela said the new turbo four-cylinder engine will help "keep the Falcon relevant" for Australians who want a big sedan with four-cylinder economy.

He also said that Ford Australia was an employer of "many thousands of Australian families" over the decades, including several generations.

"I am proud to say my family is one of those as well," said Burela, who added his first memory of a Falcon as a young lad was washing his dad's then-new XA Falcon on weekends in the 1970s.

In his closing remarks of an impassioned speech he told workers: "Keep up the good work, keep doing the things that make a difference, stand up and be proud and the future will be ours ... and we will continue to be here for many more years to come."

Premier Brumby, whose electorate includes Broadmeadows, chatted with production line workers and sat in some of the classic Falcons before delivering his speech.

"Ford has made a huge contribution over the decades ... in terms of creating jobs for people in our state," he said. "And we look forward to many, many, many more years and decades of sustained investment by the Ford Motor Company in our state and in Australia."

In addition to $42 million in assistance from the Green Car Innovation Fund, Ford has invested $230 million to develop new, more economical engines for future models of the Falcon and Territory.

In his speech, Federal Industry minister Kim Carr said: "Australia has a proud history in automotive manufacturing and the Australian Government is working with manufacturers like Ford to ensure that continues.

"The automotive industry has weathered the storm of the global recession and iconic brands like the Ford Falcon will continue to be part of our landscape for years to come."

not a bad atical i like the last line

Jason