Has AU Falcon scared off Ford from ever doing another BOLD Falcon

[Eaturbo]

Does anyone else think that the very unpopular AU Falcon styling has scared Ford Australia from ever doing a radical styling update of the Falcon. I followed an FG Falcon and a VE2 Commodore today driving side by side and i hate to admit it but the commodore still looks good and its lack of styling changes since 2006 has probably done it more good than harm. I think Holden would have trouble doing an update that didn't look worse than what they have hence why they have left it alone. The FG shape in comparsion is very soft in the styling stakes mainly from the rear view. My question is has unpopular AU Falcon styling still being felt today in the design we see with the FG due to FORD AUS being very aware of what one more unpopular Falcon would do to the future of FORD AUS manufacturering. I know we can all be a bit one eyed on this forum regarding the Falcon but the VE Commodore has proven the test of time and will probably go down as one of the best commodores in there history for numerous reasons. FG while a great car and probably the the Best Falcon to date i dont think it went forward with its design over BF. I would have liked to see Ford AUS have had the guts to do a completely new and BOLD design for FG to truely blow us away. They proved they could do it with the BA in 2002. I have trouble telling a BF2 and FG from the front as they both had the same style front lights. I really believe the AU Falcon still has the guys at Ford too scared to really depart from what they know and put it out there.

[falconnut]

I like the FG and G6E styling, i think they are quite bold designs.

The BA and BF where playing it very safe though.

Personally i still think the AU2 and AU3 look great.

[jpd80]

Just imagine if FoA had the cash to do a Fusion nose and tail on FG II, that would have knocked the socks off the press..

[benoxr]

Originally Posted by Eaturbo

Does anyone else think that the very unpopular AU Falcon styling has scared Ford Australia from ever doing a radical styling update of the Falcon.

If they were, we wouldnt have got the BA would we. A whole new design will come in time, as it has throughout history. If they were too scared, they wouldnt be in business.

[stevz]

[turboxf]

Originally Posted by Eaturbo

Does anyone else think that the very unpopular AU Falcon styling has scared Ford Australia from ever doing a radical styling update of the Falcon. I followed an FG Falcon and a VE2 Commodore today driving side by side and i hate to admit it but the commodore still looks good and its lack of styling changes since 2006 has probably done it more good than harm. I think Holden would have trouble doing an update that didn't look worse than what they have hence why they have left it alone. The FG shape in comparsion is very soft in the styling stakes mainly from the rear view. My question is has unpopular AU Falcon styling still being felt today in the design we see with the FG due to FORD AUS being very aware of what one more unpopular Falcon would do to the future of FORD AUS manufacturering. I know we can all be a bit one eyed on this forum regarding the Falcon but the VE Commodore has proven the test of time and will probably go down as one of the best commodores in there history for numerous reasons. FG while a great car and probably the the Best Falcon to date i dont think it went forward with its design over BF. I would have liked to see Ford AUS have had the guts to do a completely new and BOLD design for FG to truely blow us away. They proved they could do it with the BA in 2002. I have trouble telling a BF2 and FG from the front as they both had the same style front lights. I really believe the AU Falcon still has the guys at Ford too scared to really depart from what they know and put it out there.

Why do we have to have this again. The FG is way different than the BF 2 The front lights are different really have a look next time mate, the bf 2 lights are bigger, the FG lights are slimmer????????
Rear lights are way different??????????
Side on the FG has a longer roofline???????? they squared the round roof, gee get over it, i like the new FG2 when out at to the local ford dealer they had plenty of fg's & a few bf2 WAGONS, I TOOK PICS OF ALL THEM & THE DIFFERENCE IS CHALK & CHEESE?????????

I loved the bold look of the AU it was ahead of its time, funny how so many other cars had similar looks 5 years later??????????

[Resurrection]

I hope so.

[Nikked]

lol @ BF and FG looking alike...nothing in common...

But yes, the AU was as bold, unique and interesting as australian design will get. The BA looked like a camry...

[InfernoSR]

i still find the AU has aged better than most other Falcons... and dare i say it, better than most other brands of its age...

[falconnut]

Agreed inferno.

They still look great and modern.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by stevz

image
image

Actually, it reminds me of this:

[In Focus]

Both Commodore and Falcon have conservative, not particularly differing designs, and it's probably just as well. People are already apparently looking for excuses to go for (generally smaller) options, so polarising styling will remain off the agenda for updates/model changes.

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Actually, it reminds me of this:

image

Hate to think the new version of FORD's look similar to Aston Martin's! Oh the HORROR!!!!!!! They have been WAY too conservative for the past 50 years .... looking the same and all!!!!

[FalconXV]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Actually, it reminds me of this:

image

Good for you. Just because you want a global facsimile, doesn't mean everyone else does. I for one wish for the Falcon to maintain its own styling identity. All this global convergence is a w4nk and grafting a corporate face onto every platform is lazy, unimaginative and sucks the character from the vehicle . Look at the Boulay-era Mitsubishis and how that turned out; and look how globalisation has blunted the Focus.
If we have a local product that looks, feels and drives like another car developed and made elsewhere,then whats the point in spending R&D and making it here?

As for the thread title, I think VE and FG are each successes in their own right. I would like to see Falcon evolve into an edgier design though, that would definately revive the marque and draw young people in.

When I was 8 years old and first saw the AU, it captured my imagination, and proved that a prosaic formula ( straight 6, RWD) needn't be wrapped in predictable clothes. The wheels YDOTY competition that Nick Hogios won (design 2010 Falcon) only further captivated me, and every subsequent Falcon has been conservative ( if succesful and handsome). If the Falcon sees some kind of revival, it won't be because of One Ford.

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

Good for you. Just because you want a global facsimile, doesn't mean everyone else does. I for one wish for the Falcon to maintain its own styling identity. All this global convergence is a w4nk and grafting a corporate face onto every platform is lazy, unimaginative and sucks the character from the vehicle . Look at the Boulay-era Mitsubishis and how that turned out; and look how globalisation has blunted the Focus.
If we have a local product that looks, feels and drives like another car developed and made elsewhere,then whats the point in spending R&D and making it here?

................If the Falcon sees some kind of revival, it won't be because of One Ford.

A global facsimile has worked brilliantly for BMW, Merc, etc for yonks. Doesnt harm their standing in the scheme of things. Actually I think it has helped Mitsubishi ...... and KIA ...... and some other up and comers including Mazda (number 1? )

A global look for FORD is paramount ...... get it right (and they are) and it works brilliantly. Edgy? I think they stand on their own ..... each FORD model. Look at the Kuga and the others coming through at the moment
................If the Falcon sees some kind of revival, it will only be because of One Ford. - Thats how it should have read as it is the only way the Falcon has a long term future

[vztrt]

In one word 'Yes'. Ford learned that the Aussie market is conservative and the AU will not work here. No matter how much people here say that it was to advanced in its design...if it was re-released now it would still fail.

In saying that Holden really doesn't have any bold styling. The VE like the rest of the commodores is quite plane and boring. But it seems to resonate and sells (it would seem).

I actually like the elegant design of the FG as it looks alot more classy then the VE, but the VE sports models do seem more tough (well until the FG2).

[FalconXV]

The AU wasn't the best execution of the design but at least it was fresh. A car can be bold and dynamic but conservative ( i.e. tried and true)design is the antithesis of a fresh one .
BMWs formula works well because their DNA is stronger than mainstream brands, and even it is starting to dilute and succumb to feature creep.

[FalconXV]

Double Post

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

.

When I was 8 years old and first saw the AU...........

I can tell you that the dealer principles preview drew a lot of disquiet and mild panic which Ford refused to entertain....

If the Falcon sees some kind of revival, it won't be because of One Ford.

One Ford is saving Falcon's bacon but not in the way you think....
One Ford = mostly the unseen stuff, styling is corporate identity....


Not aimed at you but,
That's the problem, too many people think with their eves, not their brains,
I blame short sighted journalists filling people's heads full of goo..

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

BMWs formula works well because their DNA is stronger than mainstream brands, and even it is starting to dilute and succumb to feature creep.

BMW & Mercedes are probably the 2 most mainstream brands in the world. Yes their DNA goes way back and unfortunately its taking Ford and some others a long time find their look. Mustangs have regained their DNA, F series trucks have always had it .....

[FalconXV]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I can tell you that the dealer principles preview drew a lot of disquiet and mild panic which Ford refused to entertain....

One Ford is saving Falcon's bacon but not in the way you think....
One Ford = mostly the unseen stuff, styling is corporate identity....


Not aimed at you but,
That's the problem, too many people think with their eves, not their brains,
I blame short sighted journalists filling people's heads full of goo..

Not aimed at you, but some people lack objectivity. Must be all the corporate PR filling their heads with Corporate PR....

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

Not aimed at you, but some people lack objectivity. Must be all the corporate PR filling their heads with Corporate PR....

There's a lot of wiggle room in what the locals are allowed to do,
I think we'll be quite surprised with the local interpretation..

[FalconXV]

I hope you're right. Needs more sex appeal to sell.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

I hope you're right. Needs more sex appeal to sell.

The fact that the chiefs are allowing E8 to run its full course says that we will probably get
SZ Territory bonnet and lights but a slightly different grille interpretation when everyone is
expecting the SZ nose and tail lights...If anything, FG III or FH will be linkage to 2016 car's styling.

[Dave R]

The lead designer for AU and FG was the same person, it seems he was definitely more cautious this time around. At the same time, Ford Aus hasn't been pressured with a design language like it was with new edge.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

The lead designer for AU and FG was the same person, it seems he was definitely more cautious this time around. At the same time, Ford Aus hasn't been pressured with a design language like it was with new edge.

Steve Park penned AU but wasn't JAy Mays directly involved with BA?
I heard he did the tail.

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by FalconXV

........... Needs more sex appeal to sell.

Have a sticky at the top 10 sellers in the country. This should tell you how much sex sells compared to boring and mundane.

[NX74205]

Styling is very subjective and, interior aside, I actually prefer the FG Falcon's more conservative, classy styling than the VE Commodore.

Has the AU Falcon scared Ford? Maybe. But there's nothing wrong with the design of the FG. "Conservative" isn't necessarily a bad thing, and being "bold" isn't necessarily a good thing.

Incidentally, I don't like the Aston-Martin front end of the new Fusion/Mondeo. I would've preferred a more conservative, current Focus / current Mondeo / new Escape like front end. Looks far better that way. Likewise, FGII's front end has improved immeasurably over the FG I. I hope that if there is to be a further update to the FG styling, it doesn't incorporate the Aston Martin front end.

[last fairlane]

Hi all
Why does everyone bag the AUs
Ive got an AU Fairmont and the Mrs has a BA Ghia
as far as ride and comfort go the AU beats The BA hands down
Now wouldnt Ford like to be able to sell 60 odd thousand BFs
like they did with the so called wierd/ugly/bold AU
also I wrote on here just before the release of the FG
that they were going down the Mitsi path of making a car
that looks excactly like the previous one at a glance
but of course every panel is different
the Mitsi experiment almost sent Mitsi to the wall back in 1984
with the Sigma
they had the best selling car in OZ in its segment
and went down hill from there
Bold or not bold our industry is being sold down the drain
by the likes of Gover and his ilk if its not a Commodore its crap
the govt should get some b4lls and force them
to play the truth in advertising game
maybe the ACCC could help
but when I think of what the ACCC chairman said a few years back
when he spoke about fuel prices
If I thought the oil companies were in cahoots
Id be down on them like a ton of bricks
yeah and pigs might fly

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by InfernoSR

i still find the AU has aged better than most other Falcons... and dare i say it, better than most other brands of its age...

Truly innovative art is never appreciated in it's own time. Although personally i don't think the AU was all that bold or different, its just the bogans can't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by FalconXV

grafting a corporate face onto every platform is lazy, unimaginative and sucks the character from the vehicle . .

never more truth applied to Dodge over the last few models, having to wear the corporate cross grille mouth; ugly. what works on a large pickup isn't necessarily going to look good on your muscle car.