Did motoring journalists fail Ford?

[WEBES]

It has been an accumulation of circumstances going back decades that has led to the demise in Ford manufacturing in Australia. Here is my take on why.

* Ford dropped the V8 in the mid 80s – those needing a V8 turned to Holden as their only choice. The kids of these parents grew up as Holden fans and Ford lost a whole generation of potential buyers.
* Ford has been very much hot and cold on its marketing. When was the last time you saw a decent Falcon TV advert? They celebrated Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall when they drove for SBR – why didn’t they celebrate 2 V8 championships won by Jamie Whincup in a Falcon? It was a HUGE mistake to drop the factory sponsorship of the 888 racing team.
* With the high Australian dollar, imported cars are much cheaper.
* Fuel prices are forcing people to buy smaller cars.
* 4WD are growing in demand. Caravans are also getting bigger necessitating the purchase of a large 4WD.
You can not solely blame motoring journalists for the demise in Ford manufacturing. I think they have wanted to pull the pin a long time ago.

[Gadgetman]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

Short answer, no.

Longer answer, Ford failed Falcon, along with the dealer network. Poor marketing of a product that was superior to anything offered in the red camp (and I dare say to a lot of the other large sedan product) and a dealer network that thinks after sales service doesn't go beyond "would you like a complimentary coffee" and "they all do that" is what contributed to the demise of Falcon.

If what you're saying is right. And that is the Falcon should be selling much more than it is, tell me why Toyota are struggling with Aurion, why Mercedes is with E-class and BMW is with 5 Series. The falcon is and has been in a market that has been decliing in the market for years and in a few years, the large sedan will almost be irrelevant in the market so why bother? Ford are not going to spend more brass to choke even more.

[Gadgetman]

Originally Posted by WEBES

It has been an accumulation of circumstances going back decades that has led to the demise in Ford manufacturing in Australia. Here is my take on why.

* Ford dropped the V8 in the mid 80s – those needing a V8 turned to Holden as their only choice. The kids of these parents grew up as Holden fans and Ford lost a whole generation of potential buyers.
So the 30-50 year old bloke that bought a GT recently really remembered the days Ford dropped the V8's in the 80"s before putting pen to paper? Really???

* Ford has been very much hot and cold on its marketing. When was the last time you saw a decent Falcon TV advert? They celebrated Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall when they drove for SBR – why didn’t they celebrate 2 V8 championships won by Jamie Whincup in a Falcon? It was a HUGE mistake to drop the factory sponsorship of the 888 racing team.
No point advertising Falcon cause everyone knows of the car. The monies needed to be put towards Focus, Kuga etc you know cars that arents household names. They did celebrate Ambrose and Ingall "remember the Devil R and Enforcer falcon.

* With the high Australian dollar, imported cars are much cheaper.
* Fuel prices are forcing people to buy smaller cars.
* 4WD are growing in demand. Caravans are also getting bigger necessitating the purchase of a large 4WD.
You can not solely blame motoring journalists for the demise in Ford manufacturing. I think they have wanted to pull the pin a long time ago.

Cant blame the Journo's all they did was kick a dying animal.

[tranquilized]

It would seem many of the posters on this thread didn't bother to read the op

The hypothesis of the article was that motoring journalists were too complimentary of the FG when it was released. There was not enough critical analysis on whether it was the right kind of car for the times, and if there was the conclusion would have been that no, it most definitely wasn't/isn't, as the sales charts attest. These observations could have then prompted Ford to make changes to the car or their direction quicker, and save the local operations from closure.

But we still have a bunch of strugglers bleating on here about how the journalists killed the Falcon through negative press! For one, they didn't, and secondly, that is not what the OP suggested anyway.

For what its worth I dont agree with the article in the op either. Ford Australia's predicament is Ford Australia's fault. The time of the FG's release was a critical juncture, and if Ford had of read the market properly (the true function of marketing) the FG would have been a bit smaller, and not a sedan only proposition. Ford head office would have still worked tirelessly to close the local manufacturing here anyway so its all pie in the sky....

[outback_ute]

While I will agree there is something to the question posed here, it gets a bit silly.

"The same applied to the comparison with the Commodore. If people were choosing only between those two cars, knowing which was better made sense. But if people were looking at neither the Falcon nor the Commodore, again it was an irrelevant comparison.

In this case, because the Falcon and Commodore had seen sales fall to a staggering degree over ten years, journalists should have been making comparisons to cars that were growing in popularity.

What, actually, did the Falcon offer a buyer compared with, say, a Mazda 3?"

You wonder what nuggets of wisdom a Falcon/Mazda3 comparo would reveal...
- The Falcon is bigger
- The Mazda uses less fuel
- The Mazda is cheaper
- The Falcon can tow a boat
- If you have older children it might be worth paying more for a bigger car, but if its just you and a cat go for the Mazda3...

Yeah, we are all worse off for not having been exposed to such potential revelations...

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Journos didnt "turn" on any manufacturer, they reported as they saw it, any aussie made mitsubishi magna/380 always had a great write up

I disagree, the car might have had ok reviews but continually reporting/speculating on the demise of the manufacturing operations was massively unhelpful for sales - and the media keep at it because a) they get half-denials or non-answers that they can 'interpret' and b) they know the story will get ratings/clicks.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by outback_ute

- The Falcon can tow a boat

So can the Mazda 3.

I was at one of the boat ramps, fishing off a pier on the Barwon River about a month ago and I saw a few cars launch their boats there.

There was a Falcon wagon, BA/BF there and a Mazda 3 with around the same size boats, 2 seaters with outboard motors on them.

The Mazda 3 got back up the ramp no problem, and the Falcon wagon started singling one of its rear wheels.

This whole Falcon towing thing is BS, 9/10 of people down the tip are pulling 6x4s with garden waste and other assorted crap which don't need RWD cars, 9/10 horse floats on the roads are being pulled by SUV/4x4s.

I've only ever seen TWO electric brake setups done on Aussie sedans, one a Falcon and the other a Commodore, weekly everyone else is having them done on SUVs/4x4s/dual cab utes.

Ever since I've been a part of the Ford Forums and a Ford Fanboy, everyone talks about all the low end torque these Inline 6s are supposed to have, yet my EL with full exhaust and CMS stage 3 head and 2a cam, which dyno tuned put out 139KW at the rears, keeps unlocking/locking its torque converter, shifting between 4th/3rd and 2nd trying to maintain 110km/h on the Calder on one of the steep hills heading out of Sunbury on cruise control. It keeps dropping 5km/h then changing back gears and hauling *** to get that 5km/h back, then does the same thing again, then going down the other side of the hill its doing 10km/h+ over what I set it to!

Now I don't know if its just those 4sp autos that suck, but my Focus can pull that same hill in 6th at 2000 RPM without a problem and my GMC Sierra does it in 4th at around 1800 RPM and it weighs over 4 tonnes.

Its also just not my Falcon, we've got a 3V 5.4 BA Fairmont Ghia at work as our company car and that isn't too damn torquey either.

Positive note on the Falcon its so easy to work on, and parts you can buy from the local milk bar.

[malazn mafia]

The Australian buying public failed Ford, no matter how hard Ford tries, they are always seen as American, and Holden one of their own. Even then Australian buyers don't care to buy Australian Made anymore, its about buying the cheapest disposable Korean/Chinese/Thai car money can buy these days, while those with money to buy Australian Made knock on the finance company's door to shell out for that base model BMW or Mercedes they couldnt otherwise afford. Patriotism is dead. And the Australian government, don't even get started on them...

[castellan]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

So can the Mazda 3.

I was at one of the boat ramps, fishing off a pier on the Barwon River about a month ago and I saw a few cars launch their boats there.

There was a Falcon wagon, BA/BF there and a Mazda 3 with around the same size boats, 2 seaters with outboard motors on them.

The Mazda 3 got back up the ramp no problem, and the Falcon wagon started singling one of its rear wheels.

This whole Falcon towing thing is BS, 9/10 of people down the tip are pulling 6x4s with garden waste and other assorted crap which don't need RWD cars, 9/10 horse floats on the roads are being pulled by SUV/4x4s.

I've only ever seen TWO electric brake setups done on Aussie sedans, one a Falcon and the other a Commodore, weekly everyone else is having them done on SUVs/4x4s/dual cab utes.

Ever since I've been a part of the Ford Forums and a Ford Fanboy, everyone talks about all the low end torque these Inline 6s are supposed to have, yet my EL with full exhaust and CMS stage 3 head and 2a cam, which dyno tuned put out 139KW at the rears, keeps unlocking/locking its torque converter, shifting between 4th/3rd and 2nd trying to maintain 110km/h on the Calder on one of the steep hills heading out of Sunbury on cruise control.

Now I don't know if its just those 4sp autos that suck, but my Focus can pull that same hill in 6th at 2000 RPM without a problem and my GMC Sierra does it in 4th at around 1800 RPM and it weighs over 4 tonnes.

Its also just not my Falcon, we've got a 3V 5.4 BA Fairmont Ghia at work as our company car and that isn't too damn torquey either.

Positive note on the Falcon its so easy to work on, and parts you can buy from the local milk bar.

Your EL with that cam would have low vacuum and it is this why she drops back the gears, you have to get the auto set up for the cam.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by castellan

Your EL with that cam would have low vacume and it is this why she drops back the gears, you have to get the auto set up for the cam.

Oh ok, well I'm converting to manual soon anyway, got the T5 and stuff waiting here.

Even when it was stock, it didn't seem to be that much chop in the torque department, the I6 in all its forms doesn't impress me at all in its naturally aspirated guise.

Maybe I'm just too used to driving turbo diesel?

Ford failed Ford, they burnt WAY too many customers across all their products with their dodgy dealer network, I've had issues with warranty from one dealership on my Focus.

I'm a Ford man, just not a Falcon man.

[outback_ute]

Ok perhaps I should have said caravan, I think the point stands regarding a theoretical road test comparison of a Mazda3 & Falcon. Yes most people don't tow that much, and it isn't normally an issue (unless you have a hybrid or a diesel Rav4), and it makes sense that if you are towing 2 tonnes some 'headroom' or excess capacity is a good thing - one of the many reasons why large car sales have fallen.

Not sure how stating a worked engine doesn't have great bottom-end torque shows anything, I know the hills you mean on the Calder but it has been a long time since I've driven them in a Falcon but I don't recall a downshift to 3rd and definitely not 2nd. I do remember well a trip with a VZ Commodore wagon towing about 1500kg that would downshift whenever the road was not level, glad I wasn't paying for fuel on that trip.

[foxtrot3]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Journos failed by not pointing out the Falcon is a small car, SUV and dual cab ute. If only they had informed their readers then people would have bought Falcons instead of the above.

Me thinks this particular journo thinks way too highly of the influence they wield.

There's nothing wrong with Falcon, but buyers want other things now. And Fords marketing is absolute rubbish which didn't help.

Hi. Its hard to point out that a falcon ute is dual cab when it is only 3 seat max and king cab size, its not an suv, it only seats 5 like a small car but uses fuel like a big car and there is no wagon. Ford built what was profitable at the expense of market division, so johny sales rep doesnt drive a ford any more so he cant tell his mates how good it is so no one buys any ford. Cheers MD

[Bossxr8]

I was trying to make the point that Ford could do nothing to Falcon to stop people wanting to buy dual cabs, small cars and SUV's.

Even if the journos had of complained about the Falcon when the FG was launched Ford would have had no money to fix any of those issues anyway. The journo who wrote this article is so far from reality it isn't funny.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Oh ok, well I'm converting to manual soon anyway, got the T5 and stuff waiting here.

Even when it was stock, it didn't seem to be that much chop in the torque department, the I6 in all its forms doesn't impress me at all in its naturally aspirated guise.

Maybe I'm just too used to driving turbo diesel?

Ford failed Ford, they burnt WAY too many customers across all their products with their dodgy dealer network, I've had issues with warranty from one dealership on my Focus.

I'm a Ford man, just not a Falcon man.

You will struggle to find any modern na 6 with better real world torque than the 4.0. You have to remember that the gearing on the old 4 spd autos aren't the best (90 in 1st, 140 in second etc). Easiest way to see how great the 4.0 is, especially in dohc guise, is to tow a load, then do it with a 3.8/3.6 Holden, or any other torque-less Jappa V6.
I have a 5.4 Fairlane. And I'll tell ya you don't know what you're on about. Very torquey engines, and that's with the extra tall gearing. Compare to an LS1 for example. You don't really appreciate the torque an engine puts out until it is under load. In these bigger engine you need to be towing a decent amount of weight to realise, I'm guess you haven't going by your posts.
As for turbo diesel. Put the 4.0 infront of any turbo diesel gearing and see who the winner is as far as 'torque' goes.

[Nic302ef]

Originally Posted by outback_ute

What, actually, did the Falcon offer a buyer compared with, say, a Mazda 3?"

You wonder what nuggets of wisdom a Falcon/Mazda3 comparo would reveal...
- The Falcon is bigger
- The Mazda uses less fuel
- The Mazda is cheaper
- The Falcon can tow a boat
- If you have older children it might be worth paying more for a bigger car, but if its just you and a cat go for the Mazda3...

Yeah, we are all worse off for not having been exposed to such potential revelations...

try putting 3 car seats across the back of a mazda3, and a pram in the boot, as far as i know they prob dont even have three restraint hooks.

since young ones need to be in restraints now till alot older age and wieght.


I still believe it all balls down to people having smaller familys, and liesure style vehicles are big now insted of family sedans.

[WEBES]

Originally Posted by Gadgetman

Cant blame the Journo's all they did was kick a dying animal.

What I had said at the end [re-read it ]

* Ford dropped the V8 in the mid 80s – those needing a V8 turned to Holden as their only choice. The kids of these parents grew up as Holden fans and Ford lost a whole generation of potential buyers.
So the 30-50 year old bloke that bought a GT recently really remembered the days Ford dropped the V8's in the 80"s before putting pen to paper? Really??? Chances are the parents of the "30-50 year old GT buyer" DIDN'T buy that Commodore in the 80s.....

* Ford has been very much hot and cold on its marketing. When was the last time you saw a decent Falcon TV advert? They celebrated Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall when they drove for SBR – why didn’t they celebrate 2 V8 championships won by Jamie Whincup in a Falcon? It was a HUGE mistake to drop the factory sponsorship of the 888 racing team.
No point advertising Falcon cause everyone knows of the car. The monies needed to be put towards Focus, Kuga etc you know cars that arents household names. They did celebrate Ambrose and Ingall "remember the Devil R and Enforcer falcon. Re-read what I had written - They DID celebrate MA and RI with those models - they did NOT celebrate Jamie Whincup's achievements

* With the high Australian dollar, imported cars are much cheaper.
* Fuel prices are forcing people to buy smaller cars.
* 4WD are growing in demand. Caravans are also getting bigger necessitating the purchase of a large 4WD.
You can not solely blame motoring journalists for the demise in Ford manufacturing. I think they have wanted to pull the pin a long time ago.

[Nic302ef]

The XF out sold everything in its time anyway...


When the aussie dollar eventualy falls again, we will al be screwed any way as there will be no local manifactured cars, american cars will be out of reach even more so (the high dollar hasnt been passed on to the consumer since it went up from the 60c it was 10 years ago, only the importer...) and our only option will be cheaper chinese or any built in asia vehicles,

[GT-spec15]

Originally Posted by Sorted

Motoring journalists failed in their analysis of Ford's FG Falcon. More critical reviews could have alerted the company sooner to the reasons why its flagship car was failing the marketplace, writes Julian Edgar.

Did journalists have a role in the demise of the Ford FG Falcon and Ford's manufacturing business in Australia?

I don't think so.

I have read nothing but praise for the EcoBoost Falcon and yet sales have still been atrocious. I have seen two on the road.

[FNQracing]

Ford was mentally still in the 80's and 90's in the 2000's. The market evolved around them and they didn't. Small cars got bigger, more powerful. You no longer needed a Falcon. Falcon was essentially unchanged in its basic package.

More choice from the market, better service from eager dealers, more tech and features in cheap Korean cars, higher fuel prices all combined to erode Falcon and Commodore.

Ford (and Holden) made the mistake of comparing and evaluating their product against each other instead of other cars on the market.

Before we knew it, Falcon and Commodore were largely irrelevant. Still great cars, and arguably the best they'd ever been, but the market was full of other equally (and arguably) better cars.

The hot sellers today didn't exist when Falcon was on top. A one horse company is eventually going to be ridden out of town unless they are working on the next horse. Ford wasn't.

My last theory is one of styling. All of a sudden, cars started looking pretty funky, and Ford was too conservative and although made "nice" looking cars, they just looked old in comparison to a Korean import costing a fraction of the price.

It all adds up to the buyers looking elsewhere.

[FNQracing]

Originally Posted by GT-spec15

I don't think so.

I have read nothing but praise for the EcoBoost Falcon and yet sales have still been atrocious. I have seen two on the road.

I think you're missing the point. Journalists praised the FG when it first came out. Praise / criticism doesn't appear to be very relevant.

Falcon is a great car for the wrong era. Ford is playing disco at a rave party and wondering why nobody is "getting down".

[351capri]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

So...motoring journalists should just put aside ethics and honesty and promote a car purely because it's made in Australia...? Have I got that right...?

If the pubic isn't buying...ordinary, non-motoring-enthusiast people who just want "an car" who are the people the factories rely on to make a profit and sell volume...then articles in motoring magazines and hidden amongst a hundred other reviews on websites won't change things. The Falcon...and most likely the Commodore...are vehicles whose time has come and gone in the real world, sadly.

Time to move on.

they have definitely done it in the past for the commodore and cruze!

[GT-spec15]

Originally Posted by FNQracing

I think you're missing the point. Journalists praised the FG when it first came out. Praise / criticism doesn't appear to be very relevant.

My point was that journalists have not failed the car - as you pointed out above, the opposite is probably true.

[GT450]

Dit it occur to you that we, the buying public, failed Ford, because the Falcon is a great car and we have changed our buying preferences to SUVs and the like.
Say whatever you like , blame whoever you want to, but peoples needs have changed and we no longer make what the majority want here in Australia.
It may take some time but Holden will feel the effect of this too.
GT450

[GREGL]

Originally Posted by smoo

You will struggle to find any modern na 6 with better real world torque than the 4.0. You have to remember that the gearing on the old 4 spd autos aren't the best (90 in 1st, 140 in second etc). Easiest way to see how great the 4.0 is, especially in dohc guise, is to tow a load, then do it with a 3.8/3.6 Holden, or any other torque-less Jappa V6.
I have a 5.4 Fairlane. And I'll tell ya you don't know what you're on about. Very torquey engines, and that's with the extra tall gearing. Compare to an LS1 for example. You don't really appreciate the torque an engine puts out until it is under load. In these bigger engine you need to be towing a decent amount of weight to realise, I'm guess you haven't going by your posts.
As for turbo diesel. Put the 4.0 infront of any turbo diesel gearing and see who the winner is as far as 'torque' goes.

Those 3v motors must be a completely different animal to the boss 260 then . With 450 kg in the back you could feel the difference Slowwww. A bit pathetic really and I would hate to be trying to pull 2 tonne with it , waiting for that magic 3000-5000 rpm powerband on a boat ramp would be interesting .
Have towed the same c/trailer with a 4 ltr jeep ,a Xg ute and a Vx commy . The only one that had anything left in reserve on the h/way was the v6 , all 4 sp autos and all in top nick . Off the mark was much the same between them.
As far as the OP goes every post is basically correct .Great car , wrong time , poor dealer backup , little or no advertising etc . I'll put my two cents in and add poor resale! Try and get a good trade in price these days , on any aussie 6 .

[SpoolMan]

Closed
Thread has moved from the OP's topic to a discussion comparing individual models.