Karma - Falcon's Bad Karma

[EA30TH]

I'm going to put it out there.

FG is as far as I know the point where the name Falcon disappeared off the car entirely. It is a sign and a poor reflection of confidence in a nameplate precious to many. If someone sees the car, there is literally no way of knowing what that car is, except of course the trim level. Satrangely that is opposite to Focus which has the model name, but no trim level (until Series 2 anyhow). One Ford???

Did this set a subliminal movement in sales results?

[2011G6E]

That's interesting...ever since we bought the G6E I've been a big opponent of the dropping of the "Fairmont" nameplate, because I was sick of explaining to people what it was we owned...a few times I honestly give up and just say "It's a Fairmont Ghia". People have said to me "Oh, you drive a Falcon now"...I reply "Well not really", and then have to explain what it is exactly when "It's a G6E" brings a blank look. That simply shouldn't happen.

A name gives a car identity...unless you have a long history of "naming" your cars with numbers and letters like Mercedes or BMW (and even Mazda), if you suddenly drop well-known easily identifiable names, the ordinary person has no idea what's going on.

A vehicle needs a clear identity, and if you have a long history like the Falcon, Fairmont, and Fairmont Ghia nameplates, then why suddenly try and be trendy and do away with them?

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

A vehicle needs a clear identity, and if you have a long history like the Falcon, Fairmont, and Fairmont Ghia nameplates, then why suddenly try and be trendy and do away with them?

Because all the people that used to buy them (brand new) either died or got their licences taken away.

There is no point clinging to a nameplate when the market that finds it relevant is (literally) dying out. The Falcon needs to find relevance with new kinds of buyers. I can't stress it enough - being 'trendy' is what Ford needs to do if they want the Falcon to survive because the old farts that actually buy Falcons won't be around forever and once they die off so will the car.

[kypez]

Off topic, I hate when people use words they do not know the meaning of and in this case, Karma. Karma means action. I dont see a nameplate doing any actions!

On Topic, Holden long since dropped the commodore badge (since VE) from their cars that sell pretty well, so I dont think there is a direct correlation. Though you could argue both nameplates are down and what you said could be a reason, though I doubt it.

[mik]

i dunno about the karma thing, but i`m thinking yes they have gone into trendy naming mode like all many of the other manufacturers , i guess with the falcon name plate being around for 50 plus years perhaps doing the euro asian thing with letters and numbers they might be trying to make the brand/model a bit more prestigious like some of the other marques have done, like toyota for example with the lexus LS400, GS350 etc,etc BMW X5 , Mercedes EL500, etc.
i can understand the reasoning, and i don`t dislike the new names, but i`m with 2011G6E, i liked the old known names.

[Dave R]

Holden did the same thing with Commodore well before Ford did it with Falcon, for similar reasons it seems. The Falcon badge was replaced with EcoLPI & EcoBoost, much like the Commodore badge was replaced by SIDI, AFM, E85 etc.

[jpd80]

It seems like some Ford fans are still trying to pinpoint something Ford did wrong that caused a huge slide in Falcon sales.
It's as though blaming Ford for the Falcon's demise somehow gives those "fans" license to kick Ford in the guts.

Why can't people just accept that large cars just aren't as popular anymore with fleets or private buyers.
Maybe that awful, awkward truth is too hard to bear because it means that our preferences no longer
reflect the views of the majority of Australian buyers, which makes our opinions increasingly irrelevant.

If you like Falcon, go buy a new one but don't expect everyone else you know to do the same.
There is so much choice in the Aussie market these day that buyers tailor vehicles to their needs.

[Pepscobra]

I had no idea there's not even a Falcon badge on the base model XT...?

[NX74205]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

There is no point clinging to a nameplate when the market that finds it relevant is (literally) dying out. The Falcon needs to find relevance with new kinds of buyers. I can't stress it enough - being 'trendy' is what Ford needs to do if they want the Falcon to survive because the old farts that actually buy Falcons won't be around forever and once they die off so will the car.

Changing a well known nameplate to something that is unknown to the point of drawing blank faces when it's mentioned isn't exactly the best idea either. Just ask Nissan.

[pottery beige]

spotted BA Fairmont Ghia in traffic other week.. badgework looked sooo dated...

build a bridge

[Joe5619]

Do people seriously think sales are down because of a badge?? OMG!!!

[prydey]

and yet hyundai is one of the fastest growing brands in the country

somebody should tell them that changing their model names was a bad idea....

[prydey]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

That's interesting...ever since we bought the G6E I've been a big opponent of the dropping of the "Fairmont" nameplate, because I was sick of explaining to people what it was we owned...a few times I honestly give up and just say "It's a Fairmont Ghia". People have said to me "Oh, you drive a Falcon now"...I reply "Well not really", and then have to explain what it is exactly when "It's a G6E" brings a blank look. That simply shouldn't happen.

see me, i find that whole story rather amusing. to me, it says you are contributing to the problem you are trying to fix.

if someone asks you what you drive, just tell them what it is.... a G6E!!! if you want to explain it further, tell them its a luxury falcon, top of the line falcon etc. there is no reason to make reference to the past.

also the buyer demographic is about 20 years younger now than when the old badges were in play. game, set and match to ford on that one!!

[flooded one]

its the trend of i want an SUV or a small car thats effecting sales not the badge.

[Road_Warrior]

Oh FFS...

Crap thread is crap.

[flooded one]

why does everyone got to play the blame game for falcon sales?? Its not just ford. holdens commodore isnt selling as well either. toyotas aurion doesnt either. people dont want large sedans anymore. there no point blaming things like. no badges, lack of V8 options, no wagon, no sportswagon (thank god), no coupe ute, no diesel, no XR8, the AU falcon etc.. its a sign of the times. the large car era is coming too an end. all we can hope is the falcon lives on in some form or other and ford stays here employing people. as for the lack of V8 options. the best selling falcon to date was the XF. it did perfectly well and yet didnt have a V8 option now did it??

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by prydey

see me, i find that whole story rather amusing. to me, it says you are contributing to the problem you are trying to fix.

if someone asks you what you drive, just tell them what it is.... a G6E!!! if you want to explain it further, tell them its a luxury falcon, top of the line falcon etc. there is no reason to make reference to the past.

also the buyer demographic is about 20 years younger now than when the old badges were in play. game, set and match to ford on that one!!

Actually, it's true. To the average punter there wouldn't be much difference between an F6 and a G6, but there is, of course, a world of difference.

I'm not saying it's costing sales, but it's certainly confusing to a potential buyer.

[Smoke Pursuit]

The XT still has FALCON on the boot!!!

[Dr Smith]

If Ford were selling the top 3 cars in Australia today the total number would be LESS then the total top 3 selling cars in 2004/5...or so i was told...

The Falcon will never get back to 3000+ units per month without a massive change in buyer preference back to the large car segment or a vapourisation of it's competitors or petrol dropping to 50c/L. My own case, our SZ diesel Terry does everything the G6ET does, only quieter and better apart from acceleration....although granted the 1st gen G6ET is better specced. Sadly the world has moved on.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by wildrider

its the trend of i want an SUV or a small car thats effecting sales not the badge.

We're living in a day and age where the Mazda3 & i30 are considered family cars by major motoring publications, what a joke. Back when people were sane, they were considered runabouts.

The reason why Falcon and Commodore aren't selling isn't some silly badge, it's the majority of the country tuning into cheapskates. We all know this. Little do most people know, you can still buy a litre of petrol today for 70 cents. Inflation isn't hard to understand. 70 cents in the early 90s, adjusted for inflation, is over $1.40 in 2012. So the price has doubled. The average wage has more than doubled. Cars are infinitely more fuel efficient. What this means- as a percentage of income, it costs less to run a Falcon or Commodore today than it did back in the nineties. Perhaps the amount of lattés consumed is making up the difference.

[Chopped]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

We're living in a day and age where the Mazda3 & i30 are considered family cars by major motoring publications, what a joke. Back when people were sane, they were considered runabouts.

The reason why Falcon and Commodore aren't selling isn't some silly badge, it's the majority of the country tuning into cheapskates. We all know this. Little do most people know, you can still buy a litre of petrol today for 70 cents. Inflation isn't hard to understand. 70 cents in the early 90s, adjusted for inflation, is over $1.40 in 2012. So the price has doubled. The average wage has more than doubled. Cars are infinitely more fuel efficient. What this means- as a percentage of income, it costs less to run a Falcon or Commodore today than it did back in the nineties. Perhaps the amount of lattés consumed is making up the difference.

A new Mazda 3 or i30 would almost have the same interior room as the Falcons and Commodores of the nineties. Cars sizes have got bigger over that time. Maybe the Falcon and Commodore are now seen as too big. Some people perceive "bigger" as more expensive to run.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Chopped

A new Mazda 3 or i30 would almost have the same interior room as the Falcons and Commodores of the nineties. Cars sizes have got bigger over that time. Maybe the Falcon and Commodore are now seen as too big. Some people perceive "bigger" as more expensive to run.

I have a friend with a new Mazda3, they are a nice car but no way would they fit a family! Load it up and I'm sure it would struggle to make it up most hills.

[Chopped]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

I have a friend with a new Mazda3, they are a nice car but no way would they fit a family! Load it up and I'm sure it would struggle to make it up most hills.

Average Australian family would be 2 adults, 2 kids and a boot full of crap.....I think the Mazda 3 would be capable enough. Fully loaded it may struggle up hills but I'm sure it would still be able to maintain the speed limit (it may be revving it's tits off though!).

Also remember that most of the time it would only have 1 person in it.

I personally like big cars (infact I've got my eye on a second hand Grange) but I can understand why people are buying the "smaller" ones.

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

I have a friend with a new Mazda3, they are a nice car but no way would they fit a family! Load it up and I'm sure it would struggle to make it up most hills.

There was a time your base carby Falcon would struggle with the same load, but we all coped somehow. A fuel injected small car today has the same or better power and the same or better interior space then yesteryears Falcon.

Not saying a Mazda 3 would be my choice, but if you perceive large cars as too expensive, you can certainly get by with them for a family. Besides people don't do the big road trips anymore. They either fly and rent a car when they get there or just don't travel as much. Australians are much more city/urban bound then previous generations.

[flooded one]

Originally Posted by DanielXR8

There was a time your base carby Falcon would struggle with the same load, but we all coped somehow. A fuel injected small car today has the same or better power and the same or better interior space then yesteryears Falcon.

Not saying a Mazda 3 would be my choice, but if you perceive large cars as too expensive, you can certainly get by with them for a family. Besides people don't do the big road trips anymore. They either fly and rent a car when they get there or just don't travel as much. Australians are much more city/urban bound then previous generations.

I must be the exception. i hate city driving!!!

[markm7843]

My XR50 has A falcon badge on the boot.

[EA30TH]

Originally Posted by kypez

Off topic, I hate when people use words they do not know the meaning of and in this case, Karma. Karma means action. I dont see a nameplate doing any actions!

Yeah, "bad karma" as in someone took the Falcon badge off the car. Or stopped putting it on

[EA30TH]

Originally Posted by markm7843

My XR50 has A falcon badge on the boot.

Yes FG1 still had the name on the back.

Good to see a mix of views, all good debate. As a fleet sourcing person (been involved in projects for fleets over 3000 cars) the BIG number is resale. Send your metal to the auction houses and the big thing is recognition and people seeking the model and making the trip to bid. Mazda 3 is a Mazda 3 no matter what level of trim. Focus is same. Hilux is same. Camry is same.

Think about it and think in terms of the average punter shopping the net, classifieds, dealer sites. You can't do a single search to cover the Ford 'Falcon' range.

Not saying I'm right, but maybe there's something to it.

[Nikked]

Falcon's a falcon...

Want sporty? XR

Want luxo? G6

[Struggo]

Originally Posted by EA30TH

Yes FG1 still had the name on the back.

Exactly.

I believe that they (Ford & Holden) are using it as a cost saving measure. For example, establish the new model by using Falcon/Commodore nameplate, then when series II comes around, stick to the model badge (XR, G6, SS, Berlina) only.