Customers to decide Falcon ute future

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Soon youll only be able to buy an XR6... because thats all they seem to build / sell at the moment. With a car like the Falcon you need to give people options.. If i go and buy a BMW i get about 300 different combinations I can buy, with Ford now you get about 3 factory options...

Factory options cost money to think up, research, source, implement, test, stock.

Not a problem with a car you will continually sell. And options are something you build up over time. But if you going to devote as much money to an entire car on some island called Osss...traylia, that you would spend on side mirrors... then it just doesn't work out in the end I guess.

[ROIDS]

Easy Don't Buy a FORD as the General complaint seems to be they are Not listening to the customer let your cash be the decider if they have a major drop in sales due to a FWD/AWD Falcon and No utes yes it kills off tradition but at the end of the day I want Australian made/Assembled then this means I buy Holden Life goes on I have owned over 30 odd fords over the years and 2 Holdens ( LX Hatch back,VR V8 ute) but hey I am not going to support something or someone who just demands that this is what they are going to do and dictates the numbers show in the sales.
Look at the options/Range of Fords available in the States I am pretty sure if they tooled up and started punching out locally made Mustangs even if they shipped the pressed panels over here and only assembled at Broadmeadows alot of people would buy them instead of an XR8 I know I would.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by flappist

I suspect they do a huge amount of research into what customers want to buy.

The problem in this thread is that they are only asking people who ACTUALLY buy new cars........

And that's the problem, as soon as Ford wants to make changes according to proper market research,
the mostly second hand market Ford enthuiast brigade go up in arms because their favoutite car is imperiled.

Did it ever occur to anyone that FoA is actually dragging its feet killing off models that make little return.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by jpd80

And that's the problem, as soon as Ford wants to make changes according to proper market research,
the mostly second hand market Ford enthuiast brigade go up in arms because their favoutite car is imperiled.

Did it ever occur to anyone that FoA is actually dragging its feet killing off models that make little return.

Lol well they better kill XT and G6 tomorrow because neither of these are selling now... G6E / G6ET sales are poor too, as I said above its no longer the Ford Falcon, soon it will be the Ford XR6.... coz thats all they seem to sell.

[munners]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Did it ever occur to anyone that FoA is actually dragging its feet killing off models that make little return.

This is a really good point especially when compared with what happened in the US when Alan Mulally took charge. Sure the Taurus badge was reborn but there was a lot of rationalisation across all other models. It is considered that this was one of the factors that helped Ford turn a $14.6 billion loss into a $2.7 billion profit. I know it sounds harsh but maybe Ford are doing what has to be done to stay in business?

Munners

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by munners

This is a really good point especially when compared with what happened in the US when Alan Mulally took charge. Sure the Taurus badge was reborn but there was a lot of rationalisation across all other models. It is considered that this was one of the factors that helped Ford turn a $14.6 billion loss into a $2.7 billion profit. I know it sounds harsh but maybe Ford are doing what has to be done to stay in business?

Munners

Yes the strategy was to stop making so many cars, and just focus on the core products... the Ford products. Last I checked... the Falcon wears a Ford badge.

Give it some love Ford.

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Soon youll only be able to buy an XR6... because thats all they seem to build / sell at the moment. With a car like the Falcon you need to give people options.. If i go and buy a BMW i get about 300 different combinations I can buy, with Ford now you get about 3 factory options...

Problem is BMW isn't built on an Australian R&D budget, sold on similar to local profit margins, or built only on Australian volumes.

[Ford Falcon XR6]

Originally Posted by flappist

Yep the best way to improve ute profitability for Ford is to bring back models that were discontinued because they did not sell very well.......

I agree a limited range = low sales. Bring back the RTV,Xr8 and wagon for a start and also the varients to the wagon such a Xr6 and 8 wagons and also the a long wheelbase luxery model should be on the cards. The more range you have the on customers you can attrach.

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by Ford Falcon XR6

I agree a limited range = low sales. Bring back the RTV,Xr8 and wagon for a start and also the varients to the wagon such a Xr6 and 8 wagons and also the a long wheelbase luxery model should be on the cards. The more range you have the on customers you can attrach.

And the more range you have the faster your business goes out of business...particularly if they're not selling at a rate to obtain a decent ROI...

Sounds great in theory, not so great in practice...

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

Problem is BMW isn't built on an Australian R&D budget, sold on similar to local profit margins, or built only on Australian volumes.

Agreed, BMW group sold 1.23 Million (with a big M) cars last year.

In 2009 they sold almost 400,000 3-series cars, compare the budget that brings to the <30,000 Falcons sold last year.

[Ford17]

Back in the AU days, the Falcon Ute was regularly in the top 10 sales list, along with the AU sedan; giving respectable figures for total AU sales.

The only thing really wrong with the FG ute is the lack of an XR8 model, a short rear axle (which makes the rear wheel wells look too big), and the drivetrain geometry which is compromised by lowering. Fix those 3 things, and I reckon there'd be quite a few more sales.

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by Forda

Back in the AU days, the Falcon Ute was regularly in the top 10 sales list, along with the AU sedan; giving respectable figures for total AU sales.

The only thing really wrong with the FG ute is the lack of an XR8 model, a short rear axle (which makes the rear wheel wells look too big), and the drivetrain geometry which is compromised by lowering. Fix those 3 things, and I reckon there'd be quite a few more sales.

XR8 would get a few more sales, but would Ford be able to recoup the investment needed to fit the Coyote to the ute, as well as the integration work it might need to be re-crash tested.

I doubt the other two things would increase sales much if at all, especially the suspension issue, considering its only an issue if the ute is lowered, and that voids your warranty anyway.....

[stevz]

Originally Posted by SteveJH

XR8 would get a few more sales, but would Ford be able to recoup the investment needed to fit the Coyote to the ute, as well as the integration work it might need to be re-crash tested.

It is already in the gs ute, so this work has already been done.

[fordv8!]

I think ford as we know it will not exist. This is very sad.
Have to get a gt while we still can want an xr8 but that won't happen either

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

And the more range you have the faster your business goes out of business...particularly if they're not selling at a rate to obtain a decent ROI...

Sounds great in theory, not so great in practice...

And if you don't build cars that people want then you will also go out of business...

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

And if you don't build cars that people want then you will also go out of business...

I think it was pretty clear that the small minority that wanted them wasn't enough...

Or are we going to try to play this game again?

Second thoughts, I give up...it's not worth the hassle...I think I can see where Ford are coming from...

[Ford17]

Originally Posted by SteveJH

I doubt the other two things would increase sales much if at all, especially the suspension issue, considering its only an issue if the ute is lowered, and that voids your warranty anyway.....

It's a valid reason though, why a customer might instead choose to spend their $45k-odd on a Commodore ute. Most cars should be able to be lowered without damaging the drivetrain at all.

[FPV+fteT3]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

And the more range you have the faster your business goes out of business...particularly if they're not selling at a rate to obtain a decent ROI...

Sounds great in theory, not so great in practice...

Originally Posted by DASH GT

And if you don't build cars that people want then you will also go out of business...

Originally Posted by Sezzy

I think it was pretty clear that the small minority that wanted them wasn't enough...

Or are we going to try to play this game again?

Second thoughts, I give up...it's not worth the hassle...I think I can see where Ford are coming from...

What has happened over a period of time is Ford have dropped the LPG, RTV, XR8, etc only a couple of hundred each month but if you add it all together it makes the thousand or so units they are missing each month so if the small minotity that want XR6's decide they dont want them what do they do next?
Once you have the basic car and engine combos sorted (V8 is in FPV) the mix is not that hard to do. Order your new car and wait till its made 8 weeks or so no big deal make all the XR8's together then the LPG versions etc.. or as ford have done delete the models and see your sales decline. Ford will soon only sell hairdressers cars to suit the latte set the way they are going.
I can see where ford are coming from too falcon becomes a taurus or mondeo

[Ford Falcon XR6]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

And the more range you have the faster your business goes out of business...particularly if they're not selling at a rate to obtain a decent ROI...

Sounds great in theory, not so great in practice...

I don't want to open a tin of worms but it's not a though it's a complety different car it's all the same base more or less at the end of the day all dash and seats are the same it's just driveline a chasie have be altured. I belive with a good ad campain it would be viable IMO.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Polyal

I also find it amazing how Ford is going through all this "thinking" and Holden are very very quite. They are in the same boat, big difference in how the companies are run there.

Getting people ready for the demise of the Falcon and Terri. Ford never 'thought' like this during the problems with the poor sales of the BFII.

Hopefully Falcon pulls back the sales with the LPG model. But it will probably be killed off regardless, Ford tried killing the wagon off back in 06 but they couldn't do it till euro 4....the wagon just wouldn't die.

As for the Commodore Ute its not that far off being killed itself. This months sales were a once off for the year. Its sales have been quite poor this year.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Lol well they better kill XT and G6 tomorrow because neither of these are selling now... G6E / G6ET sales are poor too, as I said above its no longer the Ford Falcon, soon it will be the Ford XR6.... coz thats all they seem to sell.

And see, there again we have people making assumptions on their own knowledge base and estimations of what Ford makes on a particular car.
While I agree with your estimations of the much maligned XT, the G6ET is in a different league and price bracket.
Trying to compare both of them in terms of viability is pointless without having inside knowledge of their costs but,
I would find it very hard to believe that a G6ET costs $15K more to build than the lowly XT, given the cost of XR6 50th Anniversary,
and as for G6, it's the other side pf the $36,990 discount when people get bored with XR6.
Ford has effectively turned XR6 and G6 into replacements for the XT SR and destroyed the resale value of both.

[Zero_PSI]

Its a sign of the times. Everything needs to be small cheap and economic to sell. Theres no room for fuel guzzling sixes and eights in modern society....makes me wanna cry

[mytgxl]

Why don`t they do a poll on the internet & bloody well see what we want! My vote another V8 2Door Falcon!

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by 1 bad ef

Why don`t they do a poll on the internet & bloody well see what we want! My vote another V8 2Door Falcon!

[mytgxl]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Oh no I`m not buyin a holden! hahaha

[drew`SEVNT5]

bring back the panelvan! make sure it comes with a diesel/lpg hybrid v8, with manual gearbox, RTV suspension, but base model features... it's sure to sell a motza!

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

bring back the panelvan! make sure it comes with a diesel/lpg hybrid v8, with manual gearbox, RTV suspension, but base model features... it's sure to sell a motza!

.... you forgot great wall pricing.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by vztrt

.... you forgot great wall pricing.

No it has to be cheaper than that....

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by 1 bad ef

Why don`t they do a poll on the internet & bloody well see what we want! My vote another V8 2Door Falcon!

In all fairness you probably represent an extremely low number of potential buyers.
It would be easier to offer you a GT Mustang for around XR8 money than do a two door Falcon.

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Getting people ready for the demise of the Falcon and Terri. Ford never 'thought' like this during the problems with the poor sales of the BFII.

Because FG was due out a few months later?