Ford exports 100 Territory's to Thailand

[ivorya]

Originally Posted by bobthebilda

You dont have to be invloved with the *** end of manufacturing to cream off the benefits. The accountant sitting in the office getting paid $120,000 doesnt need to go lift a spanner in the work area, GM or Ford dont need to be involved with making hinges / bolts to cream $10,000 a car at the end. And in the same way australia doesnt need to be involved with car manufacturing to enjoy the benefits of low cost car manufacturing. If you can tell me a few people on the BRW rich list who still work in the *** end of the company that made them rich, then you may have a point. But employment doesnt create wealth, alot of employment is used to make others wealthy (and you can earn more money but still get poorer if those around you are getting richer quicker), getting cars made cheaply overseas is one of them.

Take a chill pill Baby...............

Reread my sarcasm again.

My point about unemployment here is more about your Tax dollars having to pay for people that had a job, now no longer having one as the Goven. had knifed in the back with a stupid policy.

Australia doesn't need to be involved in manufacturing?? Well not until these poor nations decide that they're being ripped off and demand more coin for the work they are doing. Then we'll have to pay again the setup these manufacturing factories here in Aus, but guess what, we've lost decades of experience and knowledge, so we have to import the expertise... at a cost of course..

In the end, i was being sarcastic in my original post. It's just ****-poor how we treat people living in our own country.

[BroadyFord]

Sales success for Ford’s Thai-bound Territory


http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257AC9001BCF11




3 December 2012
By HAITHAM RAZAGUI in Bangkok
THE first 50 of 100 Australian-made Ford Territory SUVs exported to Thailand in June to test the waters for export have been sold.

Buoyed by the initial take-up, Ford Australia is keen to put more Territorys on a ship to Thailand next year, but will monitor its progress to gauge whether there is long-term promise for the vehicle there.

Ford sells a single variant of the Territory in Thailand, the top-spec Titanium TDCi with V6 a turbo-diesel engine.

It is priced at the equivalent of $94,000 in Thailand, compared with $62,740 plus on-road costs in Australia.

The $30,000 price difference is courtesy of steep taxes on cars in the Kingdom and comes despite the presence of a free-trade agreement with Australia because they are ‘non-tariff duties’.

A local Ford representative at this week’s Bangkok Motor Expo – aimed at getting deals done on the show stand – told GoAuto at least one Territory had found a home on the event’s opening day.

He did not expect Ford to sell out of Territorys by the end of this year, but anticipated the car’s success would result in another shipment from Australia some time in 2013.

Ford Australia public affairs director Sinead Phipps confirmed that around 50 Territorys had been sold in Thailand to date, which she regarded as “absolutely” a success considering the shipment only docked there in late July.

“It is very much a premium niche vehicle over there and some of those sold were pre-orders from the original Bangkok motor show in April,” she said.

Ms Phipps said a decision on whether to export more Territorys to Thailand would not be made until the New Year.

“Once they sell the others we will certainly be keen to (send another shipment) but we just have to make sure there is enough of a market there for us.”

A quick comparison of the Territory’s price tag with other vehicles at the show revealed it costs about the same as smaller luxury SUVs such as the Audi Q3 and BMW X1.

The German compact SUVs are priced between $44,800 and $57,800 in Australia, significantly less expensive than the Thai-equivalent Territory Titanium’s local price.

Nevertheless, GoAuto observed the Territory to be one of the busier exhibits on Ford’s stand at the expo, with mainly older male show-goers making enquiries and most asking to look at the 2.7-litre diesel engine under the bonnet.

Ford Australia’s venerable 4.0-litre straight-six petrol is not available on the Thai-bound Territory because the government there imposes a 60 per cent registration penalty on cars with engines larger than 3.0 litres, which is reduced to 50 per cent for engines over 2.0 litres.

Also on Ford’s stand was the rugged Everest SUV, which is built in Thailand and based on the previous-generation Ranger one-tonne ute.

Ford Australia, which designed and engineered the current-generation PX series Ranger, is working on a follow-up to the Everest but the Thai Ford representative said that vehicle is still two years away.

He said he expected the replacement will retain the Everest nameplate, at least in Thailand.

[Joe5619]

That is a great result, I hope it leads to more deal & more models heading O/S!! Just image how well they would sell if we have a real FTA!!

[stang65]

Excellent news.

[Buntz]

Ummm... EcoBoost Falcon next? Take that registration penalty!

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

[SIZE="4"]

The $30,000 price difference is courtesy of steep taxes on cars in the Kingdom and comes despite the presence of a free-trade agreement with Australia because they are ‘non-tariff duties’.

Why we do not start a war over this is beyond me, they flood our market with cars and computer parts, and we get stung sending our stuff the other way. No one would pull a stunt like this on America, so why us?

[FGII-XR6]

I normally refrain from telling people how stupid they are but you are the king of morons. A war based on car pricing! get real

Originally Posted by Gobes32

Why we do not start a war over this is beyond me, they flood our market with cars and computer parts, and we get stung sending our stuff the other way. No one would pull a stunt like this on America, so why us?

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

I normally refrain from telling people how stupid they are but you are the king of morons. A war based on car pricing! get real

ummm....

Senator J. William Fulbright, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Democratic Senator from Arkansas, a chief U.S. poultry-producing state, interrupted a NATO debate on nuclear armament to protest trade sanctions on U.S. chicken,[3] going so far as to threaten cutting U.S. troops in NATO. Konrad Adenauer later reported that he and President John F. Kennedy had a great deal of correspondence over a period of two years, about Berlin, Laos, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, "and I guess that about half of it has been about chickens.

[FGII-XR6]

doesn't make it sane, proposing a war over matters like this are not the act of an intelligent or mentally stable person

Originally Posted by Brazen

ummm....

[Buntz]

Australian Pollies will take care of themselves first, even at the expense of the nation.

Maybe we should move on, or just talk about how we can overcome them? Like EcoBoost Territory?

[Bossxr8]

If sales in Thailand are good then why not start selling them in other asian countries.

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

If sales in Thailand are good then why not start selling them in other asian countries.

Ford sell that ugly Explorer in Japan. What other RHD countries are there?

Maybe India?

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

I normally refrain from telling people how stupid they are but you are the king of morons. A war based on car pricing! get real

Seriously? You really wan't to go down this path. I will admit sarcasm is hard to detect in print form however your insult was certainly not required and I would appreciate it if you were to refrain from doing so in the future.

[morak001]

Originally Posted by Buntz

Ummm... EcoBoost Falcon next? Take that registration penalty!

According to Wikipedia the 2L Ecoboost is 1999 cc, so under the 2L limit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_EcoBoost_engine).

I wonder if coming under 2 litres was a development requirement or just a fluke that it wasn't 2001 cc thereby over the 2L limit. Not just for Thailand but as a global market approach for the engine.

[in shock]

The Territory (on Paper) has got it all to make it An Enthusiasts Dream Machine with total world wide sales

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by Buntz

Ford sell that ugly Explorer in Japan. What other RHD countries are there?

Maybe India?

Malaysia. Plenty of cashed up people over there. X5, Cayenne, Landcruiser, Prado, Challenger, Pajero are common sight over there in terms of SUV's, including many more exotic cars. They have a similar road tax structure to thailand, so small capacity motors are much more affordable. The Territory always gets compliments from my relatives when they are visiting on holidays. Ford don't seem to pay much attention at all to the region for some reason, only the Ford Focus and Ranger are a common sight over there, apart from the odd beaten up 90s Ford Telstar or Laser tottering around. I've heard rumours that Ford XK/XL Falcons and Holden Kingswoods once roamed the streets of Malaysia in the 60s, but have not seen one in my travels around Malaysia.

[MarmiteTheDog]

Sorry to bump a very old thread, but this was of interest to me as I have just bought one of that first batch of Territories sent to Thailand with 138,000km on the clock.


I think there might have been a second shipment sent over in 2013, as I have seen SZ models selling as 2015s, which they are obviously not.


Thailand is basically a closed market with 3 tiers of cars; those manufactured here, those assembled from kits, and those imported. To most Thais only rich people buy from the second 2 categories, which means the range of vehicles generally available is limited and terribly dull. All come with pretty small engines (the Ford 2L bi-turbo diesel is a Godsend!) and are often compromised compared with the export versions. The current Everest is easily the most premium vehicle manufactured here.


There are upmarket German brands assembled here, but as they are sent over in kits, they still cost way too much. Most decent stuff is imported and extortionately priced.


My recent car search included XC90s, Subaru Foresters, Kia Sorrentos (a superb car, but the one we drove had too many issues), VW Touregs (I wasn't brave enough in the end), alongside 'local' cars such as the old Everest and Escape (which was made in Vietnam).


The Territory was the clear winner, even though Ford Thailand will class it as a foreign car and try to avoid having anything to do with it - the upcoming 165,000km cam belt change will be fun...

[MarmiteTheDog]

I've tried to find more information regarding the Territories exported to Thailand, and it looks like only 100 ever made it here. There are a couple of others for sale, but I have never seen another one on the roads here.
I have booked the 'big service' in with my local Ford service centre. Apparently the parts are shipped up from Ford's stores on a palaquin as it takes six weeks to get them in! I'm just happy they're available.
We're just got back from a 10-day trip and the car is great apart from being handicapped by the auto transmission. A 6-speed manual from the Ranger would've been a massive improvement (which would never have come to Thailand as they can't post on Facebook and drive a manual at the same time).

[happy1]

Originally Posted by MarmiteTheDog

the car is great apart from being handicapped by the auto transmission. A 6-speed manual from the Ranger would've been a massive improvement.

Hi,
None of the Territories came with Manual.

Not sure if Range Rover with the same TDV6 would have been available with manual. (Doubt it). Perhaps some of the Jaguars with the same engine could have been manual (and RWD layout). When this engine sits in PSA vehicles it sits transversely, with front wheel drive, so can't use that transmission

The 6R80 auto trans should be fairly modern, trouble free, and reliable. Do you have problems with it?

If yours is an AWD, the transfer case with its 'Torque on Demand' clutch is notorious for shuddering, and running as RWD more than it should. Some posts on here to modify the control signal to the clutch for more aggressive offroading.

Cheers,

[MarmiteTheDog]

Originally Posted by happy1

Hi,
None of the Territories came with Manual.

Not sure if Range Rover with the same TDV6 would have been available with manual. (Doubt it). Perhaps some of the Jaguars with the same engine could have been manual (and RWD layout). When this engine sits in PSA vehicles it sits transversely, with front wheel drive, so can't use that transmission

The 6R80 auto trans should be fairly modern, trouble free, and reliable. Do you have problems with it?

If yours is an AWD, the transfer case with its 'Torque on Demand' clutch is notorious for shuddering, and running as RWD more than it should. Some posts on here to modify the control signal to the clutch for more aggressive offroading.

Cheers,

Hi Happy,


Yes, it was a shame Ford never offered this with a manual - it's just wishful thinking on my part. All autos (except dual-clutch) feel like I'm dragging a boat anchor around behind me as they suck the life out of the engine. I use 'performance' mode a lot, unless I'm cruising, then I flip it back into 'normal' mode.

I don't have any mechanical issues with the transmission, just the fact automatics are inherently crap. I always have to buy base model vehicles nowadays because that's all I can get with a proper gearbox.

When the engine eventually decides to die (hopefully in the far future) I'll look into wasting way to much money on transplanting a 3.2 or 2.0 Bi-turbo with proper 4WD running gear into it (in Thailand anything's possible!). That should provide a whole multitude of headaches, but I'll still have to put up with an auto slushbox (although it seems the 10-speed is much better than the Territory's 6-speed).

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by MarmiteTheDog

Hi Happy,


Yes, it was a shame Ford never offered this with a manual - it's just wishful thinking on my part. All autos (except dual-clutch) feel like I'm dragging a boat anchor around behind me as they suck the life out of the engine. I use 'performance' mode a lot, unless I'm cruising, then I flip it back into 'normal' mode.

I don't have any mechanical issues with the transmission, just the fact automatics are inherently crap. I always have to buy base model vehicles nowadays because that's all I can get with a proper gearbox.

When the engine eventually decides to die (hopefully in the far future) I'll look into wasting way to much money on transplanting a 3.2 or 2.0 Bi-turbo with proper 4WD running gear into it (in Thailand anything's possible!). That should provide a whole multitude of headaches, but I'll still have to put up with an auto slushbox (although it seems the 10-speed is much better than the Territory's 6-speed).

The 6R80 is not like the slushboxs of old, it should engage each gear firmly.
with your wish list above I would have considered the 1st gen Fortuner, which we didnt get in Australia. it has all the options you want plus much better looking than the 2nd gen IMO, and surely theres more to pick from

[MarmiteTheDog]

Originally Posted by Vesper Martini

The 6R80 is not like the slushboxs of old, it should engage each gear firmly.
with your wish list above I would have considered the 1st gen Fortuner, which we didnt get in Australia. it has all the options you want plus much better looking than the 2nd gen IMO, and surely theres more to pick from

The transmission is fine for an auto - I just hate autos! The car is supposedly for the missus for when we need a 'GT', but it looks like she's hired me as a chauffeur.



There are very few Fortuners available for what I paid for the Territory. Thais think Toyotas are on par with Mercs. Personally, I wouldn't have a Toyota if you paid me - they make cars for people who don't like cars.