FG X, The Last EVER Falcon - Picture & Discussion Thread

[amiers]

Originally Posted by LooLoo18

Why would you need to put a deposit down for an XR8? Im sure there will be plenty of stock

There wont be as much as you think and what build number may or may not be important down the road when you cant buy a falcon full stop. As for putting down a deposit, im a motor dealer and have more than a little inside info, and I want mine ASAP.

[Bossxr8]

They won't have build numbers though.

[Bobman]

They'll still be the "last" though and perhaps will have demand just as the last V8 long-wheelbase models or how EF/EL XR8s are still sought after.

[amiers]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

They won't have build numbers though.

no but you can find out what number your car was off the line.

[janddbone]

If they can only build 5 a day, then I think it will be very hard to get hold of one in the short term and getting in line now may be wise!

[Grobbo]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Yeah obviously you can't order one yet, but what I think other salesman have done is take the deposit, and stash it away until you can order them and allocate the first one they can to the owner of the deposit. I think?

Yep, my dealerships been taking deposits on the Mustang like that too...

I dunno why they wouldn't take your deposit to be honest. "Subject to pricing, specifications and test drive"...

At my old dealership (Renault) we would take deposits on RS models all the time in this fashion, then as soon as they come online bang, you have a customer to put in the system and grab the first allocation.

Ultimately it probably won't make any difference as I'm sure the salesman will call you the day they become available, I'm just surprised he hasn't taken the opportunity to 'lock you in' so to speak. I guess different dealerships have different policies.

[XBv8mmm!]

Originally Posted by brett.r.johnstone

If they can only build 5 a day, then I think it will be very hard to get hold of one in the short term and getting in line now may be wise!

Thanks Brett.

That's my issue, as was previously said below I am excited to get one and I, like amiers, want mine asap, and from what has been stated by some members (and Brett above) who obviously work for Ford at the factory the XR8 isn't going to be produced in vast numbers.

I want one, I don't want to miss out. Maybe I'm being somewhat over the top about this but with people on the forum saying the 201X Falcon might not go distance, well, I hope the members can understand my concern.

Should I go and see the salesman again and be a little more forceful?
Or is that waaaaaaaaay over the top and then some?

[amiers]

Originally Posted by XBv8mmm!

Thanks Brett.

That's my issue, as was previously said below I am excited to get one and I, like amiers, want mine asap, and from what has been stated by some members (and Brett above) who obviously work for Ford at the factory the XR8 isn't going to be produced in vast numbers.

I want one, I don't want to miss out. Maybe I'm being somewhat over the top about this but with people on the forum saying the 201X Falcon might not go distance, well, I hope the members can understand my concern.

Should I go and see the salesman again and be a little more forceful?
Or is that waaaaaaaaay over the top and then some?

Go to the sales manager. if no luck go to another dealership.

[Bossxr8]

Is this some of your work Spyman?

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257CDE00219906

Exclusive: Ford Oz working on mystery large car
Lincoln 2016 MKS Another one: It might look like a mid-sized Ford Fusion, but telltale rear wheelarch flares suggest a wider rear track under test at Ford Australia’s You Yangs proving ground.
Another one: It might look like a mid-sized Ford Fusion, but telltale rear wheelarch flares suggest a wider rear track under test at Ford Australia’s You Yangs proving ground.


‘Lincoln MKS’ joins the global new-model engineering logjam at Ford Australia







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to see larger images
20 May 2014

By RON HAMMERTON

FORD Australia engineers are working on a mystery large car that is likely a replacement for its ageing Lincoln MKS for North America and China.

The test mule – based on a left-hand-drive American Ford Fusion but with major modifications under the rear end that appear suited to a larger vehicle – has been spotted by GoAuto going through its paces at Ford Australia’s busy You Yangs proving ground in Victoria.

As our pictures show, the disguised test vehicle has rear wheelarch extensions, seemingly to cater for a significantly wider rear track than the standard set-up for Fusion or its Mondeo sister model that is due Down Under in the second half of this year.

While Ford has no plans to introduce its Lincoln luxury line to Australia, the work on a large vehicle sitting on the company’s ‘D4.3’ large-car platform might have implications for a Falcon replacement once the homegrown sedan goes out of production in 2016.

Under the One Ford plan, all Ford large cars – namely the Taurus and Lincoln MKS sedans and Explorer and Flex SUVs – will be based on the D4 architecture from 2014.

By our count, the large car spotted at the You Yangs, near Geelong, brings to at least five new vehicles under development by the Blue Oval’s local engineering team – the Falcon/Territory facelift, Ranger facelift, Everest SUV global development, Escort small car for China and now, the large car.

The Lincoln work appears to be a contract job for Ford’s American parent, probably to do with rear chassis development and calibration.

A similar mule was spotted by Car and Driver in North America last year, with the American magazine adamant that the car was a technology test bed for the next Lincoln MKS large sedan.

When the new Lincoln goes into production in 2016, the under-the-skin overhaul will be complemented by a new body designed by former Holden stylist Max Wolff, who was poached from General Motors to head up Lincoln design.

Although Mr Wolff appears to have slipped a rung and is now reportedly Lincoln exterior design manager, he has still had a major influence on the latest Lincoln vehicles such as the MKZ sedan and MKX crossover – the latter just revealed as a concept at the Beijing show.

The current front- and all-wheel-drive MKS – launched in 2008 – is based on the Ford Taurus and its D3 architecture that also spawned the Volvo S80.

However, the Lincoln has been an abject sales failure in its home market, selling only about 1000 units a month – a drop in the bucket in the huge United States market where rivals such as the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class sell many times more.

Critics says the MKS is heavy, thirsty and relatively cramped inside for such a large car.

Some US journalists speculate that Ford plans to reinvent the MKS by not only completely redesigning it and making it more spacious, but also rebranding it – perhaps as MKL – in an effort to recapture the ascendancy that Lincoln had in 1998 when it was America’s leading prestige brand.

The rebranding theory was given some credence recently when Ford announced at the Beijing motor show its plans to launch Lincoln in the huge Chinese market this year, saying it was planning “an all-new full-size luxury sedan” – and not “next MKS” – as part of a five-car line-up there by 2016.

Like other Lincoln models bound for China, the large sedan will be imported from North America, meaning it will likely be made as one variant for both markets.

The current MKS comes in two V6 mechanical specifications – a normally aspirated 205kW 3.7-litre V6 driving the front wheels and a twin-turbo 275kW 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 driving all four wheels.

The EcoBoost V6 will likely carry over and be joined by Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder, as used in the current Ford Falcon and many other Blue Oval models. Some journalists speculate these engines will be joined by a rumoured 2.9-litre EcoBoost V6 called Nano.

At some point, these engines are likely to be hooked up to a new nine-speed automatic transmission under joint development by Ford and GM.

Many Lincoln fans in the US hope Ford will plonk the MKS replacement on a rear-drive chassis to take on European rivals head on, but the mule seen by GoAuto appears front-wheel drive or at best all-wheel drive, in line with D4 architecture.

Expanding the Lincoln brand to China against Cadillac and the German brands will give the new-generation MKS a much greater potential volume.

But Ford Australia has ruled out any Lincoln move here, saying all Ford cars sold here will carry Blue Oval badges.

[Adamz Ghia]

My other half and I drove past the proving grounds last week as she has lived in Lara her whole life and didn't know the proving grounds were just up the road. I myself never knew that if you parked on the side of the road you could see the cars go around the speed track. We watched the Everest mules go round, a red car (medium sedan) and I think a black Fusion/ Mondeo, but I don't believe it was that one from the above article. Was hoping for an FH but no luck... Would give my left nut to be given a 5.0 S/C and free reign on that track...

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Is this some of your work Spyman?

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257CDE00219906

Exclusive: Ford Oz working on mystery large car
Lincoln 2016 MKS Another one: It might look like a mid-sized Ford Fusion, but telltale rear wheelarch flares suggest a wider rear track under test at Ford Australia’s You Yangs proving ground.
Another one: It might look like a mid-sized Ford Fusion, but telltale rear wheelarch flares suggest a wider rear track under test at Ford Australia’s You Yangs proving ground.


‘Lincoln MKS’ joins the global new-model engineering logjam at Ford Australia







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to see larger images
20 May 2014

By RON HAMMERTON

FORD Australia engineers are working on a mystery large car that is likely a replacement for its ageing Lincoln MKS for North America and China.

The test mule – based on a left-hand-drive American Ford Fusion but with major modifications under the rear end that appear suited to a larger vehicle – has been spotted by GoAuto going through its paces at Ford Australia’s busy You Yangs proving ground in Victoria.

As our pictures show, the disguised test vehicle has rear wheelarch extensions, seemingly to cater for a significantly wider rear track than the standard set-up for Fusion or its Mondeo sister model that is due Down Under in the second half of this year.

While Ford has no plans to introduce its Lincoln luxury line to Australia, the work on a large vehicle sitting on the company’s ‘D4.3’ large-car platform might have implications for a Falcon replacement once the homegrown sedan goes out of production in 2016.

Under the One Ford plan, all Ford large cars – namely the Taurus and Lincoln MKS sedans and Explorer and Flex SUVs – will be based on the D4 architecture from 2014.

By our count, the large car spotted at the You Yangs, near Geelong, brings to at least five new vehicles under development by the Blue Oval’s local engineering team – the Falcon/Territory facelift, Ranger facelift, Everest SUV global development, Escort small car for China and now, the large car.

The Lincoln work appears to be a contract job for Ford’s American parent, probably to do with rear chassis development and calibration.

A similar mule was spotted by Car and Driver in North America last year, with the American magazine adamant that the car was a technology test bed for the next Lincoln MKS large sedan.

When the new Lincoln goes into production in 2016, the under-the-skin overhaul will be complemented by a new body designed by former Holden stylist Max Wolff, who was poached from General Motors to head up Lincoln design.

Although Mr Wolff appears to have slipped a rung and is now reportedly Lincoln exterior design manager, he has still had a major influence on the latest Lincoln vehicles such as the MKZ sedan and MKX crossover – the latter just revealed as a concept at the Beijing show.

The current front- and all-wheel-drive MKS – launched in 2008 – is based on the Ford Taurus and its D3 architecture that also spawned the Volvo S80.

However, the Lincoln has been an abject sales failure in its home market, selling only about 1000 units a month – a drop in the bucket in the huge United States market where rivals such as the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class sell many times more.

Critics says the MKS is heavy, thirsty and relatively cramped inside for such a large car.

Some US journalists speculate that Ford plans to reinvent the MKS by not only completely redesigning it and making it more spacious, but also rebranding it – perhaps as MKL – in an effort to recapture the ascendancy that Lincoln had in 1998 when it was America’s leading prestige brand.

The rebranding theory was given some credence recently when Ford announced at the Beijing motor show its plans to launch Lincoln in the huge Chinese market this year, saying it was planning “an all-new full-size luxury sedan” – and not “next MKS” – as part of a five-car line-up there by 2016.

Like other Lincoln models bound for China, the large sedan will be imported from North America, meaning it will likely be made as one variant for both markets.

The current MKS comes in two V6 mechanical specifications – a normally aspirated 205kW 3.7-litre V6 driving the front wheels and a twin-turbo 275kW 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 driving all four wheels.

The EcoBoost V6 will likely carry over and be joined by Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder, as used in the current Ford Falcon and many other Blue Oval models. Some journalists speculate these engines will be joined by a rumoured 2.9-litre EcoBoost V6 called Nano.

At some point, these engines are likely to be hooked up to a new nine-speed automatic transmission under joint development by Ford and GM.

Many Lincoln fans in the US hope Ford will plonk the MKS replacement on a rear-drive chassis to take on European rivals head on, but the mule seen by GoAuto appears front-wheel drive or at best all-wheel drive, in line with D4 architecture.

Expanding the Lincoln brand to China against Cadillac and the German brands will give the new-generation MKS a much greater potential volume.

But Ford Australia has ruled out any Lincoln move here, saying all Ford cars sold here will carry Blue Oval badges.

A similar looking mule was photographed in the states about a year ago-

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/201...py-photos-news

[superroo]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

‘Lincoln MKS’ joins the global new-model engineering logjam at Ford Australia
........
FORD Australia engineers are working on a mystery large car that is likely a replacement for its ageing Lincoln MKS for North America and China.

It's not a Lincoln

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by superroo

It's not a Lincoln

Something for a growing market that requires more rear leg room even though they are generally not that tall perhaps?

I think hell would just about freeze over before FoA do any work for Ford NA models...ie - did FoA do anything for the Mustang, I dont recall hearing anything.

Is there a mandate that states they do AP only?

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Something for a growing market that requires more rear leg room even though they are generally not that tall perhaps?

I think hell would just about freeze over before FoA do any work for Ford NA models...ie - did FoA do anything for the Mustang, I dont recall hearing anything.

Is there a mandate that states they do AP only?

Well, FoA being an administrative division of FA-P (Africa has been dropped and realigned with the Middle East) and being the designated R&D hub for the AP Ford empire, work required by AP comes first, but FoA can bid for any project that is put out by head office. Just like Cologne and Dearborn can. Eg. FoA submitted designs for the S550 as part of a design "competition" between Dearborn and Cologne but that as far as I am aware was the extent of FoA's involvement.

[LTDmonger]

A 'all-new full size-luxury sedan' is NOT front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Ford have no idea when it comes to trying to re-invent Lincoln.

[Luke Plaizier]

The Geely test mule mentioned elsewhere in this thread spotted driving around Melbourne (and confused as a possible FZ mule by a small few) gets an explanation now too.


http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...0#!prettyPhoto


Lukeyson

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by LTDmonger

A 'all-new full size-luxury sedan' is NOT front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Ford have no idea when it comes to trying to re-invent Lincoln.

Absolutely. And they probably wondered why the current model only sells about 1000 a month

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Something for a growing market that requires more rear leg room even though they are generally not that tall perhaps?

I think hell would just about freeze over before FoA do any work for Ford NA models...ie - did FoA do anything for the Mustang, I dont recall hearing anything.

Is there a mandate that states they do AP only?

Stretched CD4 for China.

[Bonn]

Originally Posted by Luke Plaizier

The Geely test mule mentioned elsewhere in this thread spotted driving around Melbourne (and confused as a possible FZ mule by a small few) gets an explanation now too.


http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...0#!prettyPhoto


Lukeyson

Good to see that expertise being utilised - anyone for a 310kW I6T Geely?

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Absolutely. And they probably wondered why the current model only sells about 1000 a month

Aren't Cadillac models FWD/AWD nowadays too though?

XTS -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadilla..._United_States
2013 sales of 32,559

Lincoln MKZ (it's best seller?) -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_MKZ
2013 sales of 32,361

MKS (XTS competitor?) -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_MKS
2013 sales of 10,793

We are of course way off topic here and need something from the Spyman to give us something on topic to talk about

[Bossxr8]

Not the flagship models. You can understand the smaller models being FWD.

[Boynes]

I think Ford are way off of what Australia is actually leading towards. A large sedan isnt going to be what will survive in Oz if your able to grab an equally sized Camry with more extras in the interior for less

[XtRmn8]

Good to see this thread is still on track....

So have we seen all there is to see when it comes to the last Falcon?

[Bossxr8]

Mondeo will be the biggest sedan Ford will sell here, so it's irrelevant to us.

[Focused]

Originally Posted by Boynes

I think Ford are way off of what Australia is actually leading towards. A large sedan isnt going to be what will survive in Oz if your able to grab an equally sized Camry with more extras in the interior for less

Ahhh... Ford does know and that's why they're dumping the Falcon.

As bossxr8 said, the biggest sedan we'll see in Ford Aus' showrooms will be the Mondeo, and rightly so. No one wants anything bigger (unless it's an SUV).

[Bonn]

Originally Posted by XtRmn8

Good to see this thread is still on track....

So have we seen all there is to see when it comes to the last Falcon?

A great thread, but am hoping some pics of the GT-F are posted soon, as we are getting close to the official launch date???

[XtRmn8]

Originally Posted by Bonn

A great thread, but am hoping some pics of the GT-F are posted soon, as we are getting close to the official launch date???

But GT-F is based on FG and not the updated/final Falcon.

I am thinking that we have already seen all the major changes to the final Falcon via the snippets seen thus far. Next its just a matter of revealing the whole thing.

[GSPSI]

Pretty sure there are plenty of threads on this forum for the GT F.
This is the new falcon thread..

[Road Games]

You sure about that ?

I thought it was the random increase ya post count thread ...

[Bobman]

Originally Posted by XR6menace

You sure about that ?

I thought it was the random increase ya post count thread ...

Yes, says he with almost 13,000+ posts