Ford announce extension to Geelong plant beyond 2010

[vanman_75]

do you think its too early to order an alloy 250 for the old pano

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by ehast13

How much of the new $$$$ is from Govt?

None. The 21 Mill is what Ford Australia (without involvement from Detroit) have chipped in. Re-activating the Euro 4 plans also means that Ford will be able to re-claim the $13 Million grant that it was given by the Federal Government for works to the I6, but had to give back when the plant closure was announced.

[whiskieboy]

Originally Posted by bob^

Nope, some are ****ed off because instead of putting their hand up for the current separation package, wanted to wait two years for the bigger one, and now aren't getting a cent. Greed does funny things.

EXCUSE ME, but I take personal offense at that comment, I and many others in the engine plant went thru weeks of absolute turmoil deciding whether to "take the package or not". there were kids to think about there was the economy there was the whole america money situation, and many other things IT WAS A DAMMED HARD TIME to be us. Some of us knew we wouldnt get the money even if we did put our hand up because they cant lose ALL the skill and knowledge can they, so just think before you make narrow minded comments, thank you.

[ehast13]

13 mill from 21mill. Thats really only 8 mill investment

How much would it cost to fit V6? Engine mounts, transmission hookup, NVH, harmonics, exhaust, sound, Cooling, ecu, suspension tune, developing another turbo program (assuming ecoboost USA was not up and running), LPG development, possible lost sales

You could easily blow 8 mill on that stuff.

exchange rate dramas too

I guess it might have been cheaper per unit at one stage (98 cents US), but at 65 to 68 cents US, plus Ford US sucking hind tit at the moment (not willing to offer a frozen price per unit based on 2007 exchange rate).

I wouldn't mind betting that Ford will cop a few more dollars for stuff like LPG, Diesel, More economical engine etc.

Did anyone read the full Carr report? There a lot of areas in it that would suggest carmakers should recieve big dollars for meeting enviro goals.

I reckon the Govt will play this for all it's worth.

13 million grant. They gave ABC more money than that!

They need to be seen to be stimulating jobs growth, R & D in Aus.

Even if they don't get anymore than the 13 million grant, I still reckon it is a situation where everyone wins.

Congratulations to all the Ford workers who get to keep their jobs producing Australia's Best Engine.

[phoon]

Originally Posted by outback_ute

Great news. Regarding the currency issue - going back a couple of years who would have thought the AUD would reach 98 cents, and then 62 cents within such a short time. The strength of our economy vs the USA surely suggests it won't stay at 62 cents, we can't base decisions on today's rate.

The most interesting thing is whether there will be any export program to increase the engine volume? Not sure on that one, hopefully a diesel Falcon/Territory will help there.

I think we will see our $ V USD go down to somewhere around 50 - 55 cents within 6 to 12 months. The only reason its not there already is because our reserve bank keeps propping it up by buying billions of AUD. This would be good for exports, so Ford Aus should be looking at 2 fronts, Euro 4 and designing a car that can be sold worldwide and not only in countries that drive on the left side of the road.

[Romulus]

Originally Posted by phoon

I think we will see our $ V USD go down to somewhere around 50 - 55 cents within 6 to 12 months. The only reason its not there already is because our reserve bank keeps propping it up by buying billions of AUD. This would be good for exports, so Ford Aus should be looking at 2 fronts, Euro 4 and designing a car that can be sold worldwide and not only in countries that drive on the left side of the road.

A smart idea by both Ford and the Federal and State governments. If the Aus dollar hits 50-55 US cents, then our exports become cheap to them. Including our engines. Conversely, the import V6 will become very expensive and could bankrupt Ford Aus. Anyone remember Holden's effort with the RB30 in the VL? It cost Holden a heap of dough.

I think Ford are on a real winner here. Let's hope customers vote with their wallets and support Ford Australia. Interest rates are on there way down people, go on, go buy a new Falcon!

[CAT600]

Very good.

Now all we need is an unveiled plan for a factory blown 5.4L and it would be like a hollywood movie.

Daniel

[JC]

Bugger, the V6 would have been a good jigger! J/k.

That's great news for Geelong - now if only Ford could sell enough cars to warrant supply of the I6 engine.

[irlewy86]

Originally Posted by CAT600

Very good.

Now all we need is an unveiled plan for a factory blown 5.4L and it would be like a hollywood movie.

Daniel

Australia II: The Rise of FoA starring Eric Bana as Marin Burela and Rose Byrne as Sinead McAlary

[CAT600]

Originally Posted by irlewy86

Australia II: The Rise of FoA starring Eric Bana as Marin Burela and Rose Byrne as Sinead McAlary

I like your style :

Daniel

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by metalmania

Great news but i don't think that is the end of the story. I have been reading the US papers online, mainly The New York Times and Washington Post. They are reporting that the US auto industry is about to collapse.
Yesterday the senate review committee rejected giving US$25 billion to the 3 companies (Ford, GM ,Chrysler ) on the grounds that there is no guarantee that they won't go broke anyway. They also stated that if they handed out the money , it will set a precedent and other companies will want handouts.
Other rumours that we may have all heard is that Ford US could be looking at selling Ford Australia ( They are already looking at seliing their share in Mazda)and GM selling Holden.
This decision to keep the engine plant going could be because of the fact that Ford US is about to go down and that Ford Australia may run on its own or that it may be a more attractive package to sell. Interesting times lay ahead.

Fords share in Mazda was substanially reduced today. Your point about making Ford Aust more attractive to sell is a valid one I think. Time will tell, but for now the Falcon does get to keep the best engine for it.

Dan

[GT0336]

Wow this is such good news!

[Falc'man]

..................

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by King Nothing

If Ford US does go under, or plans to sell us, then yes it makes more sense to keep a "complete package" for any potential buyer. That may indeed be on the radar, but I dont think the government would agree to giving so much money if there was a risk of selling it off to someone else in the near future.

If spending what is a relatively small amount of money on our governments part, gives workers a reprieve until 2013 (an eternity for any government and their short term, get to the next election thinking), then that was probably reason enough on its own for them to chip in. As for selling Ford Australia. Why should the government care who owns them? So one foreign company sells Ford Australia and another foreign owned company buys them. As long as the plant stay open, the government will welcome the new owners as saviours and the best thing since sliced bread. They can call the new Falcon a Tata Rio or something for all the government would care. Jobs is the bottom line on their part.

I don't recall the government of the day being upset when Chrysler threw in the towel and handed the keys to Mitsuibishi.

My point is, if this means Ford Australia stay out of the headlines until the next election, and some buyer confidence is restored, then the government will probably see spending the taxpayers money on the I6 as money well spent. After that they may not be in office anyway, so a case of cross that bridge when they come to it.

Regards,
Dan

[AMT]

It all means nothing they still have to sell cars.......

[bathurst77]

I nearly threw up when i saw this on carsguide.com.au (sunday telegraph)
Way to support local industry!

Good Money After Bad -Paul Pottinger.

Is the Ford Geelong news a bizarre joke?

Let’s see if we’ve got this lined up: Ford Australia is investing $21 million to keep building an engine whose origins lay in the 1960s with the promise of making it meet Euro IV emissions requirements which become obsolete next year all to go in a car that nobody’s buying.

Yes, keeping open the Geelong engine plant post-2010 is beaut news for the 400 who work there.

But let’s not have ourselves on. This is as useless is a bandaid hastily slapped on by a company which hid for years behind tariff barriers and taxpayer subsidies (it was unclear as of Thursday 1pm AEST as to how much of the $21 million was derived from public monies) without a thought to the future.

No question the 2008 Falcon is the “best Australian car ever” as the apologists bang on ad nauseum. There’s even less doubt that it’s not selling. Falcon sales are down 4.3 per cent year to date on 2007, which is great news for cab drivers who pick ’em at auction for a song.

So Ford’s “answer” is to keep pouring good money after bad.

“This is the first step in a broad product investment strategy to reduce emissions and deliver fuel economy across our locally built vehicle line-up,” trumpeted Ford Australian boss Marin Burela.

Great. Except for one thing – and stop me if you’ve heard this - NO PRIVATE BUYER’S BUYING THEM.

And with the parent company taking its begging bowl to the US Senate because no-one wants their cars either, this insignificant outpost of a declining empire is running out of time faster than money.

[CAT600]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

I nearly threw up when i saw this on carsguide.com.au (sunday telegraph)
Way to support local industry!

Good Money After Bad -Paul Pottinger.

Is the Ford Geelong news a bizarre joke?

Let’s see if we’ve got this lined up: Ford Australia is investing $21 million to keep building an engine whose origins lay in the 1960s with the promise of making it meet Euro IV emissions requirements which become obsolete next year all to go in a car that nobody’s buying.

Yes, keeping open the Geelong engine plant post-2010 is beaut news for the 400 who work there.

But let’s not have ourselves on. This is as useless is a bandaid hastily slapped on by a company which hid for years behind tariff barriers and taxpayer subsidies (it was unclear as of Thursday 1pm AEST as to how much of the $21 million was derived from public monies) without a thought to the future.

No question the 2008 Falcon is the “best Australian car ever” as the apologists bang on ad nauseum. There’s even less doubt that it’s not selling. Falcon sales are down 4.3 per cent year to date on 2007, which is great news for cab drivers who pick ’em at auction for a song.

So Ford’s “answer” is to keep pouring good money after bad.

“This is the first step in a broad product investment strategy to reduce emissions and deliver fuel economy across our locally built vehicle line-up,” trumpeted Ford Australian boss Marin Burela.

Great. Except for one thing – and stop me if you’ve heard this - NO PRIVATE BUYER’S BUYING THEM.

And with the parent company taking its begging bowl to the US Senate because no-one wants their cars either, this insignificant outpost of a declining empire is running out of time faster than money.

Bah humbug..........

It is more simple than that, the exchange rate is likely enough reason to get this to happen. In my opinion it was a borderline call when it was announced last year anyway.

Now go tell some littlies that Santa is not real.

Daniel

[DoreSlamR]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

I nearly threw up when i saw this on carsguide.com.au (sunday telegraph)
Way to support local industry!

Good Money After Bad -Paul Pottinger.

Is the Ford Geelong news a bizarre joke?

Let’s see if we’ve got this lined up: Ford Australia is investing $21 million to keep building an engine whose origins lay in the 1960s with the promise of making it meet Euro IV emissions requirements which become obsolete next year all to go in a car that nobody’s buying.

Yes, keeping open the Geelong engine plant post-2010 is beaut news for the 400 who work there.

But let’s not have ourselves on. This is as useless is a bandaid hastily slapped on by a company which hid for years behind tariff barriers and taxpayer subsidies (it was unclear as of Thursday 1pm AEST as to how much of the $21 million was derived from public monies) without a thought to the future.

No question the 2008 Falcon is the “best Australian car ever” as the apologists bang on ad nauseum. There’s even less doubt that it’s not selling. Falcon sales are down 4.3 per cent year to date on 2007, which is great news for cab drivers who pick ’em at auction for a song.

So Ford’s “answer” is to keep pouring good money after bad.

“This is the first step in a broad product investment strategy to reduce emissions and deliver fuel economy across our locally built vehicle line-up,” trumpeted Ford Australian boss Marin Burela.

Great. Except for one thing – and stop me if you’ve heard this - NO PRIVATE BUYER’S BUYING THEM.

And with the parent company taking its begging bowl to the US Senate because no-one wants their cars either, this insignificant outpost of a declining empire is running out of time faster than money.

WTF?! Is this guy for real? How the HELL did his editor pass this load of crap?!

What an absolute joke, I thought writers are supposed to have integrity?

[DoreSlamR]

Hmm just checked the latest news on carsguide.com.au...Two article headlines stood out for me:

Ford decides to keep Geelong engine plant open
Ford's 40-year-old six-cylinder engine has been taken off the scrap heap.


New Commodore’s engine keeps more dollars in tank
Australia’s favourite car - the Holden Commodore - will be cheaper to run from next month.


Call me crazy, but is carsguide.com.au a Holden shill? Because after reading the story above I'm starting to believe it.

[greenfoam]

hah ! I just read that, that guy looks like he's eaten 21 million worth of Pizza's during his life so I don't know where hes comming from complaining about wasting money. Just because the Ford 6 started in the 60's doesn't mean it's not current tech. I still believe the future needs family cars to be lighter, Surely you can save 100kgs these days with alloy parts and spend that 100 back on the required air bags and side intrusion

[Swordsman88]

This guy has obviously got something against Ford and the falcon specifically. In addition to his rant in this case i found the following gem:
.................................................. .......................................
Obits already written for new Falcon

By Paul Pottinger


THEY came to praise the Falcon; yet they've all but buried it. Australian motoring journalists are supposed to become slightly unhinged whenever a new Commodore or Falcon hoves into view.

Yet many reports from the $800 million FG Falcon's gala unveiling read like obituaries.

Apt, since the Falcon is expected to go the way of the dodo. Very likely the FG will be the last big six-cylinder car designed and built specifically for Australia.

No one doubts that the new Falcon will be very good. It will, in terms of metal for money and bang for buck, represent excellent value.

Its faster variants are among the cars to which I'm most looking forward to driving - that is when Ford Australia ceases this insufferable dance of the veils routine and lets the car speak for itself. We can be confident that the new one will be improved in every respect. It'll still be a Falcon, though, and that's the problem.

Things have moved on a bit since football always meant a game played with an oval ball, meat pies were the national dish, Skippy was on prime-time telly and everyone drove either a Ford or Holden.

Private buyers want quality imports such as the Mazda3 and compact SUVs and they want them in ever increasing numbers. Last year the average weekly cost of running a Commodore or Falcon was almost $268, a 40 per cent hike since 2002.

Petrol prices haven't helped, but lousy resale is guaranteed because the majority of such cars are knocked out at a bargain price to fleets.

When Ford actually permit road testings, it might be just as pertinent for us to send a cop and a cabbie; the great proportion of those you'll see will have a either a blue or orange light on top.

Falcon sales have fallen from a peak of 81,000 in 1995 to fewer than 34,000 in 2007. Last year Ford announced the closure of the engine-making component of its Geelong factory in 2010 with the loss of 600 jobs.

Production of another locally-made family car, Mitsubishi's 380, will be discontinued next month due to dismal sales. The shape of things to come: Ford starts building the European-designed Focus hatchback here in 2011.

Initially the new Falcon will fly, as most new models will. Yet Ford Australia will not guarantee its longer term future.

Usefully, the obits have already been written.
.................................................. ..............................................

This was during the launch period for the car. In addition to making a miriad of errors you can see an entire negative tone against not just falcon but local cars in general. My favourite stupid/false statements are in bold. Check the one on cars going to fleets - he repeats this mantra in the latest story too.

Whether what he says has any merit or not, a decent journalist writing an article would be impartial enough to point out factors surrounding the falcon sales story. In his recent rant he says falcon sales are down 4.3% on last year - conveniently ignoring much worse drops in sales from the commodore and large cars generally.

He notes Ford aus is an 'insignificant outpost', as if this dim witted, uninformed, two bit jouralist would have a clue. Would you call the ability to engineer and entire large car platform for pittance possiblyl for the entire ford world 'insignificant'!!!!!! :

As for his attack on the '1960s' engine, well i refer to the sentence above. Fools like this chap should avoid commenting on technical matters to avoid embarassment - referring to that engine is stupid because what we have now is hardly related. Funny too since in his earlier story he refers to the shutdown of the engine plant as a sign ford is stuffed, now the retaining of it is the same thing - explain that one you bottom dweller!!!!
:

[bob^]

Originally Posted by whiskieboy

EXCUSE ME, but I take personal offense at that comment, I and many others in the engine plant went thru weeks of absolute turmoil deciding whether to "take the package or not". there were kids to think about there was the economy there was the whole america money situation, and many other things IT WAS A DAMMED HARD TIME to be us. Some of us knew we wouldnt get the money even if we did put our hand up because they cant lose ALL the skill and knowledge can they, so just think before you make narrow minded comments, thank you.

But now instead the place stays open, people are in a job for longer, and their jobs are more secure for now.
I'm not being narrow minded at all. To be ****ed off that people are going to keep their jobs for longer is selfish.
Some people I know are going through a hard time and genuinly need the money, but cmon, the place is staying open for longer. Try find another job in Geelong right now that will pay as much.
Not to mention all the other places that have shut down and the only way the employees found out was turning up to work and finding the gates locked.

[RG]

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

Hmm just checked the latest news on carsguide.com.au...Two article headlines stood out for me:

Ford decides to keep Geelong engine plant open
Ford's 40-year-old six-cylinder engine has been taken off the scrap heap.


New Commodore’s engine keeps more dollars in tank
Australia’s favourite car - the Holden Commodore - will be cheaper to run from next month.


Call me crazy, but is carsguide.com.au a Holden shill? Because after reading the story above I'm starting to believe it.

Well it would appear I'm in an email war with none other than Paul Gover, here's the latest installment.

He like point form

Originally Posted by Paul Gover

1. Territory still not confirmed for more than the light facelift next March. It is now overdue for an FG-style full body change
2. Falcon now MORE likely to die in 2013 because of no extra investment in the V6 engine, which would have meant major structural changes to the front end and tapping a global engine source.
3. Camry hybrid is still promised for 2010

Yet he still claims that he has no bias toward or against any manufacturer.

[Wretched]

It is good to see the I6 surviving for another stint, although I am a little disappointed as I was keen to see how the new V6 would have fared.

Personally I would like to see Ford invest in DI, a better LPG system and possibly Cylinder Deactivation technologies. This will definitely improve fuel economy, overall ownership cost and possibly attract new buyers to the car.

[Wally]

Bring back a midsized RWD Corty with the I6 or a Torana and I'd probably buy one. I'm not interested in zippy imports with more electronics than a space shuttle, I just want grunt, bluetooth, fat wheels and air conditioning.

[barbarian]

Originally Posted by XR6_190

Hate to be pessimestic, personally, I can't really see Ford building the Fiesta here over Thailand.

Production costs of a Fiesta would be far lower than what Ford Aus could achieve. Average wage in Thai would be no more than $600-$800 a month im guessing

[barbarian]

Question: Would an alloy block i6 reduce the overall weight of the engine? Our i6 4.0L is a little hefty bugger..

[RG]

Originally Posted by barbarian

Question: Would an alloy block i6 reduce the overall weight of the engine? Our i6 4.0L is a little hefty bugger..

Oh hell yes, and I reckon there is a fair chance that they will head that way with it too.

Mmmmm all alloy I6 with direct injection, cylinder deactivation and a turbo

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Russell

Oh hell yes, and I reckon there is a fair chance that they will head that way with it too.

Mmmmm all alloy I6 with direct injection, cylinder deactivation and a turbo

No alloy block I reckon, that's HUGE money - it'll all be in the software and how the exhuast is controlled I bet.

[King Nothing]

Could we even see a reduction in power like the commodore V6? Still better than getting the duratech, but it may not be as exciting as we all hope.