Anyone heard anything on the Falcon wagon yet?

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I can see an upswing in the underlying trend, also these are 10 year graphs a time scale which will smooth out a lot of the influences affecting sales. A 12 month to 2 year time scale is more appropriate.

I don't see that.

the % and overall numbers are the same...

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

I don't see that.

the % and overall numbers are the same...

Of coarse we cant see it, we're not looking at it through sportshatch goggles!

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

They not numbers. Mr Burelas numbers!!

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2576F0002F9FA3

"Mr Burela conceded that stricter new Euro 4 emissions regulations that come into force in Australia from July 1 played a major role in the demise of the Falcon wagon, which accounted for less than 2500 of the 31,000 Falcon’s Ford sold in 2009."

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2010...ls-wagon-18779

"Burela stated that Ford had been building around 200 wagons per month. He said removing complexity from the Broadmeadows line would help Ford increase its production capacity for ute, sedan and Territory."

Actually ford sell roughly double that. Fords own figures show they sold 4610 Falcon wagons in 2009. I have no idea why Burela stated 2500...

[GK]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Whats the wagon have that a SUV like the Territory doesn't? I'd imagine there would still be decent load space in the Territory.

Cheaper purchase cost!
Easier to carry the spare wheel after LPG conversion.
Ball joints won't fail, leaving the car hanging on the ground.
Lighter weight, less fuel consumption.

GK

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Actually ford sell roughly double that. Fords own figures show they sold 4610 Falcon wagons in 2009. I have no idea why Burela stated 2500...

Are those figures available from somewhere?
I'd heard Falcon wagon had been selling at 400/month in 2008
but dropped away severely in the second half of 2009.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Are those figures available from somewhere?
I'd heard Falcon wagon had been selling at 400/month in 2008
but dropped away severely in the second half of 2009.

The sales figures for 2009 in the Technical Resources section

[block58]

As it turns out, an FG wagon has been made, I doubt it will be put into production, though :

http://www.cmfairlane.co.uk/explore.htm

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Brazen

The sales figures for 2009 in the Technical Resources section

I cannot see anywhere in there where Russell has separated the station wagon figures from sedan.
Everything else gets mentioned but not the wagon...
Sifting through pages and pages of graphs and charts, fruitless

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I cannot see anywhere in there where Russell has separated the station wagon figures from sedan.
Everything else gets mentioned but not the wagon...
Sifting through pages and pages of graphs and charts, fruitless

Sorry for stuffing you around jdp80, the graph was actually in a thread I found after looking in the Technical Resources and I had assumed it was a graph made by russellw, my mistake. The thread used the graph from the following article:

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2576C4001687FD

Shows Falcon wagon at 4610 sales.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Sorry for stuffing you around jdp80, the graph was actually in a thread I found after looking in the Technical Resources and I had assumed it was a graph made by russellw, my mistake. The thread used the graph from the following article:

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2576C4001687FD

Shows Falcon wagon at 4610 sales.

Ah yes, thank you very much.

I'm wondering whether Ford sold 4,610 Falcons but only made 2,500 last year,
perhaps Marin was talking production and some 2008 stock was in the 2009 sales as well?

Apart from that I got nothing...:

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Ah yes, thank you very much.

I'm wondering whether Ford sold 4,610 Falcons but only made 2,500 last year,
perhaps Marin was talking production and some 2008 stock was in the 2009 sales as well?

Apart from that I got nothing...:

I thought that too, but then I would think the Falcon wagon is basically built to order, I dont even think that dealers keep them on stock for test drives and I find it hard to believe that half would of been lying around. Plus earlier in the thread a person who works for a component supplier says that they supply components for almost double the figure Burela said. Maybe Burela was talking about petrol Falcon wagons, or maybe caradvice just misheard him.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I thought that too, but then I would think the Falcon wagon is basically built to order, I dont even think that dealers keep them on stock for test drives and I find it hard to believe that half would of been lying around. Plus earlier in the thread a person who works for a component supplier says that they supply components for almost double the figure Burela said. Maybe Burela was talking about petrol Falcon wagons, or maybe caradvice just misheard him.

Yes, caradvice were talking about the petrol station wagon ceasing production in June
but the E-gas wagon will stay until the problem with LI LPG is sorted later this year.
The line becomes less complicated with removal of BF petrol engine but E-gas is shared with FG sedan.

Burela gets a bit rubbery with figures predicting 10-15% increase without the Wagon,
yet they will still build the petrol wagon until June and E-gas until later this year.

I wonder if Mondeo diesel wagon will be considered by fleets or just ignored....

[janddbone]

Whats people's guess on how long the e-gas model will be built then???

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by mr_br_johnstone

Whats people's guess on how long the e-gas model will be built then???

A little bird mentioned end of September.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by jpd80

The line becomes less complicated with removal of BF petrol engine but E-gas is shared with FG sedan.

Not really. The Orion E Gas engine is basically a BFIII E Gas engine with the FG engine mounts and heater pipe. There is bugger all difference. Its closer to a BF petrol engine than an FG petrol engine.

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by jpd80

A little bird mentioned end of September.

Until the LILPG engine arrives, John.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Paxton

Until the LILPG engine arrives, John.

Goauto seem to know it's October so
Ford have obviously let the word out:

Ford said it will satisfy its remaining orders for the Falcon wagon – predominantly from fleet buyers including Telstra – and believes the introduction of a diesel version of the current MB Mondeo wagon will fulfill the needs of fleet buyers from the third quarter of 2010.
--------------------------------------------------------
Ford Australia has committed to releasing further fleet-friendly models within the next 12 month, including the next-generation liquid LPG injection Falcon LPI in October, plus the 2011 Territory diesel and Falcon four-cylinder, which could arrive as early as the first quarter of next year.
Link to goauto

[Joe5619]

Why does the E-gas not have to comply with Euro IV on the 01.07.10 & allowed to be built until Sep?

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Why does the E-gas not have to comply with Euro V on the 01.07.10 & allowed to be built until Sep?

Ford have been granted an extension until LiLPG is available.

[FPV70]

Originally Posted by block58

As it turns out, an FG wagon has been made, I doubt it will be put into production, though :

http://www.cmfairlane.co.uk/explore.htm

Well thats interesting. Someone imported them into U.K, then transformed the G6E into a Hearse and a Stretch Limo and labelled it a Fairlane?

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by FPV70

Well thats interesting. Someone imported them into U.K, then transformed the G6E into a Hearse and a Stretch Limo and labelled it a Fairlane?

There is no such thing as an FG Wagon, there never was apart from a couple of drawings.

Those monstrocities are a Sedan that has been either stretched or hand build into a hearse.

Ford ship sedans to the Uk so that Coleman Milne can service the Funeral Industry.

VERY small numbers !!!!

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I wonder if Mondeo diesel wagon will be considered by fleets or just ignored....

I know Siemens has changed from the Falcon Wagon to the Mondeo Wagon for their service guys. Not sure if it'll be petrol or diesel.

[Road_Warrior]

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2010...n-nissan-18812

Can't phone a friend? No lifelines left for Falcon wagon...
Those of us expecting outrage and uproar over the news that the Falcon wagon would cease production from May/June were sorely disappointed. After all the kerfuffle back in January when over-the-top reporting was the order of the day -- thanks to 'misconstrued' remarks by Ford's global boss, Alan Mulally -- the Falcon wagon's demise was greeted with subdued and sober reporting by the local press.

That may have been due to the broader community's lack of emotional investment in aging goods-carrying vehicles with leaf-sprung live axles and four-speed autos -- or perhaps commonsense had reared its ugly head in the aftermath of the Detroit pogrom. Perhaps Ford even managed the announcement in a way that left little room for sensationalism this time around.

We're told by a Ford insider that the media's 'ho-hum' response was mirrored within the company itself. It's no secret that Ford expected the Falcon wagon to be canned after the introduction of the Territory SUV, back in 2004 -- something our contributor Joshua Dowling touched on in his article the other day.

Loyal fleet buyers had supported the Falcon wagon in the marketplace though and while Ford could continue building the car, forced to spend little on updates, it made financial sense to do so.

But according to our source, the BF III Falcon's time was up, not just because impending Euro IV emissions legislation could not be met without spending an unfeasible amount of engineering dollars on the wagon, but for other reasons too.

Even as a fleet hack, the wagon was no longer an appropriate choice for buyers increasingly concerned with occupational health and safety issues, for example. Many, if not most of the wagons sold were 'e-Gas' variants, which meant no stability control. The wagons also lacked head-protecting side-curtain airbags as well.

But one of the features the wagon lacked that proved insurmountable to some fleet buyers was, believe it or not, Bluetooth. Fleet buyers are increasingly demanding the mobile phone technology be incorporated as a feature in the cars their reps are driving -- and it would have required significant and costly engineering changes to the GSM-era wagon.

And since Telstra has reportedly been a large-scale buyer of the Falcon wagon in the past, we think we can guess who at least one of those fleet buyers would have been.

Production of the wagon has hovered around 200 units a month in recent times, which was worthwhile in the dark days of the GFC, but Ford has been working overtime on Saturdays to pump out more profitable Territorys and FG Falcons. An extra 200 units of those two models will also change the mix of private to fleet buyers for Ford as well -- slightly at least.

Without any aspirational variants, such as an XR6, an RTV/Outback pack or something else again, the wagon was not contributing to Ford's improving brand image and it was presenting a stark contrast to the private-buyer appeal of Holden's Sportwagon.

So the Falcon wagon will be missed by few and Ford can almost certainly convince those few to take a ute with a canopy or a Territory instead. Perhaps sales staff could even point them in the direction of the Mondeo wagon -- although former Falcon wagon buyers may need a little more guidance to test-drive a Mondeo than just having the sales staff handing over the keys and telling the buyer 'off you go'.

I was under the impression that a factory Bluetooth kit was available for the B-series cars...still doesn't help the rather insurmountable curtain airbags argument though.

[cosmo20btt]

Originally Posted by block58

As it turns out, an FG wagon has been made, I doubt it will be put into production, though :

http://www.cmfairlane.co.uk/explore.htm

It is ironic that in the Falcon wagon's death throe's that a mortician comes up with a FG long wheel base derivative.

[cosmo20btt]

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

There is no such thing as an FG Wagon, there never was apart from a couple of drawings.

Those monstrocities are a Sedan that has been either stretched or hand build into a hearse.

Ford ship sedans to the Uk so that Coleman Milne can service the Funeral Industry.

VERY small numbers !!!!

It is good to know that when they bury you in the UK after years of having to drive FWD's as there is few RWD's to purchase, that they transport you to the plot in a RWD G6.

[bystander31]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2010...n-nissan-18812



I was under the impression that a factory Bluetooth kit was available for the B-series cars...still doesn't help the rather insurmountable curtain airbags argument though.

I bought one from spare parts for about 250 bucks. Not sure why they are banging on about bluetooth because its not an issue with B-series cars.

[FPV70]

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

There is no such thing as an FG Wagon, there never was apart from a couple of drawings.

Those monstrocities are a Sedan that has been either stretched or hand build into a hearse.

Ford ship sedans to the Uk so that Coleman Milne can service the Funeral Industry.

VERY small numbers !!!!

I don't recall saying they were wagons.

I did however say they were G6e's built into hearses and Limos but not once did I (ME) say they were wagons.

But thanks for quoting me :

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by bystander31

I bought one from spare parts for about 250 bucks. Not sure why they are banging on about bluetooth because its not an issue with B-series cars.

and DSC was made standard with e-gas gaining it from May 2009 as well...bad reporting.

[c.r.collings]

i have just done a 3 week surfing road trip through new zealand and i had a look at the mondeo wagons there, and i was not impressed, the second hand prices for a mondeo where cheap as and there was not that many, and they all looked beat up for their age, i have a ba wagon and i bought it for a reason, strong body/chassis/engine, heaps of space, rear wheel drive, and a big lazy 6 on lpg, plus the ride is limo, i think ford is making a big mistake here, why not just update like holden, australians love there big wagons for their family and holiday traveling, i do a trips to exmouth surfing and i can safely say the falcon sedans and wagons are king of the country roads, you only see the holdens when entering the towns.
the weekend newspapers confirmed the falcon wagon is finished, get with it henry update the wagons and we will buy. : : :

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by c.r.collings

australians love there big wagons for their family and holiday traveling

Not anymore they don't, SUV's and soft 4x4 vehicles are the weapon of choice for families. Hence (one of) the reason for the Falcon wagon's demise. Even if they spent $200 million developing a new FG wagon, they would probably only sell 600-1000 per month which simply isnt enough numbers to warrant spending that sort of money.

They're better off consolidating their money into their 3 key platforms (sedan, ute, Territory) which coincidentally that is what they are doing.