TriShield

Ominous Signs For Australia’s Large Rear-Drive Sedans



By Derek Kreindler on July 19, 2012

As dismissive as I tend to be of the internet product-planning brigade, their constant cries of “Bring rear-drive, V8 full-size Aussie sedans to America” may have some credibility – the market for these cars in Australia seems to be going teats up, with SUVs and small cars taking their place.

The Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon are clearly suffering; while they once vied for either of the top two spots, the Commodore is the 5th best selling vehicle in 2012 so far, trailing the Mazda3 by about 6,000 units, while the Falcon doesn’t even merit a spot in the top 10.

Some observers have cited SUVs as a possibly culprit for the demise of the Australian family sedan, but a look at the sales table for both 2011 and 2012 shows that smaller, fuel-efficient cars are eating the lunch of the “Aussie Rules” cars. The Mazda3 bumped the Commodore off a 15-year winning streak in 2011, and the market hasn’t looked back since.

Nameplates like Corolla, Cruze, i30 and Yaris have crept up on the big sedans, and dominated the first half of 2012, along with the venerable Toyota Hilux pickup. The Falcon and its stablemate, the Ford Territory, are nowhere to be found in the Top 10, a bad sign for Ford’s Australian operations.

Australia’s auto industry has been having subsidies pumped into it for a number of years, but things only seem to be getting worse. A journal published by leading Australian industries astutely noted that the Australian market is “…too small for manufacturing; too prosperous to ignore.” The short-term future seems to hold a continued injection of government money into the auto industry – and quite possibly, the demise of the rear-drive Australian sedan.

Tainted

iTrader: (9)

that looks like a 4 door rsx

whytryz28

iTrader: (28)

Agree'd, not a fan.

7998

iTrader: (1)

It is actually a kick *** car, though I will spot you it isn't the handsomest thing. Still a kick *** car. It is Fords G8 with I believe a turbo I-6.

HioSSilver

iTrader: (8)

Ford and GM both make several cars over there they should bring over here. I don't know how they could be dumb enough not to......but they are

TriShield

They are homegrown for that market by that market to suite the tastes of that market, which isn't unusual in the auto industry.

But Australia/New Zealand is a very tiny new vehicle market and local design/manufacturing is being stressed to the limit.

There is a huge number of different brands/vehicles sold there as well as changing consumer tastes towards SUVs and compact cars which hurts sales of Ford and GM's homegrown car's there.

proxemics

5.0 V8 falcon sedan will make a nice daily driver and family car

TriShield

Ford To Shut Down Australian Manufacturing In 2016



By Derek Kreindler on July 30, 2012

An Australian financial publication is quoting two auto industry players who say that Ford will exit their Australian manufacturing operations, taking the Ford Falcon and Territory with them.

According to the International Business Times

“Ford will still be here selling cars but it will not be manufacturing cars in Australia,” PPB Advisory partner Stephen Longley, a receiver for collapsed automotive supplier companies, told The Australian Financial Review.

In fact, “I don’t expect them to be here after 2016 when the Euro 5 standards kick in.”

This month alone, Ford laid off 15 percent of its workforce after collecting substantial handouts from the Australian government. While the Falcon is something of an Australian institution, consumers have been moving towards small cars in increasing numbers, leaving the Falcon and the Holden Commodore to become relics of a bygone era.