By some accounts, the new Australian Ford FG Falcon is a good car. It's said to have earned Ford Australia the right to develop Ford's new global rear wheel-drive (RWD) architecture. Former Lexus driver FoMoCo CEO Alan Mulally claims he covets the G6E Turbo model. So it's selling well, right? In a word: no. The Australian reports that the FG Falcon has "flown into a perfect storm, with high petrol prices and tumbling trade-in values conspiring to slam the brakes on sales of the new large sedan." Though sales are technically up eight percent over last June, Ford has moved only 4k of the new RWD sedan since its launch two months ago. There's been no appreciable bump typically associated with all-new products. Even Ford Australia boss Bill Osborne is worried: "The underlying market for large cars is even weaker than what was on display in June, and that's cause for concern for us." Ford is confident that they can "build momentum" because turbo models weren't available at the launch, but they also won't rule out layoffs or production cutbacks because they "don't know where fuel prices are headed." Anyone want to help them out on that?
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As with America, I believe the best-selling car down under is Japanese, namely the Toyota Camry. (The AU Camry looks a lot better than the US Camry.)
As with America, instead of battling the Camry head-on Ford AU builds another Falcon. However, fortunately, they already get the Mondeo and Euro Focus while we have to wait. But the best-selling cars are still Japanese, so maybe that’s a hint we ought to investigate further.
I visited Australia in 1998 and saw that their gas prices were double ours. If things are as bad there as they are here, I can only imagine gas guzzlers like the Falcon (and Holden’s Commodore) are gathering dust in AU showrooms like Explorers and Tahoes are doing so in US showrooms.
I went to the Ford.au website to try to find out some specific info about the Falcon. It was hopeless. Worse than the usual flash junk automaker web sites. All it had was tv commercial clips.
So… when’s the post about Toyota’s cutback in global sales goal from 9.85 to 9.5 million or reductions in the their global production plans by 450,000 vehicles? Or, more relevant than Ford’s Australia Falcon, Toyota’s reduction of sales target to 2.44 million in the U.S. for the year from 2.62 million last year and their original target of 2.64 million.
Bloomberg might be a good source.
I guess 9.5 million is technically up from last year, but so are the Falcon’s sales.
In terms of private sales, Australia’s best selling car is the Mazda3. In terms of fleet sales, it’s a battle between the Holden Commodore (a Falcon competitor) and the Toyota Corolla.
Apart from high fuel prices causing a slump in sales, another problem for the Falcon is the Euro market Ford Mondeo sold here. It’s cheaper, more fuel efficient, better equipped and almost the same size as its bigger brother.
Like the Yanks, we Aussie car buyers aren’t stupid.
I don’t have the numbers to back me. But just walking through the car lot of any Aussie shopping mall and the I conclude the most popular car is the Toyota Corolla, the Nissan Pulsar, and the Hyundai Accent.
You do see Camry’s, but not as many as Corollas.
Keep in mind that this may be different over in Melbourne or other parts of Oz. I don’t think it is that different thought.
Well for someone who starting selling fords in the early 2000’s and switched to selling Toyota’s in 2004 i can honestly tell the biggest selling car in Australia this year is the Corolla. For four months of this year Toyota has sold as many cars in a month as Ford and GM combined. Toyota’s marketing power in this Country craters the advertising landscape.
What’s worrying for Ford of North America is that Ford bought in “Euro fighters” to combat Toyota dominance,(mondeo,Fiesta,Transit) and their market share shrank. An interesting case study for Mullaly.
This from Vfacts, the goverment website that tracks car sales statistics.
Toyota remained market leader in June, selling 25,624 vehicles, which was an all-time record for any brand in any month.Toyota was also the top-selling marque in the first half of the year with 127,440 sales or 23.5 per cent of the market, followed by Holden with 67,123 (12.4 per cent) and Ford with 54,469 (10.0 per cent).
The most popular car year-to-date is Toyota’s Corolla with 24,415 sales, ahead of Holden Commodore with 23,323 and Toyota HiLux with 22,132.
OOps.
It’s a shame this car isn’t sold here.
Even though it isn’t really “all-new” all the reviews from the Land Down under say it’s a better driver and better inside than the Commodore which GM sells us through Pontiac.
When I was in Sydney in 2004 Commodores and Falcons were everywhere as well Japanese compacts. I got to drive a Falcon XR6T (the hot turbo model) at a local dealership and was completey blown away by the car. It was good looking, spacious, had excellent dynamics and the turbocharged engine was sublime. If Ford sold the car here I would be a Ford man, everyone else can have their Camrys (which is called the Aurion Down Under).
Ford did humor selling this Falcon here but in the end decided the 300 million plus investment in making the car left-hand drive and expanding the Aussie plant that makes it wasn’t worth it. Maybe they were right but it’s still an excellent car that isn’t being sold here when Ford is in need of excellent cars.
So… when’s the post about Toyota’s cutback in global sales goal from 9.85 to 9.5 million or reductions in the their global production plans by 450,000 vehicles?
@RobertSD:
Nearly two weeks ago. Try to keep up.
I’m not surprised by the downturn of the Falcon. We know it’s mostly fleet, anyway.
TriShield :
July 28th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
everyone else can have their Camrys (which is called the Aurion Down Under).
With a 4 cylinder engine they call it a Camry. With a V6 it’s the Aurion
@CarShark
Missed that, apologies. But they haven’t included anything about Toyota’s US plans yet as far as I can remember.
Of the locally produced vehicles:
Toyota Camry Platform (Aurion + Camry)
June 2008 – 4813
2008 YTD – 23158
Ford Falcon Platform (Falcon + Ute + Territory)
June 2008 – 5976
2008 YTD – 28263
Holden Commodore Platform (Commodore + ute + Statesman)
June 2008 – 5857
2008 YTD – 32548
Posted by James2 : (The AU Camry looks a lot better than the US Camry.)
You’re thinking of the Aurion. Both the Camry and Aurion are sold down under, the Aurion being the 6 cylinder restyled car.
Petrol is currently averaging around $1.50 per litre in SE QLD.
It ranges from 1.36 through to 1.56 depending on the day of the week.
Prices are cyclical through the week in most parts of eastern AU – we have cheap Tues. and Wed. with prices then jacked up for Thurs. and Fri. and then they start to fall over the weekend again.
Needless to say just about all of us buy our fuel on Tues. or Wed. – you should the queues in some places.
Also diesel is going for about $1.75 a litre.
As yankinoz said – you see a lot of Corollas, some Civics, Pulsars, Mazda 3’s and Focus’ and some Astra’s and no end of the Korean equivalents (Kia/Hyundai/Daewoo).
Camry’s/Aurion’s are also popular in the large car class. But prob. not as much as the Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore (of which there are lots) or even the Mitsubishi Magna – prob. because they are all cheaper (2nd hand at least – and a lot of the Aussie market is 2nd hand).
In the medium class there are few vehicles provided. You see some Subaru Legacy’s, the new Ford Mondeo has only just been released, the Vectra isnt available here anymore (it has been replaced with something called an Epica – which isnt by the looks of it and you dont see many of them) and quite a few Mazda 6’s. Then there are the usual Korean equivalents. Oh and the Accord Euro. You dont see many of the larger Accords.
Other than that there is no end of 4WD’s, Utes, and Pickups.
Sounds like Aussie gas is on par with Canadian prices. Same range here, hovering around 1.50 a litre for regular.
All I want to say is damn the whole green debate, damn gas prices, and damn the fickle market. I want stonking V8 Holdens and hotted up Aussie Fords here NOW. And the Pontiac redesigns don’t count.
Against strong Japanese sales Ford have got their work cut out to make any impression on the Ozmarkets