Although, Ford have recently released an ad stating that it’s the first Australian-built sedan to receive 5 stars and the Ute ad is very good too, they never seem to air their ads much. At the moment, the only Ford ads you see are “the big spring clean” clearance and no Falcon ads.

Andrew M – ok then.

Ford needs to learn how to market, and Holden needs to learn how to design their own bodies and engines.

who ever claimed there was a “link”
all i know is that i was quoted 6-8 weeks for my FG.
either way, i couldnt care less if they had truck loads of them sitting to go.
what does that prove??…… SFA.

all i care is that i have ended up with the better vehicle, and it will be something that i will enjoy to drive

Oh, sorry – silly me. I must have missed the bit where Ford can’t keep up with demand for the Falcon – can you show me the link, bro – for I am surely not smart enough to find it. Must be the appeal of that “TOTALLY NEW” design, I guess.

Then again, perhaps you’re shrieking hysterically because you don’t want to face up to reality.

Holden haven’t had a uniquely 100% Australian product since the Kingswood was canned in the late 70’s. Even the VE is a global platform, developed here, but driven by GM’s global requirements.

Ammortising the development costs over a much larger sales volume (of a global platform) will ensure that Ford will be manufacturing cars in Australia for as long as the rest stay here – cause it’s now all in or nothing, if 1 goes the rest won’t survive.

Richo/Andrew, the profits on building the Focus here will be quite high, considering that there are no or very little, local development overhead costs to be factored in. eg. Every VE sold (here and OS) must have x% of $1Bill added to cover costs before any profits are made.

also,
contrary to what yourself and others may think, an export program WONT secure the falcons future.
even the current Holden export program doesnt cement the commodores future.
the first of the aussie made sedans will only be secured once they start making them in another country on top of still here in OZ.

what im getting at is how much holden is, or should is say isnt making on the exports.
sure your thoughts on smaller cars yeild smaller margins may be correct (ill take your wor on that),
but you forget that an exported vehicle also yeilds a smaller margin.
so in a nut shell,
the combined margin of fords falcons and focus’s would equal the total of holdens home and away sold commodores

Oh and Andrew M, Ford was also the first to have disk brakes as standard…
And what XR Ute did you get, Is it an XR6, XR6T or XR8?

i bought my new XR UTE on the 30th of august.
i paid the pre september price, but will get a september spec build.
i didnt realise that until i had already bargained a price, and neither did the dealer

seems like i got a better deal for not holding off another day

ford has always had a better safety rating to the equivalent commodore.
i came across a chart a while ago on used cars that will prove exactlly what i just said.

and back on to the 5 star rating,
the commodore in its current form cannot achieve 5 stars.
it scored too far off the mark in the frontal crashes to a point that even if it achieved top marks possible for the side impacts, it still wouldnt rack enough points to jump into the 5 star club.

the only reason you think holden is superior and more innovative is because you only know the Holden tune.

holden build cars for fans, and thats it.
thats why they sell more, because they develop a fan base and do a mighty fine job at keeping it or growing it.
and i dont mean a fan base as in a loyal customer fanbase,
but rather the racing “hoonised” image sort of a fan base

Man, you should take up comedy.

People do not base their buying decisions on what is the best car. They buy what they perceive they need to solve their transport problem.

For some it’s a Prius, others get a Navara, others get a Captiva.

Problem for Ford is, no-one’s getting a Falcon, or a Focus, or a Mondeo, or a Fiesta because for some reason, those cars aren’t perceived as meeting the customers’ needs.

Ford’s marketing is completely to blame for this. But when you have chosen the god-awful style of the AU and are still using the same failed basic shape, you see part of the reason, maybe a large part of the reason.

I guess that because the Holden badge is, how can I say, a touch more working-class than Ford, their follows are thick-skinned loyalists who would never consider buying anything else (Barina sales prove this too), whereas a traditional Falcon buyer has possibly moved up to a Honda or something European by now.

But then again 2010 who knows whats economic climate is like then…