FPV not interested in tuning small cars

By Alborz Fallah
August 13th, 2012

FIND DEALS

Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) is not interested in applying its performance treatment to small cars, according to the company’s boss.

FPV managing director Bryan Mears believes large sedan and ute performance cars are still a viable product portfolio for FPV going into the future.

“Do we do small cars, are we going to do small cars? That is not really something that appeals to us all that much,” Mears said at a press conference in Melbourne today.

FPV has previously ventured into making a performance version of the Ford Territory SUV but stopped producing the F6X in 2009. Since then the company has solely focused on producing Falcon sedan- and ute-based performance cars.

“If you look at what’s available in the marketplace in the small car imports, I mean everyone has got one. Look at all the hot-hatch type vehicles. There are a huge number of those vehicles coming into Australia. For us to go into that space, it’s going to be expensive, we don’t see a vehicle that lends itself well to what FPV does to its vehicles. A number of those vehicles in that space are (already) real crackers.”

When asked about the prospect for an FPV-tuned Focus, Mears emphasised that he doesn’t think the Focus will work well with the FPV brand.

“Ford have got their view of the Focus and their brand of the Focus, I point out that Prodrive had a bit to do with their RS Focus in the early days and produced a terrific vehicle there. Have a look at the new cars coming in from Toyota, the 86. I mean that’s not a fast car. I mean it’s a handling car, it’s a driver’s car, but it’s not a high performance car as such and this is the game that we are in and people say are you happy with what you’re selling at the moment? I couldn’t be happier.”

FPV currently sells around 1800 vehicles per year and has just introduced the limited edition FPV GT RSPEC and an updated Ute range. The 425 cars (350 sedans and 75 utes) have already been sold to dealers.

Sponsored Ads

Hjalle

To me this reads as if though Mears is admitting their products aren’t up to standard and business isnt going to well becuase they don’t have the money to invest so they are able to go into one of the most important markets in the car sector.

As a business plan I cant see putting all of your eggs in one declining market like being the best idea… But i guess we will see.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YQLKLFNYP3UFBFAGOV2LNDSREA Robert Ryan
  
  No he has a point ,I think they will be doing hot versions of larger vehicles to differentiate them from others doing tuning on smaller ones.
Robin_Graves

To be honest I dont think they have the resources to better the current hot ford hatches coming out of europe, so its probably a fair call.
- jekyl & hyde
  
  and bigger wheels,suspension,exhaust’s,tricky seats’s and turbo’s are just all too hard ah robin,just to hard.maybe you guy’s could send them to walkinshaw,he can do it all to the humble cruze..lol
  - tiddy
    
    The reason why Walkinshaw is doing it for the Cruze is because Holden/GM don’t produce that sort of car, Ford on the other hand make the Focus RS, so why would FPV build a car that Ford already makes.
    
    And if it’s just a matter of matter of putting on bigger wheels, exhausts etc as you say, all you will get is a Cruze that’s a turd in cheap suit.
    
    Maybe you need to read the article a gain, but having said all that, I did think their effort on the Territory was pretty woeful, no wonder it didn’t sell
    - jekyl & hyde
      
      dude,it’s you who needs to read the article.i’m not saying to rebuild any car.i’m talking about “go faster/better” add on’s that fpv could make a shirtload of money on.but wait,thats too hard.betta stick to the falcon lol…
      - AB
        
        Jekyl and hide,
        The reason it is not viable is due to FPV being a manufacturer, therefore all its products must pass ADR’s and Ford’s internal testing and certification standards.
        Change the wheels or especially the seats = big dollar certification costs.
        The reason why Walkinshaw can modify cars so easily is the same reason why herrods has been doing exactly teh same thing for years…. Because they fit “accessories” once the vehicle has left the manufacturer and therefore those accessories are not subject to the stringent internal certification standards!!!!
Marko

Mears has his head in the clouds… large cars arent selling and the proof is in Fords/Holdens sales numbers. Ive always been a large car man but times are changing so you need to adapt to the conditions. They’re missing out on an opportunity to keep the business viable & I give it 5 years before they close doors.
- DanielD
  
  I don’t think they are missing out on any opportunities. The small hatch market is saturated already with good cars.
  
  What I expect Prodrive will do is dissolve FPV when Falcon goes the way of the dodo. The FPV branding only made sense when you had a local product that needed a performance version. Prodrive is a business and has many irons in the fire. Loosing FPV because the market has changed, won’t be the end of the world to them.
- Lox
  
  When you can import all the RS’s and ST smaller car sports models that are already developed why would you put money into doing it locally?
RSC200

Good Call leave it to the Europeans.
Michael Lock

For him to sound that confident, I think he knows that FPV will get the next gen Mustang (arriving around that time in RHD/LHD) exported as a base car much like the Falcon is supplied. I also think they might get the Ranger seeing as the SUV market is booming and it’s not a SMALL car.
Jimbo

How very short sighted.
- Legnab
  
  Very, yes , wont be much happening when the falcoon dies , probably put a few plastic bits on the mondeo or the ranger .
Bigbird

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If FPV started tuning the Euro hatches, they would cop it from all sides of this forum for messing with them. How could FPV possibly improve on Euro designed cars? But because they’re not, they’re copping it for that too.
IMO, FPV don’t need to touch the small car market. Out of interest though, I’d like to see them play with a couple. See what they can spit out.
- Kampfer
  
  Why do hatch?! While European is all hatches for small car, here in Australia is 50/50 small hatch/sedan. Our market is full of hot hatch already. Why not work on the Focus sedan? Put the Falcon’s Eco-boost engine in and tune it a bit. Get the handling right and you’ll have a great performance small sedan in Australia.
  - Waggaclint
    
    Why would they bother doing that when Ford has just released the Focus ST with a turbo ecoboost motor in it already….
    - Kampfer
      
      Because Focus ST is hatch only. I still know many people here in Australia think that any hatches are just “girly shopping car”.
      
      FPV can works on the Focus sedan like the Falcon. Make it in to another modern day muscle car. May be something like: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-G-udxTkqP4z6Xy1iUMYpBjopjhqD4E5D_T9jBZEWc2QnUsnKxUXe_IEJ(Not sure is this ok to post link… please remove if not.) Some owners will upsize to fullsize FPV (Falcon/Mondeo… god know) later on.
JamesB

FPV refuses to tune what they should while Walkinshaw plays with a car that’s not designed to be fast in the first place. What’s Australia coming to?
jekyl & hyde

its actually quite easy to improve any cars.take a nissan gtr.it costs 180k,and is an great package,so can it be improved?

the short answer is yes.aero aids,wheels,exhausts,you name it,it’s there to be bought.

take the brz and 86,there is a ton of stuff out their allready,some pretty heavy duty gear as well…turbo kits,oil catch cans,coilovers etc.

ford are simply waiting like an emu with its head buried in the sand for someone to run it down.their attitude is unbelievable.no go-fast bit’s for the focus,because its fast enough,and the 86 is slow…lol
symo

THE R-Spec is what the GT should have been from day 1. As usual Ford/FPV put out the best model at the end when everyone has lost interest. The XR8 Pursuit in the ED, should have been there from EA (I know they dropped the V8), the EL GT should have been the XR8 from day 1, the AU3 XR8 220kw and E50 5.6L Windsor should have been there from day one, the BAXR6Turbo was the one thing the did right as for timing and product, but the FG should have had the R-Spec from launch and the supercharged motor. Ridiculous.
- Bleeding obvious
  
  Top selling vehicle in Oz : Crew cab 4wd truck, Apex predator in this genre : SVT Raptor. Perfect fit with FPV and long term sales generator/ GTHO of 4wds – Obviously. But don’t worry FPV will ignore fans and keep doing too little too late.
Basil Exposition

Ford is about to become a purveyor of imported Fords with so-so reliability and quality… Ford is finished in Australia.
Adam

What?!? It doesn’t appeal that much but “everyone has got one”. Doesn’t this tell you something about the consurmer and your competition, Mr Mears?
Michael

I think the new Mondeo/Fusion would be awesome, in AWD form with a blown V6.
Opportunity missed again by Ford.
Rikstah

FPV not interested in saving his head, too busy cutting its hair
Raz

This is not a surprise at all, our team won the 2WD Australian Rally Championship last year in a Ford hot hatch, tuned by a UK based company. There was no V8 that could keep up, be it Holden or Ford. We did not get any support from Ford, they made it clear that they are not interested in small cars so FPV is just following the general policy.

I am sure that a decent handling Fiesta, Focus or Mondeo could be made in Australia, but it will not work using the classic “bolt on a bigger turbo” FPV approach. In a way it is good for FPV to admit that they can’t do it, but the times have changed and they need to learn quicky if they are to survive. Some of the small car buyers do appreciate a car that can be driven quickly around corners, even if they don’t want to spend the money for straight line acceleration or tyre smoking capabilities.

Check out the times in the Targa West rally this weekend, our Fiesta is up against Ford’s favourite performance car – I reckon we’ll give them a run for their money!
JamesB

Come to think of it, FPV aren’t really in the position to choose what to tune. The company is on thin ice and could just fade into oblivion the way Tickford did. Souped-up Falcons, though brilliant, are not selling as they should. The ST is set to become the hot hatch benchmark and it can’t be any nicer than to make this car even better.
Taz

well that’s why ford is going down the drain….oh well…no great loss
Adamb14

Why would they bother? the Focus RS and potential Fiesta RS are as heavily tuned as those cars are going to get.

Just stick a FPV badge on them if they wanted small cars under the fpv banner.

What Ford Australia does need to get though is Mustangs, i have SFA interest in a 80k Falcon, but i’d be more interested in a Boss 302 which based on US pricing should cost no more then 50k….