Ford Engine Plant in Geelong to Stay
November 20, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
Ford Australia has just held a press conference to announce the company’s Geelong Engine Plant will continue to operate post-2010 producing Ford’s iconic in-line six-cylinder engine.
The plant currently employs 400 people, with the blue oval having already spent over $200 million dollars on the Geelong operation since 2006. An additional $21 million will be spent to keep the plant up to date and also insure new I6 engines comply with stringent Euro IV emissions standards.
“This decision is good news, not only for our employees in Geelong, our suppliers and the surrounding community, but also for the many fans of our I6 engine, which will now be re-engineered to achieve Euro IV emissions standards,” said Ford Australia President & CEO Marin Burela.
The announcement is good news for the 400 staff as well as the local manufacturing industry which supplies parts (intake manifolds, engine pistons, gaskets and bearings) and services to the operation.
“This is the first step in a broad product investment strategy to reduce emissions and deliver improved fuel economy across our locally built vehicle line-up, including Falcon, Falcon Ute and Territory.”
Ford says the Federal Government’s Green Car Innovation Fund will help set the agenda for further environmentally-oriented projects in the future.
“Our I6 engine continues to receive rave reviews for its performance, fuel economy and quietness. Keeping this engine in our product line-up will allow us to maintain our competitive edge and provide a distinct advantage over our direct competition,” said Mr Burela.
What are your thoughts on Ford’s decision?
Print it: 
arrrrrrr,Motorhead you want to explain how you came to that conclusion ? Fords I6 is a great engine but more advanced than BMWs ?I think not, and grunt per litre BMW wins there too, 250 kws out of 3.2 litres .However for the population of this great nation Australia has created a phenomenal engine and with a Turbo whacked on and the boost turned up you can get some serious ponies out of the beast.
ha ha ha yep,
had to seek better shelter for me FG. its even better to hear my next model after the FG will have an improvement on what is already a fantastic motor.
the amount of rain we had last night was deafening, and the length of time it went for was astounding.
where does this leave V8 supercars??
i dont know what that has to do with it.
has there been a press release saying ford arent doing V8’s anymore??
and hypotheticlly if they didnt, they run a 5 litre V8 anyway which is not a production motor in an Australian ford anyway.
Diesel will still come, and Direct injected LPG is all but confirmed for 1st QTR ‘09 as its confirmed DSC will be on LPG models then, and that means for DSC to work, it must be a later tech system.
I dont see how this affects diesel plans nor V8 plans.
Diesel was planned becore the I6 was declared off in the first place.
its like toyota confirming a new you beaut petrol for the Lux, and people for some strange reason assuming that the diesel models will be canned.
Bret,
As far as i was aware the FG is LHD compatible. apparently the engineering was already done before the LHD program was canned.
the steering rack being moved forward coupled with the wider front track in the transition from BF to FG, from my understanding ensures compatibility and overcomes the problem you speak of.
this would certainly mean an alloy block, and almost getting a horn about thinking of this thing on DI.
they say they are going to make it more efficient etc too.
Thats something to look forward to since its already the most efficient in its class.
there are so many things that have happened that could be attributing factors to this decision.
the new leadership could be a big part,
the change in aussie dollar could also play a part,
the realisation of the death of the falcon down under could also play a part.
ford may have not realised how much people really value the I6 until they announced they were cutting it.
I’d reckon the government grant will only sweeten it for ford. i doubt it was a big swinger.
Surely ford will want a bit of milage out of this on a global scale, perhaps the I6 will become the new global 6cyl???
Dare to dream?? Why not??
ford is really on to minimalising double ups at the moment, so perhaps??
i think those declaring being “skeptical” are merely hiding their disgust for some positive news for the aussie industry behind the word.
Wheelnut,
the reason holdens V8s are more popular is because their 6cyl is soooo crap.
Honestly, when i drove the VE’s i drove the SV6 (and thats the best 6cyl they have) first, and then the SS.
once you get in the SS the drivability increases massively.
if i settled on a holden, i would have easily snobbed my nose at the SV6. there is such a massive difference between the 2.
i then went to the ford dealership and jumped back into my comfort zone as i found a 6cyl vehicle that was easy to drive Phew!!!
the XR8 just didnt do it for me that much more. perhaps it was that they only had an Auto XR8 for me to drive, or perhaps that it didnt sound like a V8 (P.S. the SS sounds awesome/raw),
or perhaps its that the I6 isnt as lacking to the V8 as the V6 commie is to their V8
on the commodore side of things, its the V8, or go home i reckon.
thats prob why they have higher V8 sales.
ford have a Hero car both in V8 and 6cyl guise, holden do not.
that is prob another reason.
im sure if holden had an awesome 6cyl engine, that ratio would swing.
I agree with your comments Andrew regarding Holdens V6… I guess we’ll have to wait until the Direct Injection Twin Turbo V6 which will appear in the Next-Gen Commodore to see if it can regain some ground on the Falcon.
If I was in the market for a 6 I wouldn’t even consider a Holden and head straight for the XR6 Turbo.. but if it was to be a V8 – it would easily be the SS-V.
Honestly Holden haven’t had a decent 6 since the 1987 VL
Given that Holden make better 8s than Ford and Ford make Better 6s than Holden…. imagine what an awesome car could be built using parts from both cars?
Wheelnut,
to be honest i thought the XR8 and SS were about as good as each other performance wise.
well as good as each other for giving it a good squirt on the roads.
I havent actually taken them around a track, nor put them down the QTR mile myself though.
one thing for sure, and the biggest difference is that the SS sounds heaps better than the XR8, and since V8’s are about the noise, thats got to count for a bit.
the XR8 sounds too refined and quiet.
‘87 VL commie hey???
why? what motor did they have in that?? ha ha ha ha ha ha
Yep, it wasnt theirs, and it was one of the fabulous inline kind.
Goes to show how great inline motors are.
good to see BMW still flies the Inline flag on the world stage.
talking about world stage, did i or did i not hear that the FG Falcon and Aurion were the only 2 aussies still making the cut for world car of the year
Wheelnut,
The TTV6 isnnt confirmed.
even if it did come to life, it still wouldnt touch the single turboed I6, because even the TTV6 ford version O/S wont touch the aussie beauty
some characteristics cant be replaced by an extra turbo in the same way extra airbags dont make up for a poorer structure
This decision has saved Ford Aus. If the quality, reliability & affordability of Aus Fords was an ingredient of US fords they would not be in so much shite at the moment.
Comparing the smaller capacity BMW 6 to the Falcons engine is silly. They are designed for different vehicles\conditions. The Beemer is a small caqpacity screamer built for high speed where the Falcon has heaps of power but the thing it has is massive torque that few engines can match especially the Turbo version. The thing I notice about my FG XR6 Turbo is how smoothly,quietly and so so effortlessly it unleashes it grunt…….and amazing fuel economy when driven normally ……all of you Holden V8 or V6 drivers really need to drive one……..it is in another league to those engines.
i know this a bit random, but just a query.
why did toyota never base a REAL falcodore competitor off a JDM RWD toyota/lexus platform and design the rest of the car in Oz…….back when RWD was still selling like hotcakes, and before the fuel crisis ect, ect?
just a random thought
Another Falcon was looking very shaky at the end of this lease in 2010….but not anymore!. Finally someone a Ford has taken off the ear muffs and listened to what the punters have been saying since the v6 was announced…..
Terrific news. Couldn’t believe it when I heard the news…still pinching myself. As those before have already stated, this means the mighty falcon will not only continue to have the best engine in class, but it will be remaining RWD for sometime to come. Brilliant. Direct injection, turbo, RWD & falcon dynamics….can’t wait. As Jeza says above, finally someone at ford is listening to their customer base.
Cos, you are right about the inherent advanyages of the inline 6 configuration compared to a V6. However it is not ‘common’ knowledge. The advertising push behind V6s has convinced people that it is better. Most people do not even know what the configurations are. Please keep spreading the knowledge.
Re the many comments on BMW sixes. Can someone please tell me what is so great about these engines? Although I am nor going to buy either, I would prefer the Ford six as I would have far more confidnce in its longevity and reliability. My father’s Falcon was smooth, torquey and economical-I cannot say the same of BMW’s.
If you think Ford has changed their mind on closing the Geelong engine plant because of the complaints of their customer base you are kidding yourself. The decisions are all to do with economics.
Given that the new FG platform will likely be in production for 5 years they can skip the expense of engineering changes to fit the V6. With a target of 2013 for a new model 3 years of V6 production in the current platform may not be long enough to recoup these costs. Especially as Ford USA isn’t in much of a position to help.
When the plan to shut the Geelong factory was announced in July 08 the AUD was at 20 year highs of 95-98c US. It curently sits at around 61c US. If for arguments sake a US imported V6 cost Ford Australia $3000 USD the cost in AUD has gone from approx $3100 to $4900.
The recently announced investment incentives announced by the federal government make it less costly for Ford to have the current engine meet Euro IV.
It will effectively guarantee the Falcon keeps its current configuration until the end of the current model cycle, but as Ford has indicated all options are on the table for the next Falcon or its replacement. At least it gives Ford Aus a bit more time to press its case for its own model.
Maybe they are keeping the I6 and saying good bye to the V8??? they have done it before!!!
lets face it the I6t is better then the V8 at the present and it can compete and beat the LS2/3 and prob a Ls7 if some more money was injected to the engine… and the I6 on it own completes and beats the GM Alloytech crap and Toyota v6. but it will be interesting to see what happens from here…
my bet is that we will see the V8 stopped in Australia as the Boss can not compete with the GM LS2/3 engines
Andrew I prefer inline 6s to Vs.. which is why I loved my VL.
Thing is when Holden got rid of the inline 6 that was in the VB-VKs they used the Nissan 3.0 Litre as an “interim” engine whilst they looked for a replacement.. Unfortunately though the only “suitable” engine that Holden could find within GM was the Buick V6. Sure a V6 engine is more compact but isn’t as well balanced or refined as an inline 6.
Which is why I would like to see Holden revert back to an inline 6.. But since the introduction of the Buick V6 in the VN; GM-Holden have been set-up for further V6 Production.. which is why the next generation Commodore will use a Direct Injection V6 – with Twin Turbos being reserved exclusively for the Sportier models.
I would not be surpriced to see Ford Australia reduce the capacity of the current I6 motor to 3.5 – 3.8 litres. With direct injection the smaller capacity motor would give the same sort of figures for torque and kilowatts as the current motor. but of course a lot less fuel, maybe 9l/100km. When you reduce the engine capacity you should be able to meet the more stringent pollution numbers.
Keeping this engine for Ford Australia is a chance to show the parent company what can really be done with a little Aussie know how.
Dlr1 Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 10:07 am
Actually, a little birdy once told me that the V6 fitment team were on the go slow for about the last 6 months…..
Well before the current hitting the fan incident! Also the V6 was slotted into the programme during Orion Developement, as well as LHD so there isn’t much needed to do the swap, basically a Hood change to the body.
As to the droping the V8, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. Remember the Boss is a parts bin special so isn’t overly expensive. Whilst it may not have the race track mumbo jumbo of either the LS’s or the I6T, it still holds it’s own when driven on the street as most are driven.
Frontman, that sounds very interesting, especially considering its only 4 months since they announced the planned closure. Gotta love a good conspiracy theory. I still think the current economics are the real reason though.
I think it’s positive news in every sense, regardless of the real reason the decision was made.
It’d be nice to see the media focus on what great vehicles the Falcon & Commodore are for a change. Seems a few journalists (Paul Pottinger for eg.) are keen to use this as another Ford-bashing exercise.
Dlr1 Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Dlr1, we were actually discussing the Duratech around March and the sell was on then.
Not denying that the curent economy has had a hand in the decision, but I reckon that Mr B comming from Geelong Factory has also had a large part ;-)
I love this idea and whilst we may not see direct injection by 2011, there are a raft of other things that could happen.
Anyone remember the rumours of a 4.0l I6 diesel from the glory days when Geoff was in charge? Also the comment on E-gas being seen as a driving force in the current FG range for next year, with the press release that they will be getting DSC etc., well you can see either the half full glass or the half empty one, either way this has at least added some more fluid to it!
Honda Accord and Mazda 6 and Camry etc better quality than FG Falcon? In what respect Falcodore?
Had a look down the side of a thai built Honda lately. Very disappointing.
falcodore,FG goes better, stops better, rides better,handles better,looks better etc etc than mazda 6,Honda Accord or Camry and uses hardly any more fuel.
Lot more room as well.
Biggest plus of all is the sweet straight six and Rear wheel drive!!
What are u on about?LOL.
These models have taken sales from falcon over the years and the FG is the car to win them back for all of the above reasons.
^Realcars^
I think you calling two brilliant cars turds was what sparked Falcodores response. The Accord Euro, Mazda 6 and the FG Falcon are all brilliant cars with outstanding quality both on the road and in build. However the Falcon is a 4L fuel guzzler compared to the other two.
If you are comparing them in the guise of affordable quality family transport to refer to them as turds was a pretty brainless comment.
Anyway, awesome news for Ford and their employees. Ford need to investigate more fuel efficient alternatives for the Falcon (Diesel/Hybrid) to be built in the same plant to guarantee the even longer term future now.
My gawd these front drive johnny cabs don’t even compare for similar money. Put five adults and luggage in a johnny cab then check the economy.LOL.
Forgot about the premium unleaded for the mighty 2.3.LOL.
^Realcars^
LOL the FG Falcon as brilliant as it is still a 6 cylinder Dinosaur.
Hell even Ford its self offers a so called medium alternative in the Mondeo! A diesel Mondeo in the real world where people don’t drag each other off from the lights is bigger inside, handles better, is more refined, looks better, is more versatile and is way more efficient!
If Ford does not use this breathing space in Geelong to find an alternative for the 6 cyl Dinosaur, the Falcon will sadly fade away I think.
As a family car the FG wins hands down.
As a drivers car the FG wins hands down.
What can a Mazda 6 or Accord tow? 200kgs?
Real world ability not stats the manufacture hopes will never be tested.
Mates Mazda 6 three years old uses as much fuel as the previous VS he had especially with the family on board and says by comparison performance is lack lustre.
This is Great news,does this mean it will be all alloy?
Well I’ve driven these FWD 4 CYL family cars and wonder why the drive by wire is necessary with 1 cm of accelerator travel may as well just have an on/off switch.LOL.
More efficient because it is a diesel but don’t agree that Mondeo is superior to Falcon in all the other areas mentioned and the only looker is the hatch IMO. Over the look of the Mondeo sedan.
Ford need to bling the base model FG to match the bling on the johnny cabs.
Charlie Cox put it succinctly on the last episode of Aussie Top Gear when he made his heart felt plea to the buying public to support the Aussie sixes otherwise in the future we would all be forced to drive FWD pieces of shit or words to that effect.LOL
Instead he wants you driving RWD pieces of shit. :p
I have to get it out of my system sometimes as my other car is a people mover.LOL.
Caradvice u need to do an article on the congressional meeting in the states today where a Senator asked the three top nobs from GM,Ford and MOPAR if they would be prepared to sell their Lear Jets immediately in return for Government assistance. Needless to say there was silence.LOL.
Jimbo,
real world testing and reviews put the falcon as more economical than even the Honda with its cylinder deactivation stuff.
yet another one blinded by false economy??
a smaller engine doesnt mean less fuel used.
holden down graded from a 3.8L to a 3.5L and fuel consumption went terribly down hill.
as suggested earlier……..
“a 3.5L I6 would reduce to 9L/100k with alloy block and DI etc”
well i reckon an alloy 4.0L with DI would see high 8’s.
real world driving with a mixture see the falcon already in high 9’s
the 4.0L I6 could return 4.0L/100k, release less co2 than a Prius and do the 100kmh sprint in5 seconds, and people would still call it a dinosaur.
if the current I6 is a dinosaur, then the commodore and Aurion V6’s are the fossils that the geological minded dinosaurs were digging up
On ya Andrew M they are playing with fire when they critisize the Mighty Falcon!
We need to be designing and building our own cars in this Country.
My gawd South Korea was a third world economy up until 20 years ago and look at what they have achieved!
Sounds like Polites was a visionary (RIP). We need more people like this to drive manufacturing forward in this country.
Sick of the bullshit excuses such as labour costs and unions.Just an excuse for poor management in my opinion.
phew this is great news, keeping our iconic I6 and keeping aussie jobs, looking forward to the new engine, will give me a bit of time to save up for my new Terry (current one is a beautiful turbo ghia – love it) well done Ford, keep up the good work you’ve got lots to be proud of with great technical aussie knowhow…oh yes and iam ok with keeping petrol turbo, diesel’s a bit messy for us gals at the pump, also keep the torque and power in the new engine whilst reducing consumption ! cheers
Realcars, isnt it funny how the sun shines on ford Aus whenever an australian is in charge………….
in the gap from where polites left, till when the new chief Bruela took hold,
some ordinary things had happened to ford Australia.
BA,BF and territory was all under polites, and brought forward the staret of an awesome new product range.
now we have another australian on board to oversee the next major falcon range development. Phew…..
imagine of basketball and waffles stuck around to to oversee the new RWD platform currently in development……..
Hey HSV ive got an FPV ill be happy to run you any day ill pink slip ya. Im up for it are you?? im serious.
Woo – you lot are exicted about this. Good news I guess but what I don’t really get is why Euro IV references. Europe don’t even get this engine. However most competitors are currently supplying EuroV engines and some are not far away from Euro VI.
Still good news for all those families who have connections with the plant. Turkey at xmas it will be.
Cupid,
Get amongst the champagne my friend, we enjoy our cars here in OZ
Euro references??
well didnt you know the whole world gets bent over the same way??
Even though they reference it to Euro standards, we still have to comply.
Welcome to globalisation………
You can put the Champagne away for that welcoming though.
Andrew – Hiya dude.
I’m a bit anti the Euro thing. seems we pay a lot of taxes for those nobbers to decide how bent our bananas should be then ten years on see how stupid they have been and decide to recind the regulations.
As for globalisation – nah that sucks, do your own thing look after numero uno. Cultures are different all over the world, Aussies are different to pohms and yanks. Oh shucks you boys knocked us out the Rugby league world cup, well done, enjoy more champagne
Good on them….keep the grandpa’s ax alive!
The best Australian engine ever. This thing is an Aussie legend and great to see that it will still be here powering one of the best value cars around the world. Detroit should sit up and take notice of this engine that can trace its roots back to the 60’s because its a hell of alot better than any other engine in their line up. This engine is one of the best ford has in its global line up and shouls install it in other products. This engine has proven that it can stand the test of time and km’s. LONG LIVE THE AUSSIE INLINE 6!!!!!
should****
Realcars, you are comparing a RWD family car to a Fwd mid-size car which is not smart IMO. I was talking about build quality etc, for example, my sisters BA GTP (2004 i think) has plastic bits coming loose, the leather seats are badly worn and its had its fair share of electrical and wheel alignment issues as well. Her ‘92 Mazda 626 V6 never had these issues or any mechanical problems and that car was abused. (missed services, driven through the Pillberra scrub etc)
Anyway i’d take a Mazda or Honda over a Camrion or any Toyota anyday!
BTW i am proud of what Ford OZ have achieved with the FG and Holden with the VE for that matter, if i was in the market for a family car my choice would probably be the G6E turbo, very nice car.
Remember the 1st Wheels Handling Olympics Realcars, the 1st gen 6 out-classed everything including their benchmark car the BMW 335 and the 2nd gen 6 has only improved on that so be careful what you say about handling/braking etc. Guess we’ll have to wait for the next WHO to find out where they all place. Lets hope the falcons up there with the best but i suspect its brakes might let it down.
The REAL reason the inferior i6 lives is the current exchange rate has killed of the much more expensive US built V6.
Its a bean-counter decesion of which in this case the workers win which can only be good
Cheers
DOOF
how is the latest engine related to the 1960’s old pushrod engines? Why do people keep saying this ? It is so annoying and stupid. So its an inline 6 cyl internal combustion engine built in Geelong…..is this what they mean? I know there are no parts of the engine that are anywhere near the same exept maybe the oil filter so where is this relationship to the 60’s engine ?? all internal combustion engines are related to the 1876 Otto engine …….internal combustion engines are not a new idea !!
DOOF…..inferior I6 engine?? What is it inferior too exactly? Power torque economy refinement performance reliability…….gee what a crap engine !!!!! Do you drive a Holden?? From your comment you must be a Vibration Tech engine owner….VE V6 4 speed auto….now thats an inferior car !!!!1
Greeny, your right theres nothing interchangeable. The Filters used to be Z9 (Ryco) or AFL1 (motorcraft) up until the BA. But with the BF the changes to motor including lower idle, requiring changes to maintain oil pressure the filter was reduced in size and now is a Z516 filter. The only similarity is with a EA, the engine block itself is identical. For example a Head gasket used on a 3.9L can be used on a AUIII.
Misinformed numb-nuts please stop blurting out BS.