What do you mean by “….fitting light truck engine configurations to passenger cars which is what Ford Australia has been doing to cut development costs…” ?

Light truck ? The inline 6 motor has been in passenger cars for 50 years ? Obviously not a history buff when it comes to Ford and that’s no drama but a silly off the cuff remark.

Do you remember the ICC in the BA Falcon. It changed the game for the car interiors and certainly car makers around the world have now caught up but it revolutionised the car interior. This model is nearly 6 years old and so you would expect it to be dated. Comparing this model to newly released models is like comparing a new born baby to a 5 year old. There is a new release coming early 2008 so I would expect style improvements inside and out.

The 6 speed box is more than a ‘bolt on enhancement’ and unless you have driven a car that has it, then that’s another silly of the cuff remark. I have driven the old 4 speed Sequential, it was good, but I now own a Territory with the 6 speed box and they are light years apart. The best box of any locally built car and I would suspect one of the worlds best gearboxes. A good gearbox makes a world of difference to the way power is delivered and also the the way the economy can be utilised with premium gear selection for revs.

Yes the OZ $ is at historic highs but to think that will last is another regretful fallacy. Sure everything is bubbling along nicely ‘at the moment’. Jobs are great. Economy is strong. It won’t last. While in a boom the lastest bust is just around the corner and I can’t wait to hear all the bleating hearts when it does happen, and import costs go through the roof as will prices for cars. We will then see how GREAT a decision it is to import parts for our own locally made engines.

Globalisation means OZ$ heading overseas for services we can easily provide here. If more people supported local products then they would remain. That’s the core problem. We lose too many industries overseas therefore losing our ability to control our destiny. Sure it mightn’t affect us today but I can’t wait for the day when I can say I told you so! Problem is I too will be affected by the decision makers mistakes.

I am curious what year did you have a Falcon and/or a Holden ? Have you driven the latest variant with one of the slickest 6speed boxes ever in an Australian car let alone a car anywhere in the world ? A relic, please you really haven’t been in a Falcon lately. You are still in the 80’s. These days you can generally jump from Subaru to Holden to Ford to Volvo to Toyota to Mitsubishi etc and you couldn’t pick the difference in refinement. I have driven all sorts of these cars due to being able to rent cars whilst travelling around Australia, and apart from the different internal layouts you wouldn’t pick the difference riding along. Only that the Falcon blows the others away for standard performance.

I said in another forum that one day when we lose control of our destiny this globalisation will hurt us and then we will all be complaining about the increased prices of things we import because we lose all control once we do. No use complaining as it must be what we all want. NOT ME!.

Who friggin cares if its not made here (like the Commodores engine) or its FWD…. FWD vs RWD argument is bullshyte anyway, both are equal overall, they both only power one set of wheels!

QUOTE= Ford and Holden deserve credit for one thing, they never had their hands held by the parent company.
It’s only just now that Holden and Ford are being intergrated into the GM and Ford world.

Yeah cos the parent company wants to stay clear of its subsidiaries which are making losses lol

QUOTE= Also remember Fords ZF 6 speed auto beats Toyota 6 speed auto in the aurion, while only giving up .03 of a litre in fuel economy, while maintaining a big torque advantage, yes torque is a lot higher than Aurions 10 kw power advantage.

Hardly, the Aurion accelerates marginally faster then the Falcon, although yes it has less torque… torque is PULLING POWER, the Aurion weighs less, you dont need as much pulling power.

QUOTE=So far real world figures put the aurion on the same gas guzzler class as the VE and BF.
imagine if Holden and Ford produced a FWD car? Toyota is nowhere near perfect or any better than the american players.

Ok for starters no real world the Aurion wins… the VE is WAY off the Falcon is closer, but every CREDIBAL report has the Aurion better. I also know a few Aurion owners and they have returned good fuel efficiency. As for no better then the Amercian players, you have to be kidding me mate, Toyota, the brand that sells the most cars IN THE WORLD, competes in many motorsport competitions (thnx advert lol) and on top of this returns survey after survey favourable results in terms of reliaiblity isnt any better? Where did the Holden and Co come in a recent survey on reliablity… I believe it was something like last and second last.

BMW M3 went to a V8 cause there was only so much grunt they could get out of the 3.2 litre. Remember they started with a 3 litre in E36 M3 in 1995 then up graded to 3.2 with 236 kw then increased the grunt to 253kw in 2000. They have only gone to V8 in the M3. The range from 323i-335i still have inline 6 . Ford have made the wrong move here ,no advantage for a V6 except for Fords pocket!

Paul no idea. i think you only like what you know (and it doesnt seem to be much) just because most manufacturers use V6’s doesnt mean they are better. have a look i dont see many advantages with the V6’s

And as I said they don’t have a V6 and I also said BMW have taken on board a small capacity V8. So thanks for restating what I said.

don’t be so naive.

Toyota, Holden and Mistu have all played politics and had there hand in the cookie jar as well.

Aurion and 380 Australian Cars??? I always thought they where Japanese parts assembled here.

Now why do you think they do that- Hand outs, incentives.

Sales have plumeted, Fairlane/LTD Dead, resale is shot, its the first of killing off the vehicle

No sales // No export = No point!

They CANNOT survive with the small amount they are building, at the great exchange rate, Ford will find something to fit the spot in RWD for the small amount that want a large RWD.

Its sad but its reality, Mitsu 380S4 will be next to go

Leaves the Aurion/Camry and VE as the last standing….for how long?

Regards

F-O

Again, where is Toyotas RWD vehicle, to fully counter the VE and BF? V8s? turbos? utes? wagons? longwheelbase versions…NONE.

Also, Ford is not the only local manufacturer getting goverment handouts…Holden, Mitsubishi AND Toyota recieve handouts…so you can stop that complaint.
I think you need to open your mind up a little and stop buying into everything thats dramatic and propganda in relation to Ford and Holden, Toyota doesn’t even make the same sort of local profits Ford and Holden do…Toyota HQ funds Toyota AUS otherwise they wouldn’t exist at all.

Ford at least has made engines here for the past 40 years unlike Toyota, Holden assembles the HF V6 here.
I think you need to drive a VE, aurion and BF11 falcon back to back to fully understand what your talking about…me, myself have driven all of them as i work in the motor industry.
Toyota still can’t make a vehicle handle.
Toyota and Holden both focus heavily on exports! consider Ford AUS only exports 7000 units a year and they managed to survive this long, longer than what Holden or Toyota would have if they did export 50-70,000 units a year.
toyotas marketing machine works very well it would appear.