Ford’s Focus on Australia
23 Jul, 2007
25 Comments 
After making 600 workers redundant as a result of closing down the Geelong plant, the future looked bleak for Ford Australia. However only a few days later speculation had been aroused that - not unlike GM - Ford would rely on its Australian arm to produce the new global platform. Well the first results of these speculations have arisen today with Ford announcing that they will manufacture the Ford Focus locally in Australia by 2011.
Currently manufactured internationally in countries ranging from Germany to the Philippines to China, the small-hatch will be the only current locally manufactured small car on the market. Continuing the Australian firsts, it will also be most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicle produced in Australia, with the current manual diesel model offering fuel economy levels of 5.6 litres/100 km and CO2 emission levels of 148g/km. Both petrol and diesel Focus variants will be manufactured in Australia.
In the wake of the Geelong plant closure, Ford Australia is preparing for an annual production of 40,000 Focus vehicles, which will add approximately 300 new jobs across Ford’s operations, returning the Campbellfield manufacturing assembly plant to full capacity utilisation. In addition, the company’s Stamping Plant in Geelong will stamp a significant number of panels for the new vehicle.
Beginning in 2011, the locally made Focus will be sold in Australia as well as exported to regional markets, including New Zealand and South Africa. Significant additional export markets will be announced closer to the due date.
Rising fuel costs and changing consumer lifestyles have created a dramatic shift in customer buying preferences with small cars accounting for 21.7 per cent of all new cars sold in Australia year-to-date, up from 15.4 per cent in 1998. By manufacturing the European designed and engineered Focus in Australia, Ford will be able to enhance the vehicle’s key product attributes by enabling further consideration of Australian-specific customer demands.
“With the support of the Federal Government and Victorian State Government, Ford Australia will be the first local car manufacturer to respond to these changing market dynamics in this manner. We look forward to offering Australians their first locally produced small car in more than a decade.”
Ford Australia President, Mr Tom Gorman.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
PRIMO!
> FRUGAL-ONE!
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July 23rd, 2007 at 12:10 pm
about bloody time
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July 23rd, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Where’s Benjie? According to his reliable sources Ford were never going to build the Focus here in Australia?
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July 23rd, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Outstanding!!!
Finally Ford Australia has a vision.
Focus, Territory and Falcon That’s quite an Aussie line-up.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 12:28 pm
But i thought Ford AUs was dying?? my god who would have thought! It seems Ford AUS is alive and well.
Great move in my opinion too:)
It’s the new model focus as well, locally assembled, euro styled and handling dynamics, nothing wrong with that…
Come 2011 ford AUS will be busy, exciting times ahead.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 12:46 pm
This is good news, but hardly as exciting as portrayed buy those above.
First, 600 jobs are gone from Geelong, which has beaches, boating, Ocean Rd, Grampians all within easy reach for lifestyle.
I can see how thrilled 300 of those workers will be at relocating to somewhere near Broadmeadows, (a delightful residential area, NOT) which is close to the following amenities - 1) ? 2) ? errr - the area has nothing going for it. Oh - It’s closer to Sydney than Geelong…..But they could commute every day, which wouldn’t cost much…….
Second, they claim they’ll sell 40,000 Focus vehicles, but they’ve never sold that many yet, and a reduced quality local build will not suddenly make people like the vehicle more. I think that estimate is rubbish, probably being used to help get money from the Government to build the new assembly line. But then Mitsubishi has had a massive hand in Aussie taxpayer pockets in the past, so why not Ford as well?
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July 23rd, 2007 at 12:55 pm
This is fantastic news. It will also mean a big boost in quality for the Focus. Driving a Falcon and Focus back-to-back shows how much better the Australian Built Falcon is compared to the current South African built Focus in terms of build quality. When I last drove a 4 month old Focus, the seat trim was unalligned, the left power mirror wouldnt work and the door handle had to be jiggled for it to unlock.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 1:31 pm
@ Reckless1
“Beginning in 2011, the locally made Focus will be sold in Australia as well as exported to regional markets, including New Zealand and South Africa.”
That 40,000 isn’t just for OZ.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Reckless1…
If Ford re-employ some of the 600 job lost with the inline 6 going and they create another 300 with local assembly of focus, how is that a total loss?
They also said they will export the focus, which would logically help make up the 40,000 odd units, make sense yet?
And you know what, tuff titties about re-locating from Geelong, thats life and reality, we all have to change when things do ‘change’, nothing is forever.
As for local build quality, how about you wait and see? it’s not 2011 yet.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Steve…thank you. You have to wonder if people actually READ the article before commenting.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Adam, my first comment was
“This is good news, but hardly as exciting as portrayed buy those above.”
You have to wonder if people actually READ the comments before commenting.
And we are to believe that while we now import Focus from South Africa, we are suddenly going to ship coal to Newcastle from 2011 - dream on.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 2:08 pm
reckless1…
Your comment about Ford not reaching a target of 40,000 units annually is what i’m talking about…you said they don’t sell that number now…did you read the part in the article which stated ‘exports’? also by 2011 do think small cars will gain even more share if fuel prices remain high or maybe you think fuel may drop to a low level again?
So, yes i read yoyr comment correctly.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Reckless1 said- And we are to believe that while we now import Focus from South Africa, we are suddenly going to ship coal to Newcastle from 2011 - dream on.
Yes we are pal. No dreaming here.
Sometimes it’s hard to please everyone. What is it that would make you happy?
Business is business. If we are to secure Ford’s future here, then the sacrifice was the engine plant.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Agreed with Adam.
Ford will sell/export 40,000 (i think quite easily) with Exports to both Sth Africa and NZ.
Fords PR Department should have released this News in conjunction with the Ford Focus + and RWD Platform developments to counteract the new about Geelong.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 3:20 pm
The Axe and Chris…
Precisely! it’s easy to focus on the negatives for some though. Ford is making buisness decisions years in advance, they are privy to far more information than any of us, yet some like to think they know more than a worldwide auto operation like Ford or Holden.
Some hard decisions have to be made and Ford has made some for the predicted market in 2010 and 2011.
All of sudden it seems some of Holdens decisions might not be as concrete as some of Fords recent announcements?
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July 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Alex,
My thoughts too..it hurts to lose the I6…its a part of Australian Automotive history…probably Australia’s longest standing engine that has been able to match newer generation engines tit for tat. Having said that, Ford need to change to take more advantage of the international parts bin. Time and Time again, we hear how Fords components out do GM’s own. We will hear more of that come 2010-11 I believe.
Australia is reknowned for having a vocal blue collar segment and sticking it to “the man” so the outbursts that we are seeing are to be expected. Even when Ford announces more jobs that effectively counteract the Geelong plant shut down, people will still whinge…
It appears Holdens Export Demand for the Pontiac G8 won’t be as big as initially thought.
And for the Record. Isn’t Newcastle Already Exporting Coal? Oh thats Right…the Pasha Bulker was a Pleasure Cruiser!
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July 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Whoops,
Adam
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July 23rd, 2007 at 3:49 pm
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July 23rd, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Now the focus will be made in Australia we may get a FPV focus now?? 200kw-220Kw Focus would be cool or even the RS focus would be good!!so we can have HSV vs FPV in the small cars as well!!
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July 23rd, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I agree with Chopstar… imagine what FPV could do with the XR5 Turbo
It’d give the Astra VXR a run for its money.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Great news for Ford Aust.
Now I wonder if Holden, Toyota or even Mitusbishi are thinking of building one of their small cars here ?
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July 23rd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
200-220kw in a relatively light weight FWD… what would be the point! Be smart just to rebadge the RS as an FPV…AWD, now your talking
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July 23rd, 2007 at 4:51 pm
ford have also confirmed that falcon and territory will get diesel power buy 2010, the territory will get it first and then the falcon.
so finally the big fords will have v6 diesels which is great. Ford looks like they have already got jobs waiting for the 600 engine builders.
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July 23rd, 2007 at 6:47 pm
yep i thought this might shut up the “pesimistic only read the headline and not the article” kinda people.
but one still found it here
Reckless1, (suitably named)
still doesnt read articles though.
if he did he would not say things things that make him look silly.
a few facts for him, (if he had read)……
1. yes this focus will consume 300 of the job losses and from earlier reports some would already be consumed with in fords existing workforce (could be the other 300 there alone)
2. ford is also going to design the new ranger ute here more jobs there too.
3. ford will also have a diesel up and running here by 2010. yep more jobs.
you see people love to dig negatives on ford.
ford wasnt ready to announce plant closure because it would get people jumping the gun (which it has) they would have been waiting to announce the new structure as a whole. do you think the headlines will read tomorrow that “ford has actually created 600 more jobs” (even after the 600 lost were made up? so that could be like 1200 jobs)
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December 12th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
[…] Falcon is crucial to the survival of Ford’s Australian-manufacturing future. With plans to build the Ford Focus locally, the new Falcon must also do its part and having invested well-over $110 million in the new Falcon […]
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