Ford to close up shop in Australia?

[Billzilla]

icons are only worthwhile if you can turn it into cash

everyone here loves coons but really in our microcosm, how many would pay folding for one, multiply that by XXX for the aus public

The evidence indicates certainly far from enough people.

[lumpy]

So yes it's not good that 1200 people are losing their jobs but it also means thousands more are going to have to make changes.

Bang on Bill.

No surprises at the response from the server patching paper shufflers. It is sad to see anyone lose their jobs, but sadder yet to be endlessly pontificating about it. As for not looking down on manufacturing, have you read this thread?

Ford Australia died in the end because we all started thinking we were too good to buy a ford.

[Sathanas]

With Alcoa and Shell heading off as well, things are going to get pretty tight in Geelong....

[chomper]

From what I'm hearing, its more than 1200 people getting the arse when manufacturing ceases, its closer to 2000. Not only that, the closure date is closer to October 2014 than 2016 if the red ink keeps flowing.

And fuck me Australian Ford Forums is such a fucking shithole!!!

[TonyJZX]

did you honestly not expect every paper forum quasi media outlet not to pick over the carcass as if its not the most important piece of news of this last few years, because it is

and at the same time, its irrelevant

there's an old saying, your choice of shoes, chair and bed is more important than what car you drive, because it is

at best i can see some people pick up an FG turbo in a few years time as a bit of nostalgia but thats pretty much it

[Captain_Slow]

How are Ranger sales going?

7th best seller in April (if you count utes in with cars), 1683 sold; making it the top selling Ford at the moment.

[Falc&Send]

I don't think there is any single factor that has caused Ford to shut up shop. Rather it is a combination of ALL the factors that everyone has already mentioned. It's people not buying Fords, it's Ford (lack of) marketing, it's the carbon tax, it's the unions negotiating better pay and conditions for Australian workers in comparison to what o/s workers get paid, it's the average quality of some of the models, it's the arrogant/ignorant attitude of some of the dealers (lack of customer service), it's the high aussie $, it's GFC, it's FOMOCO USA not working with FOMOCO Oz better, it's a whole range of other things that we haven't even thought of.

[Nero]

Ford Aus have not been allowed to export, I wonder if this was an issue?

[itsnotagsr]

7th best seller in April (if you count utes in with cars), 1683 sold; making it the top selling Ford at the moment.

Cheers. Guess that wasn't an alternative then.

[MartyHusseinXF]

This means I'll be able to buy the ranger based suv

[-Matt-]

I think novated leasing (choose your own car rather than a rep mobile)and fleet purchases has alot to do with it as well. Also taxi pack and dropping of the wagons and Fairlane/LTD...these are all recent factors (last 10 years)

But when they dropped the V8 from the XE - XF that did not help...Ford effectively lost a generation of supporters...there were no hero cars or race cars so people followed Brock HDT, HSV etc....kids dreamed of V8's not a Falcon S Pack or Ghia.

You could also blame the Capri too...Ford Oz was entrusted to build a car and built a piece of crap....one could argue Ford Detroit last faith in them given the Capri. On the plus side Ford Oz have developed so good units over the years eg Ranger.

As a parting gift perhaps a balls out GT HO

[9triton]

I don't think there is any single factor that has caused Ford to shut up shop. Rather it is a combination of ALL the factors that everyone has already mentioned. It's people not buying Fords, it's Ford (lack of) marketing, it's the carbon tax, it's the unions negotiating better pay and conditions for Australian workers in comparison to what o/s workers get paid, it's the average quality of some of the models, it's the arrogant/ignorant attitude of some of the dealers (lack of customer service), it's the high aussie $, it's GFC, it's FOMOCO USA not working with FOMOCO Oz better, it's a whole range of other things that we haven't even thought of.

saw a bit on sky news - (yeah - in the UK) about this

had the usual suspects :

GM of ford oz saying it was twice as expensive to build a car in australia than europe - and 4 times more than asia ( thailand)

union officials trotting out mangamnet fuckups let genuine aussie workers down

and ;last;ly gillard saying its a sad day but she /labour party is dedicatied to making australia a place for all manufactureing to prosper and grow -.... yeah riiight.

[Captiva Fan]

But when they dropped the V8 from the XE - XF that did not help...Ford effectively lost a generation of supporters...

Everyone always says that, and seems to forget that pretty-much nobody was supporting them before that! Everyone was a Holden fan, almost nobody was in the blue corner.
It didn't help that, for example, their Bathurst flag-wavers were s seppo (OK Canadian - but we didn't know that) and a whining fuckwit (Richards); but they were always American, as opposed to Australian Holden (even though Falcons were more Australian than Holdens ever since the Commodore).

If you look at the sales graph from the first page, the huge kick in the Falcon's nads was the AU ... they've not recovered since, and them waving goodbye might leave a market large enough for Holden to survive-on for a bit longer ... alt

[260BC]

saw a bit on sky news - (yeah - in the UK) about this

had the usual suspects :

GM of ford oz saying it was twice as expensive to build a car in australia than europe - and 4 times more than asia ( thailand)

union officials trotting out mangamnet fuckups let genuine aussie workers down

and ;last;ly gillard saying its a sad day but she /labour party is dedicatied to making australia a place for all manufactureing to prosper and grow -.... yeah riiight.

Can't understand why Gillard has not been hung out to dry for that statement. Perhaps it is so ridiculous that noone believes she actually said it.

[Captiva Fan]

Can't understand why Gillard has not been hung out to dry for that statement.

Manufacturing = labour = Labor.
Manufacturing = blue-collar != Liberal.

Of course it's ridiculous, it's something a politician said; however it's definitely more in their publically-portrayed persona than The Others'.