Category: Ford

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FORD AUSTRALIA AIMS AT THE FUTURE

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The future of the automotive industry in Australia is rapidly taking shape. While manufacturing is slowly grinding to a halt – Ford has stopped, Holden and Toyota are preparing to do so, the future is looking increasingly bright. If you’re in design and engineering that is, sadly many people on the shop floor are losing jobs, thankfully with a great deal of assistance from the respective car companies. The Ford Motor Company currently employs about 203,000 people and has 67 plants worldwide. It plans to be a leader in connectivity,… Read more

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FORD CAPRI MARK 1

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The first Ford Capri, a European version of the ‘pony’ car, was introduced into Europe in 1969 in the hope of replicating the huge success which the Ford Mustang had enjoyed in the USA. Capri derived its mechanics from the Ford Cortina and was built in the United Kingdom at both the Dagenham and Halewood plants initially for the British market whilst cars for Europe were built in both Belgium and Germany. In its development stage the car went by the code name Colt but Ford was not able to… Read more

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FORD FALCON 2002-2016

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2006 Ford Fairmont Ghia

In October 2016 the last Ford Falcon left the assemble line, not long after its 56th birthday in Australia. What does this mean on the used-car scene for the period being examined here, 2002 – 2016? At this stage the answer is we simply don’t know’ though speculation suggests the sporting models may become desirable as years go by, perhaps even increase in value. That is the Falcon XR6, XR6T, XR8, Sprint, GT, and any with supercharged or turbocharged engines (except for the four-cylinder turbos). Trouble is, there are so… Read more

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FORD KUGA 2012 – 2016

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2013 Ford Kuga

Ford Kuga belongs to an increasingly large class of vehicles that are marketed as SUVs, but are in fact tall hatchbacks with either no off-road ability or, at best, the ability to be driven on dirt tracks and the like. The big appeal of Kuga and others is that they provide added space, are easier to get in and out of, have a (slightly) higher driving position and – let’s come straight to the point here – have a tougher look than conventional hatchbacks. Some Kugas have two-wheel-drive (the front… Read more

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FORD AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE IS ASSURED

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he last Falcon, but it’s certainly not the end of Ford’s work in Australia. Ford Australia CEO, Graeme Whickman says the company is here to stay

Let’s look at the good news and forget about the bad. Ford may no longer making cars in Australia, but it is doing an ever increasing amount of work in design, engineering and testing as a major part of Ford’s global development team. Ford Australia’s, president and CEO, Graeme Whickman, says, “Ford will remain a major presence in Australia and we will carry forward the legacy of our manufacturing team by continuing to design and engineer world-class vehicles for Australia and the world for many years to come.” In fact,… Read more

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FORD TERRITORY TITANIUM

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Sadly, Ford is no longer making cars in Australia, so it seemed like a good time for us to carry out our final test of one of the best models Ford ever designed – the Territory. The big SUV completely designed and developed in this country so is better than any other in the class at meeting Australian drivers needs and desires. When the Falcon FG X was introduced in 2014 the Ford Territory received a major refresh using some of the latest Falcon components, particularly in technology. This saw… Read more

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FORD ESCAPE 2001 – 2012

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2001 Ford Escape

Ford Escape is one of the last of the old-school small 4WDs. It was designed as a genuine SUV not a crossover, meaning it has upright styling and works pretty well in off-road conditions. It’s the result of collaboration between Ford USA and Mazda Japan having been designed during the period when Mazda was in financial strife and controlled by the American giant. Escape has a good compromise between on-road use and off-road ability. When used by the typical buyer in the suburbs most of the time during the week,… Read more

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FORD RANGER XLS SPECIAL EDITION

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Pickup trucks are all the rage in Australia at the moment and Ford says it’s very keen to be the market leader in this important segment. Toyota HiLux has been a winner here just about forever, but Ford says Ranger can oust HiLux and take top spot on the podium. Ford is certainly coming closer by the month. A big ambition? Yes, but a smart one as the Ford Falcon will disappear from the Australian market in October this year and something has to fill its place and bring dollars… Read more

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FORD PINTO

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1979 Ford Pinto hatch

In 1970 the Ford Motor Company in the US decided it was time that it produced a sub-compact car in an earnest attempt to stem the growth of Japanese imports. Choosing a wheelbase of 2.3 metres and a choice of either a 1.6-litre or 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine the Pinto looked like a winner when it was first introduced to the market. However, although it seemed like it was suited to the task, the engine and transmission of the Pinto were not a good match and the car had serious flaws…. Read more

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FORD FESTIVA 1991-2000

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1997 Ford Festiva

Built by Kia in South Korea, the Ford Festiva is a tough little car that seems to just keep on keeping on. After a successful 10 years on the Australian market that began in October 1991, the Ford Festiva was succeeded by the Ford Fiesta at the end of the year 2000. While the two names continued to be mistakenly intermingled to this day, the two machines are significantly different. The first Festivas were virtually identical in appearance to older Mazda 121s, except that the Ford was sold as a… Read more