Fairmont Ghia to disapear?

[Iphido]

Quote from latest wheels:

By the end of april 2006 Ford had sold 6066 territories in Oz, with almost one third (2002) accounted for by the top spec Ghia. Compare this with the falcon, where the Ghia accounts for just two percent of falcon sales.

We know the Fairlane and LTD are on the chopping block for slow sales but I guess we should pencil in on the executioners list Fairmont Ghia and perhaps Fairmont.

With such a tiny slice of sales it is hard to justify making the Ghia unique, which in turn makes it hard to justify buying it, as its only a dressed up falcon. Which in turn makes it hard to justify making the car in the first place.

Surely this should set off some sort of alarm bell at Ford. They give away the LWB market, they give away the SWB luxury market. Rumors of the Futura being canned are heard as well.

Prediction, Ford OZ 2008 sedan product lineup.
-Ford Falcon XT
-Ford Falcon XR6


Ford needs to address a serious problem with *A LOT* of models. The Fairmont Ghia's sales mirror the Fairlane and LTD's. Yet luxury sales of BMW, Mercs, Audi are booming. Chryslers 300c sales have broken expectations even with a fuel crisis.

Ford needs to stop conceding ground..

What Ford needs is a luxury car worth a dam. Something to tempt the private buyer. Stop stripping it out and give it what it needs.

A big image lift. Proper levels of equipment. Class leading engines.

Otherwise we might be waving by by to more of the lineup.

[Fairlane]

What Ford needs is a luxury car worth a dam

People dont know whats good for them. I think the Ghia is a great car- The main problem is that the XT-Futura-Xr6 are so damn good and that dont really know what a Ghia is, they think Fairmont and it are one and the same.

Sure the Ghia could do with more unique luxury items (Xenon Lights, Heated Seats, Digital Dash), but this costs a lot of extra dough and doest always work (Remember the AU).

I think the Ghia will stay- sure its only 2% of sales, but it costs jack all to make over the Fairmont and all the parts are already available for the Fairlane and LTD. Id bet the the Fairlane Ghia would have the best profit margin of all of the SWB cars for Ford.

[LUXO_8]

IMO, if they axe the Fairlane and LTD, the luxury car segment will just be Fairmont Ghia......

i doubt it will be axed...........not yet anyway

[needfordspeed]

nooooooo!! The ghia has always been the best falcon out of the lot (bar XR's), I hope they don't axe it. They just can't, there won't be any new luxury falcons..........

[5.0failane]

I cant belive they're axing the Fairlane and LTD to begin with. Ford used to own the local LWB market, and if it wasnt for the fact that they built a few crapy models they would still be selling them. Its a good lesson Ford is teaching us, if you stuff up and its all to hard, just give up! No wonder I've still got my NC only problem is now they're not going to make a new one I cant see the old man wanting to sell the LTD so I can upgrade.

[Kryton]

i agree with MAD_NC. you have to have at least one luxury car in every range. all ford need to do is market the Fairlane and LTD properly and it will sell. sporty models are obviously what the consumer wants so why not tempt them with a Luxury Sports car? why cant the Fairlane/LTD be a turbo or even a Boss 260?
Imo the LTD should have had the Boss 260 from the start.
as for the Fairmont Ghia, its not going anywhere, maybe some more defined marketing techniques will boost sales.

[Redrum]

The Fairmont Ghia just lacks the gimmicks that an S class or 5 series has. People that want these features are happy to spend money on the cars that are loaded with them.

[Au2falcons]

Hmmm I think it has something to do with the fact that the Fairmont, Ghia, Fairlane, LTD, since the introduction of the B series looks to much like the rest of the range.

I've always loved the Ghia, because it's always had the different nose and striking exterior differences, more equiped dashboard and in some models different dash.

The best feature of all was the stand out woodgrain!!!!!

Now days you can barely see the woodgrain, and the nose is too similar to the falcons. I've owned a BA fairmont, it just didn't feel like a fairmont, the fabric on the seats is almost identical to that of the XT, the woodgrain was barely visible, the instruments are very similiar. I think you get the drift.

My 2 cents.

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by Au2falcons

Hmmm I think it has something to do with the fact that the Fairmont, Ghia, Fairlane, LTD, since the introduction of the B series looks to much like the rest of the range.

I've always loved the Ghia, because it's always had the different nose and striking exterior differences, more equiped dashboard and in some models different dash.

The best feature of all was the stand out woodgrain!!!!!

Now days you can barely see the woodgrain, and the nose is too similar to the falcons. I've owned a BA fairmont, it just didn't feel like a fairmont, the fabric on the seats is almost identical to that of the XT, the woodgrain was barely visible, the instruments are very similiar. I think you get the drift.

My 2 cents.

Exactly ... there really isn't a differentiation between Fairmont and XT nowadays. The base models are loaded with some half-decent equipment as it is now ... some people are happy with the lower models now and don't see that it is worth coughing up the extra cash for the luxury models.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by davway

why cant the Fairlane/LTD be a turbo or even a Boss 260?
Imo the LTD should have had the Boss 260 from the start.

The 3 valve engine is ideally suited for the heavier cars with it's much better low down torque and a Fairmont Ghia or LTD would look silly with a bonnet bulge IMO.

Cheers CC

[HSE2]

Ford got it wrong with BA interior. They thought they could improve the sales of the base cars by making them similar to the top line models. The theory was to make the volume sellers at least look similar to the best on offer and make those buyers feel like they were getting more for much less. That will always cause a detrimental impact on any premium product.

When I heard this I protested rather loudly. You never ever reduce a premium model on this sort of premise. Budget buyers really don’t think like this. All you will end up doing is turning the premium buyer away from that product.

The two dash designs in AU were the correct theory to adopt, but the execution probably wasn't quite right with the base design. The hi line dash still remains one of the best Ford interiors to date and even if the design wasn’t to everyone’s taste the ideology behind it was on the money. I think we can see that Holden will follow the AU lead with different interior themes. In the top end of the market you don't want people observing the fact that the car is just an XT with more equipment. This issue followed onto the LWB models.

[dazAUSR]

There are people who like luxury items & would prefer the size of a fairmont ghia over a fairlane/LTD. I think the long base is ok for some & has its niche market but too big for most.....'hang on i'm just trying to park it, how far am i stickin out?' : ... Maybe forget the fairlane and keep the LTD, as people who spend that much will go the extra mile and will want the high level features. If they can't afford the LTD then they have the fairmont ghia as an alternative.
The fairmont ghia is a fav of mine and ford need to have this model to offer people the opportunity to say... take notice I own a ghia....you don't .
Maybe a single word name is a good idea, but being able to identify the name with luxury is important. If we don't have something special to offer, the comp like...yes holden, will dominate the market. You might only sell a small number compared to the base model but you can't just get rid of it for that reason.

[janek]

Originally Posted by Iphido

Quote from latest wheels:

With such a tiny slice of sales it is hard to justify making the Ghia unique, which in turn makes it hard to justify buying it, as its only a dressed up falcon. Which in turn makes it hard to justify making the car in the first place.

Surely this should set off some sort of alarm bell at Ford. They give away the LWB market, they give away the SWB luxury market. Rumors of the Futura being canned are heard as well.

The ghia is far from standard.

Take a drive in an au forte, compare it to the ghia. I HATED the AU. until i drove the ghia. The difference is beyond remarkable, the ghia cannot be dismissed so lightly.

[Disco1986]

They need to make the GHIA more specail, like in the EF/EL with better suspenion LSD, and more powerful motor, it also needs to look a little better some how. I think Xr6's and Ghia's should get a 200kw I6 motors, just to give them somthing over the XT

[Allen]

The BA-BF Fairmonts simply look too much like an XT... The EF-EL Fairmonts really stood out against the falcons.
Same goes for the BA-BF Fairlanes, they look like a longer falcon.

If ford could restyle the fairmonts and LWB into a much "classier" up-spec kind of car, then they would sell more. No doubt a few innovative features, and a performance edge over falcons (excluding XR's) would seriously help.

I reckon that ford had it right with the EF-EL Fairmont Ghias, Lovely styling, and in the case of 4.0 sixes, the tickford engine.

Why cant we have a new Fairmont ghia with a XR6T engine, and nicer styling? Or a LWB with a Boss260?
I know that i would want something like that over a FPV... if i had the $$$

[Deadman]

I hope they don't axe it, because they're a great bargain for second hand buying... Can already get BF Ghia models for $40k with barely any km's on em. Then again, I guess that's why everyone isn't buying them new...

I don't see it going any time soon though, not till well after the LWB models have disappeared. And I have heard that the Orion Ghia looks absolutely awesome. Hopefully they have a few supprises in 08 to give the Ghia that little something extra that makes you really want one, no matter the cost.

[Bossxr8]

[QUOTE=Iphido]Quote from latest wheels:



We know the Fairlane and LTD are on the chopping block for slow sales but I guess we should pencil in on the executioners list Fairmont Ghia and perhaps Fairmont.

With such a tiny slice of sales it is hard to justify making the Ghia unique, which in turn makes it hard to justify buying it, as its only a dressed up falcon. Which in turn makes it hard to justify making the car in the first place.

Surely this should set off some sort of alarm bell at Ford. They give away the LWB market, they give away the SWB luxury market. Rumors of the Futura being canned are heard as well.

Prediction, Ford OZ 2008 sedan product lineup.
-Ford Falcon XT
-Ford Falcon XR6


Ford needs to address a serious problem with *A LOT* of models. The Fairmont Ghia's sales mirror the Fairlane and LTD's. Yet luxury sales of BMW, Mercs, Audi are booming. Chryslers 300c sales have broken expectations even with a fuel crisis.





You really need to stop jumping to conclusions. The Ghia is the most expensive car in the range, and 2% of roughly 80,000 Falcons is still decent numbers considering the majority of Falcons go to fleets. Being the most profitable car in the range also means its totally safe, no where has Ford ever said the Ghia is going or in trouble.

[Polyal]

Firstly, BS.

Secondly, I agree that that more needs to be done to make it different, and Im sure something will come of it.

"IF" LWB dies, something has to step up. But there are also rumours suggesting that a LWB will be US bound, so that will be interesting.

The ghia is a good car now, but it needs a XR6T engine or a better V8 and some different styling.

Thats why I love my ghia, XR6 engine, suspenions and hot looks, all that is needed is an OPTIONAL manual gearbox.

[Silver Ghia]

Hope it doesnt disappear.

I wouldn't change the mechanical specs at alll, except maybe more options like a manual transmission and different engines.

Just needs a little more creature comfort inside like better door trim panels, a little less plastic feel on the centre console, a fuel door open and low coolant level warning indicator, and a drivers footrest - all of which were on the AU.

Why did they downgrade these items???

Otherwise its a great car, I hope to keep it for quite a while yet.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Hope it doesnt disappear.

I wouldn't change the mechanical specs at alll, except maybe more options like a manual transmission and different engines.

Just needs a little more creature comfort inside like better door trim panels, a little less plastic feel on the centre console, a fuel door open and low coolant level warning indicator, and a drivers footrest - all of which were on the AU.

Why did they downgrade these items???

Otherwise its a great car, I hope to keep it for quite a while yet.

The footrest was deleted to avoid potential foot injuries in case of accidents. It rated better in crash tests without it.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

The footrest was deleted to avoid potential foot injuries in case of accidents. It rated better in crash tests without it.

I thought that might be the excuse, to lower costs.

Look at nearly every car at the motor show, they all had one. The Golf even has one for the RH foot as well as the leftwhen on the cruise control. I think the new Focus even has one.

It used to be a known fact that a driver could get better control of the pedals, when the left foot was on the footrest, also to counteract the force on the brake pedal when braking heavily, and thereby help avoid accidents!!

Or do people use the left foot to brake these days? Baaaad practice.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

I thought that might be the excuse, to lower costs.

Look at nearly every car at the motor show, they all had one. The Golf even has one for the RH foot as well as the leftwhen on the cruise control. I think the new Focus even has one.

It used to be a known fact that a driver could get better control of the pedals, when the left foot was on the footrest, also to counteract the force on the brake pedal when braking heavily, and thereby help avoid accidents!!

Or do people use the left foot to brake these days? Baaaad practice.

Not cost cutting, it is done by Jaguar too, after they found that removing them resulted in less chance of foot injuries and a higher crash test rating. Ford reviewed the results and tested them for themselves and came to the same result. Cost saving is just a sweetener.

[xrbossute]

Would Ford leave the Luxury segment to the Calais/Caprice?Seems hard to believe.I hope not.A long time ago the fairlane shared the 351 with the GT.A Fairlane(and Fairmont) with a 290 or at least a 260 Boss get more sales?

[MoreHPformyXR6]

Isnt a Calais a dressed up commodore a Ford Fairmont Ghia is a must I feel. Its far in advance of the XT.

[Dr Smith]

I think the latest snippets of news coming out of Ford Australia coupled with the axing of the Crown Victoria in the US is changing the landscape for Ford Oz very quickly. Some of the quotes from Ford Oz staff in today's press give the strongest hints yet that Ford Oz will be designing LWB cars which will be built in the US. The ability to use these resources and developments could actually help Ford Oz with greater funds to differentiate the Ghia from the Falcon and create a more unique Fairlane/LTD.

[MeestaNob!]

The Ghia just doesnt have enough goodies, not nearly worth the money.

For me it has the the BARE MINIMUM I'd expect in the Fairmont...

And 2%? A Fairmont/Ghia Turbo would double that in a heathbeat.

[henry 351]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

I think the latest snippets of news coming out of Ford Australia coupled with the axing of the Crown Victoria in the US is changing the landscape for Ford Oz very quickly. Some of the quotes from Ford Oz staff in today's press give the strongest hints yet that Ford Oz will be designing LWB cars which will be built in the US. The ability to use these resources and developments could actually help Ford Oz with greater funds to differentiate the Ghia from the Falcon and create a more unique Fairlane/LTD.

Americans building Australian designed cars?
If we sent the Yanks plans for a horse they'd build us a jackass and tell us its better for us...

[Smoke Pursuit]

Hmm, the BA Ghia was very popular, It seem to lose popularity with the Mark II and BF.

One of the reasons for this Im guessing is the Territory Ghia, alot of Fairmont Ghia owners are stepping up, with the RWD at the same money its a good buy and better equiped then the ghia.

Not to mention the fact that Ford made the Luxury Pack available on the XR models, this also hurt Ghia sales as alot of company executives are now buying XR6 Ts and XR8s with the luxury pack!

Id say with the way Fords going with personalization that there will be less models to chose from but more options in the future, as in 3 basic versions which can have a variety of options fitted to them, for example the XT, XR and XS, as a 3 model base line up, each car having comparable options rather then having a 6 model lineup that does the same thing. Its feasable and smart when you think about it, but will make it harder to put a value on each model especially at trade in time. The XT and XR6 certainly make up over half the Falcon sales now, and without quoting anything id assume would be close to the 70% mark!

[ClevlndStemer]

there was a fairmont ghia? wow here i thought it was an XT with the leather seat option ;)

[RSgerry]

How do Calais sales compare with the rest of the Commodore range? The problem with the Ghia IMO is that it isnt different enough to warrant the extra dollars. I think the Calais is marketed (something that I dont see at all from Ford) well and, as such, stands out from teh rest of the Commodore range. The problem with comparing the Ghia to Audi, BMW etc is the badge. Quite simply, a German badge carries a lot more snob value than a Ford badge. Irrespective of whether the imports are any better or not, the Gia is always going to be a Falcon in drag.

As others have said, Ford need to do something. However, Ford seem incapable of doing anything in more than one market segment at a time. The XR seems to look after itself, but Ford introduce the Territory and forget about small cars, now they have got their act together with the Focus and have forgotten about the Ghia. Other fine examples of Ford's great decisions are; losing their grip on the market they had with the Laser, losing the Telstar completely, dropping the V8 and waiting 8 or so years before bringing it back, losing a lot of potential loyal fans in the process, the Mondeo, the Taurus...the list is endless. And I havent even started on build quality issues and service...