VFACTS January 2013

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by mik

mate, the fiesta is whether you think it has a lot of room or not , it is still a little car, you won`t see too many fiesta taxi`s, put 4 or 5 people in your fiesta and some luggage see how it performs, oh yeah......don`t forget to put a trailer/caravan/or boat on the back,
bigger cars are more versatile, you can in fact have your cake and eat it too, want economy and power,

i give you eco lpi
i give you eco boost
i give you territory diesel
want medium economy and still good power with all of the versatility add the plain petrol version to the above
want more power options unit options/trim levels and the same versatility
look higher in the range,
no doubt the little fiesta is a good little car, but it is still a little car that is less versatile than a big family car for which some of us want and need.

All quite true mate, i'd say the bulk of purchasers don't need to pull boats/caravans or operate as taxis and if they did, the choice is far larger and you can find a more tailored vehicle to your specific needs nowadays.


The way I see it is Ford Australia are in a period of transition, trying to shake off the Falcon car company mindset and are starting to do a good job.

[bigwil]

Any FPV 2012 figures yet? Would like to know how many FG1 Supercharged beasts were sold and FG2

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

They returned on the 14th, heard on the grapevine that ecoboost is a eight week wait and ecolpi is a wait-and-see due to a hose being unavailable due to supplier problems. What a joke...........

Do you know what the hold up with Ecoboost is? Is that an 8 week wait for customers or an 8 week wait before they start build any for 2013?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Do you know what the hold up with Ecoboost is? Is that an 8 week wait for customers or an 8 week wait before they start build any for 2013?

At the moment Valencia is supplying Ecoboost 2.0s to Europe and North America,
I hear thy are taking every last one in a lot of products there like Escape, Fusion and Edge.
Australia goes to the end of the queue..

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by csv8

Ford should put the Taurus V6 Ecoboost engine as in the SHO ..in the XR6 !!!!

The engine I would like to see is the coming 2.7 V6 Ecoboost, that puppy will have
around 250 Kw and 480 nm and Fuel economy numbers similar to a 3.6 V6 Commodore.

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by greenfoam

The writing was on the wall years and years ago and I really can't understand how such big companies kept their heads in the sand and kept on producing them speced for daily use for as long as they did/have.

From what I read both Ford and GMH expected a decline, Ford had seen the trend develop in the B series Falcons time and if you look at the excellent data that Russell has put together you can see the trend has been going on for about eight years now. I think where they both got caught with their pants down was with just how quickly it accelerated, once it had got started.

I suspect both companies figured this generation might be the last or in the case of their respective sales volumes, perhaps for VE, the second last and FG the last, but they clearly weren't expecting them to be at the volumes they are now.

Its hard to believe FG would have ever been approved if Ford had accurately predicted it would be down to the current sales volumes two years out from the end of this models life.

So we are where they were always going to be, just a lot sooner than the product planners had allowed for and at volumes a lot lower than was supposed to be for for the swan song.

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

It is not the fleet turn around I'm questioning, it is the private buyer turn around I'm questioning. A few years back Falcon was selling 30K per year, but only 20% of them where private buyers. That is only 6,000 private buyers per year. If Falcon maintained this level of private buyers (which in itself is very unlikely), based on total 2012 Falcon sales that would still only be 42% sold to private buyers. So to get private buyers to a percentage level where fleets are now "small" players, this would see private sale numbers (in units) close to doubled in the last 2 years. Unless you show me data, I just can't see that as being real..

Since FPV production numbers have been dropping even with the new engines (Age article), you would think the turbo Falcons aren't selling in big numbers either. Certainly you don't see many of them around. Probably someone on here who makes or is involved with engine production can answer that one accurately. My guess is XR6's with no options is probably carrying the bulk of sales and most of them are fleet.

Private buyers have left the market. XR8 (rebadged GS) might bring back a few if the price drops and maybe 2014 update if it is stunning looking and/or extraordinary value, but that seems about the last plays left in the book.

After that they might as well chuck everything they have for Falcon into the one sport and luxury model for private and novated lease holders, say bugger it we aren't going to be selling these post 2016 and just flog as many as they can at heavily revised down prices. Similar to what they did with BF runouts.

It will screw peoples resale values, but if thats whats needed to keep volumes up so as to recoup some of the expenses involved in 2014 Falcon and allow a phased shutdown or replacement car to come in at the factory, they may not have any choice as they will need some volume.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by jpd80

At the moment Valencia is supplying Ecoboost 2.0s to Europe and North America,
I hear thy are taking every last one in a lot of products there like Escape, Fusion and Edge.
Australia goes to the end of the queue..

They certainly aren’t giving this engine much of a chance to success. You got to wonder why they even bothered, when you consider the effort (or lack of) they have put behind marketing & supply..

[ryeman]

We are the 'collateral damage' in the auto world of conglomerate mergers, Chrysler into Fiat, Renault/Nissan and more still.
The US Explorer starts with the EcoBoost FWD version (2.0L)!

[BroadyFord]

Mazda grabs second place in sales race

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257B0800216A4B

MAZDA appears to have eclipsed rival Holden to take second place in the January sales race and close the gap on market leader Toyota in hot summer sales.

Official industry VFACTS sales figures out tomorrow are expected to confirm that Toyota’s sales were down almost 10 per cent last month in a hangover from the Japanese company’s zero per cent finance sales blitz at the end of 2012.

Sales of the locally made Camry fell by more than half over January last year, down from 1290 in January 2012 to about 557 last month.

This contributed to Toyota’s sales slip to 13,374 vehicles in January, compared with 14,817 for the corresponding month last year.

But Mazda sales jumped about 23 per cent last month, to about 8912 vehicles, 101 units in front of Holden’s 8811 vehicles, despite the GM subsidiary’s 5.0 per cent sales gain on the back of heavy TV retail advertising.

It is the third time that Mazda has grabbed second place on a monthly sales table, having down it twice before in 2012.

Mazda was one of several importers to make big gains, with Nissan’s sales climbing 48 per cent to 7202 vehicles and Volkswagen’s sales volumes climbing 57 per cent to 3814 units.

Ford managed to increase sales via imports such as the Focus and Fiesta, but its locally made Falcon continued in the doldrums, with about 779 sales – less than the tally of the rival Holden Commodore (1655).

Mazda’s ever-popular Mazda3 small car comfortably took the sales crown in January, ahead of a pair of imported Toyotas – Corolla (2960) and HiLux (2747).

[BroadyFord]

^^ To put that in perspective, VW's sales were more than the output of the entire local industry!

Very worrying times.

Please don't call me negative or a "Ford-basher" etc. - I lovr Ford- but I really fail to see how Falcon will last to 2014, let alone 2016. What's to say sales won't be around 300-400 a month once the 2014 update rolls around?

Mind you, camry's figures are worrying to.

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

^^ To put that in perspective, VW's sales were more than the output of the entire local industry!

That is really, really sad!

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

^^ To put that in perspective, VW's sales were more than the output of the entire local industry!

I suggust you do your maths again as you are wrong!!

Local cars are Falcon Seden, Falcon ute, Territory, Comm Seden, Comm ute, Caprice, Cruze, Camry & Aurion..

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

I suggust you do your maths again as you are wrong!!

Local cars are Falcon Seden, Falcon ute, Territory, Comm Seden, Comm ute, Caprice, Cruze, Camry & Aurion..

In 2011 VW sold 8.16 million vehicles across the globe 2012 figures not released yet but expected to trend towards 10 million inthe next few years, If that's what was being refered to by the earlier poster then the entire Australian Production figures are insignificant in the wider global market.
I posted recently that the 50th largest manufacturer in the world produces more cars than the Australian manufacturers combined.
Australia is a very small auto manufacturing base, punching well above its weight, but I fear greatly subsidised by the parent companies.
JP

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

In 2011 VW sold 8.16 million vehicles across the globe 2012 figures not released yet but expected to trend towards 10 million inthe next few years, If that's what was being refered to by the earlier poster then the entire Australian Production figures are insignificant in the wider global market.
I posted recently that the 50th largest manufacturer in the world produces more cars than the Australian manufacturers combined.
Australia is a very small auto manufacturing base, punching well above its weight, but I fear greatly subsidised by the parent companies.
JP

That is not something new. That has been the case probably from the 1st day the Falcon started being made!!

[bobthebilda]

Sales of locally made cars were 6870 for the month

http://www.caradvice.com.au/211789/n...orrid-january/


Out of a total of 85,430 vehicles sold for the month, thats only 8% of cars sold last month were locally made.

[BroadyFord]

Predictably, Dowling has started to go berserk on Twitter cheering about the low proportion of locally-made vehicles sold in Jan.

Here are a few:

Locally-made cars hit new low: just 2722 Commodores, Falcons, Territorys, Camrys, Aurions delivered. Combined they only rank third. #VFACTS

Ford Focus had its best month ever, drove Ford to a 33pc increase - but outsold Falcon 3 to 1. Falcon now selling at Mitsubishi 380 rates.

Holden says it has scaled back production of Commodore ahead of new model. Toyota Camry and Aurion down 57pc and 77pc respectively. #VFACTS

[Joe5619]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/211789/n...orrid-january/


I can't find Falcon Ute sales, however we could also say locally built Ford products rose 11.8% (excluding Falcon Ute). Ford itself rose 32% & was just 1191 units away from 2nd place. I'd say a very good month for Ford all around. With new Kuga just around the concern things are looking good!!

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

Predictably, Dowling has started to go berserk on Twitter cheering about the low proportion of locally-made vehicles sold in Jan.

Here are a few:

Locally-made cars hit new low: just 2722 Commodores, Falcons, Territorys, Camrys, Aurions delivered. Combined they only rank third. #VFACTS

Ford Focus had its best month ever, drove Ford to a 33pc increase - but outsold Falcon 3 to 1. Falcon now selling at Mitsubishi 380 rates.

Holden says it has scaled back production of Commodore ahead of new model. Toyota Camry and Aurion down 57pc and 77pc respectively. #VFACTS

The figures don't lie.

[ShootsWithFilm]

Why is he not putting the boot into Toyota? Combined sales of the Camry/Aurion was 784 units...

[dimka100]

No they don't, but selectively reporting the sales numbers of a single model and leaving the rest out is a typical cheap journalist behaviour typically known as “taking things out of context, manipulating the facts to your agenda, and using it to influence the greater public”!

Before J Drowning reports on the sales of the Falcon and the overall Australian car industry, how about listing numbers of each model rather than handpicking the worst example! For the Ford it is the Falcon Sedan, Falcon Ute, and Territory.

Falcon Sedan – 778
Falcon Ute – ???
Territory – 1161

Originally Posted by Wretched

The figures don't lie.

[ShootsWithFilm]

Originally Posted by dimka100

No they don't, but selectively reporting the sales numbers of a single model and leaving the rest out is a typical cheap journalist behaviour typically known as “taking things out of context, manipulating the facts to your agenda, and using it to influence the greater public”!

Before J Drowning reports on the sales of the Falcon and the overall Australian car industry, how about listing numbers of each model rather than handpicking the worst example! For the Ford it is the Falcon Sedan, Falcon Ute, and Territory.

Falcon Sedan – 778
Falcon Ute – ???
Territory – 1161

Its very funny you should mention that! I have searched high and low for the Territory figures and buggered if I could find them. All I could find was "up by 44%".

Thanks for posting that.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by dimka100

No they don't, but selectively reporting the sales numbers of a single model and leaving the rest out is a typical cheap journalist behaviour typically known as “taking things out of context, manipulating the facts to your agenda, and using it to influence the greater public”!

Before J Drowning reports on the sales of the Falcon and the overall Australian car industry, how about listing numbers of each model rather than handpicking the worst example! For the Ford it is the Falcon Sedan, Falcon Ute, and Territory.

Falcon Sedan – 778
Falcon Ute – ???
Territory – 1161

I don't see the issue there. Falcon sales are woeful, he reported as he and pretty much everyone else sees it.
He stated that Focus sold 3 times as much as Falcon, that's still a positive for Ford, that their sales have increased by 33%, another positive.
You can't hide the fact Falcon sales are plummeting (Commodore too).

If he doesn't say someone else will. It needs to be highlighted and up to Ford to fix it.

[EgoFG]

Originally Posted by Wretched

The figures don't lie.

Correct but they can be easily misused and abused and I could show you many examples.

But the Q about this source is that he leads the opinions about what is and what is not in the motor industry - and he has a leaning to the negative - esp for the Au motor industry - and even more so Ford

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

Correct but they can be easily misused and abused and I could show you many examples.

But the Q about this source is that he leads the opinions about what is and what is not in the motor industry - and he has a leaning to the negative - esp for the Au motor industry - and even more so Ford

And that is exactly right. That is why he was targeted over that Ecoboost article with the picture of the oil leaking lemon, and his pathetic blog response to the criticism. But it's ok, because he has an SS ute and washed some family member's Falcons when he was a kid, he is entitled to say whatever he likes about the Australian car manufacturing industry, with whatever assumptions and speculation he can conjure up.

Originally Posted by Wretched

Falcon sales are woeful

Compared to what, and according to whom? It is a niche model in a market with 60 brands competing for only 1 million annual sales, why must the Falcon sell eleventy billion thousand per month?

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Compared to what, and according to whom? It is a niche model in a market with 60 brands competing for only 1 million annual sales, why must the Falcon sell eleventy billion thousand per month?

Compared to the rest of the Ford range.
For a car that was once Ford AUs bread and butter it is now relegated behind Focus, Ranger and Territory (not far behind is Fiesta) and now considered Niche.
It has to sell to in reasonable numbers to ensure continued manufacturing of it locally is viable.

How much further should the sales slide before the "panic" button is hit? How low can Ford go before Ford NA say enough is enough? Or will they continue to seek further money from Govco? hmmm can't wait for that election.
Simply put the sales need to pick up for the local cars.

[MrZ]

How come in a thread with nearly 100 posts, only 1 or 2 contain any actual sales figures?

[turbodewd]

Well ppl should be emailing their State govt to ensure they only buy local. Ive seen some ACT govt cars which were Klugers or Hyundais which is an absolute disgrace. Very soon (I read today) mining investment will drop considerably. If jobs start heading south AND we lose the auto industry we risk having a bad economic dip indeed.

Our country needs to be protected from foreign economic woes. Buy local, i do. I buy Dick Smiths foods, use Telstra, bank with CBA and drive an i6 Falcon. That's about as patriotic as u can get in terms of putting your money where your mouth is.

Was very unimpressed when my brother bort a Honda. His economy is only marginally better than mine.

[Brazen]

To be fair to the local car makers, Commodore is about to be replaced and Camry and Aurion are basically non-existant on the ground due to stocks being decimated in October, November, December due to 0% deals (will be recovered by March).

The real losers are Commodore Ute, Falcon Ute, Falcon sedan and Cruze. The two utes needed diesel a thousand years ago, Cruze is just too uncompetitive and Falcon needs about 8 grand ripped out its RRP.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Wretched

I don't see the issue there. Falcon sales are woeful, he reported as he and pretty much everyone else sees it.
He stated that Focus sold 3 times as much as Falcon, that's still a positive for Ford, that their sales have increased by 33%, another positive.
You can't hide the fact Falcon sales are plummeting (Commodore too).

If he doesn't say someone else will. It needs to be highlighted and up to Ford to fix it.

How about sales of locally built Fords where UP for January? The factory builds more then Falcons!!