Reminiscing--when Ford was Mr 20%

[jphanna]

Looking at Toyota with its 20% of the market, was it that long ago that FORD had the market by the throat, and looked untouchable.

Back then Sedans were still ruling the roost, but it seemed every third house in the street, as a SECOND CAR, had a Ford Laser /Meteor/Telstar in their driveway.

Every TAXI was an XE/XF……….bar NONE

Ford didn’t even have a V8 available and no performance image cars whatsoever. Yet they were comfortably on top and could not put a foot wrong…….

I think the first hint of any bad press was the Capri and its build quality
Then the EA came out. My dad bought an EA. I never seen him more passionate about any car prior to that car, but this car busted his balls. Time and time again. He threw money at it…..still failed him. When the Head gasket failed, just out of warranty…….he took it to a large respectable mechanic in the area. He called my dad in when the head was off. He showed him markings where the head/block has already been worked on, in a previous attempt to fix this problem. This car was BRAND new with ZERO on the clock!!!!

The other comment he made which stuck with me was,
‘I get an EA head gasket job every week. Its my bread and butter’.

I think the EA…..combined with the fact the VN with its 4 speed auto verses the 3 speed EA, that could blow the EA into the weeds, every day of the week, with better economy, was the start of the Ford Downfall. For Petes sake, the MULTIPOINT motor that Ford customers had to pay more $$$ to get, but still could not dust off a stock VN………..

So it’s a new world today, with SUV everything, no sedans to be seen, but Toyota have a dominating 20% of the market. It still doable by one manufacturer, just as Ford did it for a decade.

What would Ford need to do to get to those big % numbers again?

[TheInterceptor]

Well, V8 Raptor is a very good step in the right direction and in this day and age of sign now pay later it will be sold out within the first day of going on market, which means there may be a case for mass production of such a thing? Even an option for Ranger?

Everyone is still obsessed with SUVs and dual cabs so I don't see many avenues to break out of this current market. Surley the SUV bubble cant last too much longer. They all look the same, same spec level, its the new norm and some time soon the top end of the market will want to look different to the " peasants" and change what they buy.
Same can be said for dual cabs however dual cabs are fairly practical where most SUVs are compromised in every way shape and form (bar a few models like Everest which is not an SUV despite being classed as one!!)

I remember when I was young, Falcon sedans and station wagons everywhere with the odd Fairlane glistening in the sun as it glided down the road lazily....ahhh memories..

[roddy1960]

I make no apology for this . I don't like SUV's or large utility or anything similar much . I would only own one if it was a work necessary need . I also understand that these are the new 'normal' family vehicle . Just not for me is all and that's after driving a couple of different ones at work over the past year albeit only briefly each time to be totally fair. Most recent was a new Subaru Forester and the other was a 2015 Pajero that the Subaru replaced .

Being totally selfish I wish Ford Australia still offered sedan/hatch/wagons/utes ranges like they used to but that's exactly what won't happen again .

Today it's the "truck" era and I suspect after that or evolving from that it'll be the electric truck era most likely .

I suppose sedans/hatches in one form or another will be around for a while yet but the choices probably won't be the same for every manufacturer as in the old days but I'd love to be wrong .

Don't really see Ford being a properly big seller in Australia again especially now with the 'local' content no longer a reason to consider buying and now that fleet sales that Ford used to have a good chunk of has gone too. They are just one of a big bunch of smaller imported sellers.

Thank goodness for Ranger and Mustang doing okay in their respective markets allowing Ford to be not totally forgotten yet . Maybe some new offerings on the way will add to that . Let's hope so .

[Bossxr8]

Simply can't happen. With Ford no longer willing to compete on low/no profit passenger vehicles, and the lack of cars in every segment mean it can't.

Toyota have 20% because they have the widest range of vehicles than any competitor. By a decent margin too. Plus they dominate fleet sales.

It's a new age. The days of building cars just to show good sales figures, yet bugger all profit or even losses is gone. GM tried that for decades and all it got them was bankruptcy.

[Wretched]

That was a different time, these days the meaning of car ownership has changed, more younger people are either delaying or not applying for a driver's license, people moving into apartments with either no car park or have given up the car in favour of PT or ride sharing.

In addition the type of car people "need" and want has changed over the years and there is also more competition, that has evolved the products car companies are delivering.

The next 5+ years will be interesting, new propulsion and platforms and more importantly bigger relationships and mergers.

[Crazy Dazz]

The single biggest thing that has changed, is that for cars, Australia is nolonger an important market.
It's why they all stopped fighting for local production, why plans to build the Focus her got ****-canned, and the Territory killed off.
I don't know what the sales of the Terri were at their peak, but from Detroit's POV, it must have looked like an April Fools prank. "You're telling me that somewhere Ford is making a completely unique vehicle, on a unique platform, and selling it into only one market, of only 25M people???"

The other problem is that whilst the Americans slumbered on, others beat them at their own game. There's now massive segments of the market that they nolonger compete in. They have lost the "upper-middle" segment to the Europeans and Japanese. Why by a Ford, when you can get a BMW or Lexus for the same price.