So your the CEO: what would you change with Falcon?

[Ducati888]

Originally Posted by onfire

Screw what the original post outlines. The problem isn't the cars, nor the line up.

I'd hire some of the best people in marketing, and advertising world wide. Combined with establishing a core production team of some of the world's best commercial directors, leaders in new-media ( the internet, social networking ) & technical writers & designers with the goal to reinvent the brand and establish firmly across different demographics that Ford Australia are producing some of the world's top vehicles.

Spot on, Onfire. The cars are great. Ford has a reputation problem, and is seen as second fiddle to Holden particularly when it comes to locally built.

Ford need to build their reputation, fix their dealer network to a very high standard and back their vehicles long term. People come back if they feel they are being looked after, and they tell their friends. Terri balljoints a problem - just fix them no questions asked. Rust in the tailgate, no problem. That's the kind of stuff that will lead people in to dealerships and to the Falcon.

[BrisVegas]

In the short term:

- 2.0 ecoBoost, 2.7 TDi, 4.0 LILPG for Falcon
- 2.0 ecoBoost, 2.7 TDI, 4.0 LILPG for Territory
- 400kw GTHO model and make some fuss over it.
- Ford XR8 & G8/G8E with NA Coyote @ $50k to give SS a touchup.

In the next cycle:

- merge Falcon/Mondeo/Taurus into a midsize 1500kg RWD model that shares underpinnings with Mustang.
- Drop the 4.0 and use the 3.5 NA and ecoBoost
- Have a sedan/hatch and wagon version of this new model.
- Bring the mustang to Oz and sell all variants, ie. 2.0, 3.5 & 5.0. this would give Ford/FPV a 'cool' car, not just a family car with a hot engine.
- Bring the C-Max and S-Max to Oz so Ford have a minivan option.
- Bring the Explorer to Oz to compete with Prado/Cherokee/Pajero
- Bring the new Ranger wagon 4WD to Oz to compete with Challenger/Pathfinder/etc.

[2011G6E]

* Bring back "Fairmont"...that nameplate used to mean something when people saw it. I would assume, looking at the range now, that the G6 and G6E take the places of the Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia. "G6" is a little bland as a name for the prestige Falcon and doesn't really "mean" anything or evoke a response in people. You saw a Fairmont badge and automatically you knew it was a higher spec model in between the Falcon and Fairlane...say "I've got a G6", and most people give you a blank look until you say "It's a Falcon"...we've had our G6E for only a couple of weeks and already I find myself automatically saying that when I tell people what it is. Back when we had our XC-Update Fairmont GXL, I would say "we've got a Fairmont", and people, even those without much interest in cars, knew what I meant. Bad marketing idea...

* Face reality and ditch spending hundreds of millions developing V8's, and pour the money into a four cylinder twin turbo diesel engine. Have you driven a modern four cylinder diesel? Take the latest Prado...the damn thing is heavy, but it gets up and boogies. A proper car-designed turbo diesel would be a torque monster and face the reality that V8's are fun, but an awful lot of people are interested in economy and would jump at a large comfortable car with an economical diesel. If a V6 turbo diesel is seen as the "smallest" engine a Falcon should have, then seeing as how Ford has a deal with Jaguar, Jag has an excellent turbo diesel V6 that is smooth, very torquey, and amazingly fuel efficient. It's been proven t work for decades with Puegeot and Citroen and other makes overseas in Europe that just "naturally" come with a diesel option but which we never see here.

* Bring the basic standard of equipment up to wha people now expect from the crappiest Korean car...things that shouldn't be options but still are. Once they're done in volume, the price becomes negligible per vehicle...Japan and Korea have proved that.

* Full sized spares with all vehicles as a no-cost option. Not all of us tootle around the city and can make do with a rediculous space saver. When we bought the G6E, our main requirement was that they throw in a full sized matching alloy wheel spare...out here we can easily be 200km from the nearest tyre shop...more from a place that sells 19" tyres...

* Oh...my missus just said "bring back the nice bright orange paint option across the range"...

* Really push head office back in the USA to look at the Falcon as an export model...yanks love thier rear-drive cars, and they have nothing to match the Falcon. That's the reason that various police departments over there have been listening to Holden and looking at the Commodore...they want big rear-drive cars, and Ford won't be doing them.

* Mustang. the whole range. Possibly use the turbo 6 from the Falcon in it though, as well as the other engines they have in the range.
The problem Holden faced with the Monaro is that they forgot thier roots...in the original Monaro, you could buy a bog stock base model with a six cylinder and no fruit. It was really just a two door Kingswood. Then you could up-spec with options or just leave it as it was and have a great looking but affordable family car. They sold the new Monaro, even the six cylinder one which was quickly dropped, as a prestige model. Bad mistake. If they had a "normal" model and had sold it priced maybe a grand more than the base Commodore, they'd have sold more than they could handle. Ford needs to do this with the Mustang which, in America, is a cheap car...bring it in but don't make it purely a high-priced performance model only. Make them in everything from base model to the performance ones, price them sharply, and they'll walk out the dealerships in droves.

* Tell the government you aren't afraid of foreign makers and that they can drop import tariffs to zero. That way you would have access to American vehicles for the range without having to price them at exhorbatant levels that means they will only sell in uneconomic numbers...as we see with Chrysler and the 300C, which is just a normal family car in America but which, because of protectionist import tariffs must be sold here as a "luxury prestige" model and priced accordingly, probably twice what one is available for in the USA.

*Warantees: come on...only 3 year 100,000km? Show some balls and some faith in your workmanship and make it at least as good as some of the cheapest Korean stuff has and make it 5 year unlimited kilometer warantees. Now and then you'd take a hit with a bad car, but when people pay $40,000+ for a family car, they should be able to expect more than three years of trouble free motoring.

[burnz]

local built V6 for domestic and export.
IRS in ute.
duell fuel turbo diesel across the range.
stand by your warranty.
improve diff cradle.
na V8 across the range.

[LightningStrike]

All Territories AWD only

Territory LiLPG/Turbo combo - available on any trim level

Stick to release programs - the delay on the majorterritory upgrade & diesel release has hurt badly!

Make RTV an option pack available on ute and sedan for country drivers

LED/Xenon lighting

"Techy" interior options such as touch screen & voice control audio & climate, in combination with improvements in audio on Premium audio option - where else in the world does premium audio mean paper speaker cones??

And please, throw an extra coat of paint on everything.....I know it costs, but I'm happier to pay rather than respray!!

(Having said that - I still want ot be on record as saying they do a lot of things right!)

[vibe_xr6]

sit back and watch the money flow in to my wallet

[TC200six]

Suppose others have covered what I'm about to say.

• New design seating in upper-model Falcons. The current seats don't feel right, I don't like how the headrest sticks forward from the seat and it's hard on your head.

• Bring V8s back into below FPV models. I don't know why FPV have a GS. As far as I'm concerned, the 315kW engine used in the FPV GS is the one that should be used in the XR8. A G8E with the same engine should also exist. V8 models should have a twin exhaust system as an additional distinction from 6-cylinder models.
  
  Why am I talking about V8s when turbo sixes can perform better and are cheaper to run? There are many people out there who are lead believe V8s are the best, not everyone is truly interested in cars like most people on here are and they probably go looking at Holden's Commodore range for a V8.

• Road noise reduction - Ford have reduced engine noise to as low as they need to. What they should be focusing on more is road noise. With the engine noise being reduced to an almost zero (in the NA sixes at least), there is a fair amount of hissing on smooth surfaces.

• Exporting - Ever since the FG came out, there has been constant debate about developing a LHD Falcon to export to North America. But why not export to some RHD countries, like South Africa, UK, etc?

• Bring back the station wagon.

• Improve quality.

• Have parking sensors at the front of the car like the Holden Statesmen and Caprice have. Have them as standard on G6E and as an optional extra on all models.

• Oh, and finally change the rear seating so that there can be 3 headrests for the rear seats. There was a user on this forum who said they'd turned away from buying a Falcon when they found out there is no headrest for the centre rear seat. Yes... I know...

[naddis01]

Introduce lilpg and diesel in Falcon yesterday

Bring back RTV

Bring back XR8 and introduce G8E

Have equipment levels that atleast match the japanese mid sizers

But the big one - Forget the sedan! Not the actual shape but the boot opening. Turn it into a hatch. Why not have the sedan shape but the practicality of a hatch? Also bring back a stylish wagon.

For FPV, stop trying to trade on history and instead look to the future. Forget the name GTH(O) and give the GTP the balls it deserves to become the halo product.

[Stefan]

Build one GTHO for the CEO....

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Lets do something fun, lets pretend you have been given the job of CEO of Ford Australia, what would you do to improve Falcon sales, and all you could do was make (relatively) inexpensive changes to the lineup, including changes to variants, options, trim levels, etc. So ignoring things like marketing and dealers.
So what are your suggestions? Not to be a dig at what Ford is doing wrong but more about positive suggestions from enthusiasts.

Ford have not understood that Falcon is now a niche performance and luxury vehicle. To be succesful, it needs to be aspirational to a larger audience.

Pretty simple
Driveline
* 2.7L V6TD in sedan and ute.
* 2.0L I4T EB in sedan and ute.
* 4.0L LiLPG in sedan and ute and Territory.
* 5.0L NA in sedan and ute.
* IRS to Ute
* Suspension height options.

Tech / spec
* Increase spec to XR50 as standard for now.
* Increase tech to SZ Territory level.
* MyFord / Synch2

Pricing
* Reduce the ridiculous retail pricing. It makes resale look bad.
* Keep the driveaway pricing sharp.
* Understand that Mazda 6, Camry, Aurion, Accord are competitors. All priced sharp.
* 2.9% financing
* Fixed priced servicing

Models
Sedans
* Drop the XT
* Entry level sports = XR6 / XR6-TDi / XR6-LPi / XR?-EB
* Entry level luxury = G6 / G6-TDi / G6-LPi / G?-EB
* Sports = XR6T / XR8
* Luxury = G6E / G6E-TDi / G6E-LPi / G?E-EB
* Sports / Luxury = XR6ET / G6ET / XR8E / G8E

Utes
* XL / R6 / RTV / XR6 / XR6T / XR8

Wagon
* Bring back the wagon!
* Same as the sedan.

[MONSOON]

fix the issues with the driving position that have been around since the 1st ef, the lowest adjustment of the front seats is often too high, and now the steering wheel tilt doesn't go high enough, suspension tune in all the FPV models needs sorting and wider rear wheels & tyres before worrying about a halo model, xr6 turbo and xr8 utes need to have a better rear suspension to match it with holdens sv6 & ss/ssv utes

[LowEL2XR8]

As CEO I'd advertise more. A lot more. All the Australian built cars. The advertising for overseas models I'd leave as it is.

I'd bring back the Falcon Wagon. Ditch the leaf sprung and go independant rear suspension.

In the Utes I'd also ditch the leaf sprung live axel and go independant rear suspension.

Only FPV models are GTs, F6s in sedans or utes.

XR8 is brought back.

Manual is an option in any Falcon based sedan or wagon and also a V8.

Fairmont and Ghia is brought back.

I'd put a Ford Factory warranty approval centre in every capital city. The purpose is to take the yes or no out of the dealerships hands.
Dealerships do the work and send the bill to Ford. Ford warranty centres are just inspection centres with on site people approving/not approving claims. No waiting.

[LTDHO]

I'd provide more options to you can have a manual Ghia if you want.
GT would be limited build and not run of the line like an XT.

Wheel ofset would go bak to +6 so Fords can have deeper wheels!

[munners]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Import Taurus and rebadge it.

and the Explorer

[McobraR]

Agree with what everyone else has stated, but I want some good ol' retro design (ie Mustang, Camaro, Challenger)

[stang65]

Originally Posted by flappist

So you are a Sydney property developer looking at stealing some cheap land in Broadmeadows where the old Ford factory used to be?

Agreed.

[stang65]

Go back and did what they did with the Xp Falcon and are currently doing with the Taurus.

when they introduce the XL- XM They had a lot of reliability problems so they did massive endurance tests and won the public back.

Show the public how good these cars are with enduarance tests, like ford are doing with the ecoboost engines.

The inline six engine is bulletproof can out work most engines in its class. Yet still return excellent fuel economy.

And above all market their products to suit everybody not just Mum & Dads with 2 kids and a dog.

[grey_esp]

1) tech upgrade, should have all the features of the focus and mondeo ie voice control etc. front and rear cameras, memory seat and pedals across range.

2) V8, manual, suspension and brake options on entire range, and sunroof. I should be able to walk in and by a falcon with a coyotte, 6spd big brakes heavy duty suspension and a tow pack to tow my boat or what ever I tow.

3) loose xt g6 etc back to falcon fairmont and ghia.

4) falcon needs to look better as a base model, a bit extra chrome and less black plastic. If it looks better quality people will buy it.

6) utes should have IRS, with all the tech in the would you should be able to adapt the IRS to safely carry a tonne.

7) terri should be upgraded to have some sort of off road ability wether it uses air bags and sway bar disconnects to get some more travel or what ever but it needs to be more SUV less wagon.

8) use the tech developed for the ute suspension and bring back a LWB wagon with all the above points available but it also needs to look good and use rear body parts that are shared with the sedan or ute. that way when the model updates come through the tooling is shared on the wagon and we dont end up with 10 year old panel design on the back of a new car.

9) marketing and product placement. People buy holdens because they are everywhere so they must be good because everyone has one. Ford look and learn.

[dannyxm]

Im happy with the streamlined approach Ford has done tbh,

But me being CEO:

Have the XT as a bargian price poverty pack Falcon to undercut everything on the market.

Delete power windows, carpet in the boot, only cloth interior, basic paint and other anciliary items to keep the cost down.

Keep the G6, dont bring back Fairmont, Obviously i am in the minority in that regard.

In dream land, bring back the Coupe and perhaps bring back a retro Falcon based on the XL similar to that of the 49er Ford US did.

[fairBA]

Hire a marketing dept.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by flappist

So you are a Sydney property developer looking at stealing some cheap land in Broadmeadows where the old Ford factory used to be?

No, I'm the new Ford CEO.

But, you did jog my memory.

Introduce an AU coupe.

[NudgE^SIKBRO]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

I'd provide more options to you can have a manual Ghia if you want.
GT would be limited build and not run of the line like an XT.

Wheel ofset would go bak to +6 so Fords can have deeper wheels!

I have a manual B-Series Ghia so if any body can support that it's me

[oddnutz]

base models:
Falcon G4 : 4cyl Turbo
Falcon G6 : 6cyl N/A
Falcon G8 : 8cyl N/A
Falcon Ute: 6&8 N/A

Sports:
Falcon XR6: N/A with 20% more power than G6
Force 6: 6 cyl Turbo, different wheels and interior to xr6
Force 8: 8 cyl Supercharged (current GS engine)
Release a limited number of XR6 Turbos with F6 spec engine, wheels and brakes.
Release a limited number of XR8 with GT engine wheels and brakes.

Luxury:
Fairmont Ghia: in 6 & 8 cyl
Fairmont Ghia Ute: in 6 & 8 cyl

[EgoFG]

1) Pull the XT down market make it more base with everything optional.
2) Consider Making the terry into two - one a lowered version maybe halfway to the height of the falcon (maybe LWB), the other one a little more rugged.
3) actively market the whole range, inside Australia as the most Australian car, and inside Ford Global as a world car.
4) make sure the Premium model ALWAYS has the best set of Techno available (and charge for it) - if not as base, as options.
5) do whatever it takes to stop the press from being so holden biased.
6) convince Head-office that they always need to have the correct answer for the Australian Journalists

[Franco Cozzo]

If I could get the USA model line up at same or similar pricing to what they are over there:

- Kill the Falcon, replace it with the Mondeo
- Bring over the F series trucks
- Bring over the Mustang
- Maybe kill the T6 ranger, as its 90% of the size of the F150 apparently, whats the point?
- Close down Broadmeadows and Geelong and sell the tooling to China
- Kill Ford Australia's marketing division, hire some competant people.

If not:

- Turbo diesel for the Falcon
- Massive advertising campaigns for the new engines and cars coming up soon to generate hype
- HID lights for the Falcon standard across the range
- Country kits for everyone who doesn't live inside suburbia, lifted, softer suspension tune, higher profile tyres, spotlights, etc.
- FPV edition of the Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo and T6 Ranger
- Every single piece of Whizz Bang techno-wizzardry Ford USA has in its car, into the Falcon.
- Our engineers working on local tuning for overseas Fords, similar to what Kia does.

[stev3n]

Seems many people want to see IRS utes - why?
The whole purpose of a ute is to carry a load, There is no better system than a live axle to carry a load or for towing, things that utes do regularly. I reckon if you want a irs ute to prance around the city call holden, if you want a ute to work the current falcon set up is fine.
The things i'd change on the ute
-lsd from the base model up
-better approach angle
-standard tow bar and wiring

[stang777]

Bring out a limited edition (1000 or so) brand new falcon capturing the xy gt-ho classic look with a 351 topped with a shaker none of this 335 stuff. also have the super roo somewhere on it maybe even put the same xy stripes on the sides and bonnet with some modern twists.

If dodge can do it with challenger we can bring back an awesome GT-HO Id buy one

[xrfalcon]

Base model Falcon with a GT engine but a limited run of 500.

RTV ute with engine options.

Falcon wagon that looks good - again with engine options.

Design a car that looks like a classic - like the 49er the Americans built.

[colin55]

two things;
- good sound system, get rid of the Sub and band a good set of 6x9's in the rear

- fix rear suspension, the thumping on a hard gear change etc is rubbish.

when those are both fixed I will by another falcon

[Rastas]

If this falcon has just over 4 years left before it is replaced by whatever , it would be silly to spend big r&d dollars on developing a wagon or even a rtv ute.
Falcon deserves to be rememberd better than being just a taxi or family hack, i'de try to change that perception by takeing it up a class or 2.
My r&d dollars would go into adding latest up to date true user friendly techno gadgets (sourced from ford overseas) and upgrading falcons chassis (to handle miami and compete with high end euros)

These upgrades wont come cheap , so expect a hefty price rise in sedans ( high 40k base to over 60k titanium).
The utes which are aimed more at the trade market would probably only get half these upgrades so from 35k.
At this price range falcon wont sell as much as currently, but will make notably more profit per car ( highend models always have bigger margins over base models).
Also i would give the I6 a proper send off by letting the engineers showcase its true potential by upgrading it to 220kw and 430nm, this would also help diferentiate this new upmarket falcon from the old model.
Engine lineup - 2.0t @ 180kw , I6 @ 220 , LIPG I6 @ 210 , I6t @ 310 , V8's only for FPV (as the production line boys dont deserve to loose I6t production to imported coyote V8s , lower volume numbers is bad enough)
So basicly im turning the falcon away from its old taxi image into a true 5 series, E class, A6 etc competitor at half the price , i understand it will never be truely percieved by most as in those vehicles class , but I believe there would be enough buyers out there who would love to drive an ultimate falcon to make it a success.

As others have mentioned , better marketing and finance options would help also.