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

[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.

Would you make LPG availale on everything, Get rid of XT to focus the range, bring in a model below XT etc?? Its all harmless fun, but I guess there is a serious aspect to it in the current climate...What I would do:

*Align RRP closer to actual transaction prices so your not giving prospective buyers sticker shock.

*Give base Falcon ute an extra inch of ground clearance so it no longer looks like a toy ute

*Make the 3 seater, column auto an option on the entire XR ute range to steal sales from dual cabs and to give it a point of difference from the SS utes

*Replace the G6 name with Fairmont and GGE name with Fairmont Ghia, broaden Falcons appeal so that the XR goes for the younger crowd and the Fairmont range goes for the older crowd.

*Bring back the RTV ute, this time with Downhill Descent Assist (stolen from the Territory, a simple ABS program in the ECU).

*Bring back the XR8

*Introduce the G8E (crazily in 2011 with petrol prices and the environment etc, I feel the V8 is more important long-term for the Falcon than most other things, I feel the Falcon's greatest hope is to align itself closer to the premium/sports sedan segment rather than the churn and burn fleet market)


So what are your suggestions? Not to be a dig at what Ford is doing wrong but more about positive suggestions from enthusiasts.

[TheInterceptor]

Bring back Fairmont nameplate, also Ghia.

Bring back RTV

Bring back 3 seater column shift

Bring out more exciting colours

Bring back the country pack

At the very least as an option.

I think thats all..basically what Brazen said.

[In Focus]

Really push the upcoming turbo 4's - "Get six cylinder power with four cylinder economy".

If it can outrun the Commodore small 6, play that up to the max. The market has proved it is willing to go smaller to save fuel/money. If you can convince people that they don't have to sacrifice size/power to get better fuel economy, then a lot of them will come onboard.

[SteveJH]

Falcon

* Diesel Falcon

* Longer Warranty period

* Convince Ford US that if RWD Next Gen Falcon is possible, that AWD (only) falcon with North-South motor should be developed as local falcon, global lincoln.

Ford Australia In General

* Pay by the month servicing (pay $x per month, with the car given its services at the appropriate service interval)

* Fixed price servicing

* Online purchase of car from ford website (fixed price), car is delivered through dealer with dealer taking a fixed fee from ford for doing pre delivery etc. Can also purchase car through dealer as currently.

* Book servicing through ford website


Question: Is there a penalty amount for paying off finance on a car early? Or no matter how quickly you pay it off you pay the full amount of interest?

[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.

[Ford_The_Win]

I don't think there is a whole lot wrong with the car as it is, but there needs to be some serious marketing and re-establishment of Falcon. A nameplate doesn't stick around for 51 years without developing a reputation, and over the last 10 years the Falcon name has turned to garbage.

[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.

[Iggypoppin']

Bring back RTV

keep the G6 and G6E nameplates but drop XT.

Broaden the colour palet

G8E-S with the GS motor, and G8E with NA 307 coyote.

Incorporate RTV with Terri AWD driveline(although I know this is probably impossible) but if you had a diesel powered AWD dual locked RTV falcon bodied ute, it'd be an awesome trady/off road tool. But it'd want to be built right the first time!

[flappist]

Build a "smart Australian car"

Featuring:

A smart reversing camera with split screen that also showed left and right from the rear for car park exits when you park in the middle on nowhere and some dropkick in a 4WD just has to park next to you blocking your view.

Optional second fuel tank as most of Australian is not 10 minutes from a petrol station.

Significantly improved build quality so bit don't start falling off until at least you get out of the dealership on the first day.

Optional suspension that RAISES the car as most of Australia is not in the capital suburbs.

Diesel engine option.

Enhanced road noise reduction.

Enhanced visibility with far less pillar blockage.

Satnav with integrated traffic data standard on all models

Models that change only every 5 years or so to retain some slight resale value. No more "mark 2" or "facelift" that instantly devalues your current car prematurely.

These are just a few ideas to make Falcon competitive with euro/jap offerings.

As opposed to AFF the majority of car buyers are not all that interested in a cheap V8 that can do a 12 second quarter while demonstrating "fabulous" stripes and badges.

The majority of BMWs do not have a M on them, the majority of Mercedes do not have an AMG and the majority of cars sold in Australia are front wheel drive 4-6 cylinder family cars.

[Elks]

I n no particular order.

1. diesel Falcon sedan, why not. It would go well and get 7 per 100.

2. 1st redesign be it facelift or new model, move to forward set front axle design. Much better balance and turn in.

3. invest in electronics, Sat nav, with traffic, phone integration, garage door opener, internet (when parked).

4. G8E or whatever you call it.

5. Announce NOW long term plans. Inc RWD, I believe all the speculation is way more harmful than the spec.

6. Market the thing aggressively, and lock that in for 5 years. Don not do it for 4 weeks and measure it. It takes longer.

7. Look for ways to make the thing cool. Ecoboost - Envirocool, GT fastcool, Ute Practicool, but no matter how or which model it must always be desireable. Image is everything, perception is reality.

8. Quality & Service - including everything a dealer does.

9. Options, lots of options. allow the consumer to mix and match the car as they want it. This is not an engineering exercise its a logistics one. Being that modern production lines run a mixed model sequencing to balance production speed, it wouldn't matter. You can also charge more and hold up better resale if they are not all the same and harder to compare.

10. Forget column change, buttons on the dash with a flappy paddle or tipmatic column shift (see 7 series) overide as an option for ALL utes. basic to FPV. 3 seats is a big plus.

phew, there is probably another 50 things I could add, but I might have lie down now instead...

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by flappist

Optional second fuel tank as most of Australian is not 10 minutes from a petrol station.

Optional suspension that RAISES the car as most of Australia is not in the capital suburbs.

UMM the vast majority of the car buying public IS 10min from a servo and ARE in capital suburbs.

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by Stefan

UMM the vast majority of the car buying public IS 10min from a servo and ARE in capital suburbs.

Well you wont need a haircut for awhile, That 747 was close enough....

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Stefan

UMM the vast majority of the car buying public IS 10min from a servo and ARE in capital suburbs.

The vast majority of the car buying public are also NOT buying Falcons.

Maybe new features might convince them to consider buying a Falcon. After all some of the people who are 10 minutes from a servo in a capital city might just occasionally want to drive further than their local McDonalds car park and visit some part of the 99% of Australia that is NOT in a capital city.

To me and many I know fuel range is important, so much so that I used to carry a 20l jerry can in the boot of my Ghia, GT-P & F6 and had to use it on quite a number of occasions. My datto will do 900km, the FPVs 500-600km on a tank.....300km is a bloody long walk.....

The idea of this thread is to suggest ideas that may increase Falcon sales to people who are not considering Falcon.

Different people want different things. Some might even pay extra for stripes and a plastic snake..........

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by flappist

The vast majority of the car buying public are also NOT buying Falcons.

Maybe new features might convince them to consider buying a Falcon. After all some of the people who are 10 minutes from a servo in a capital city might just occasionally want to drive further than their local McDonalds car park and visit some part of the 99% of Australia that is NOT in a capital city.

To me and many I know fuel range is important, so much so that I used to carry a 20l jerry can in the boot of my Ghia, GT-P & F6 and had to use it on quite a number of occasions. My datto will do 900km, the FPVs 500-600km on a tank.....300km is a bloody long walk.....

The idea of this thread is to suggest ideas that may increase Falcon sales to people who are not considering Falcon.

Different people want different things. Some might even pay extra for stripes and a plastic snake..........

That takes me back to the days when you could get XF with the optional 80 litre fuel tank,
you could overload the tank and get close to 700 km out of it even with the 3-speed auto..

[dylancox]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That takes me back to the days when you could get XF with the optional 80 litre fuel tank,
you could overload the tank and get close to 700 km out of it even with the 3-speed auto..

Where do they fit the fuel tank in the XF? would really need something like this in the BA

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by flappist

Optional second fuel tank as most of Australian is not 10 minutes from a petrol station.

Optional suspension that RAISES the car as most of Australia is not in the capital suburbs.

Where did you find these 'facts' on the back of a cereal box or from old wally down the pub.

You will find that 95% plus of people WILL live within 10 minutes or less of a service station and that the majority of car buyers WILL reside in the suburbs of capital cities.

So your made up facts could not be further from the truth...

Originally Posted by flappist

After all some of the people who are 10 minutes from a servo in a capital city might just occasionally want to drive further than their local McDonalds car park and visit some part of the 99% of Australia that is NOT in a capital city.

To me and many I know fuel range is important, so much so that I used to carry a 20l jerry can in the boot of my Ghia, GT-P & F6 and had to use it on quite a number of occasions. My datto will do 900km, the FPVs 500-600km on a tank.....300km is a bloody long walk.....

Different people want different things. Some might even pay extra for stripes and a plastic snake..........

Why would you need to carry a Jerry can in an FPV Are you saying you would not come across a servo in a 500km drive??? I think you are looking for problems where there are none.
Why would you pay extra for stripes and a plastic snake, when it cost the same as a standard FPV, but with more options and better resale??? You obviously don't really know much about these cars, and I did not know that Cobra's came with a plastic snake.
Jealousy is a curse I guess

[flappist]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Where did you find these 'facts' on the back of a cereal box or from old wally down the pub.

You will find that 95% plus of people WILL live within 10 minutes or less of a service station and that the majority of car buyers WILL reside in the suburbs of capital cities.

So your made up facts could not be further from the truth...



Why would you need to carry a Jerry can in an FPV Are you saying you would not come across a servo in a 500km drive??? I think you are looking for problems where there are none.
Why would you pay extra for stripes and a plastic snake, when it cost the same as a standard FPV, but with more options and better resale??? You obviously don't really know much about these cars, and I did not know that Cobra's came with a plastic snake.
Jealousy is a curse I guess

Where you live and where you drive to tend to be VERY different places for some people.

If, one day, you leave the western suburbs of Sydney and go into the rest of Australia you will find that quite often servos close at night or actually run out of fuel. Just stay off the main highways and see what happens.

A few places where I had to use the 20l.

Jabiru
Cammoweel
On the back road from Emerald out near Crackow
On the back road from Mundubbera out near Ban Ban

There were several more over the years. Have such a short range meant I had to plan trips to pass via fuel stops rather than the shortest distances.

But getting back to the original idea, how would having an optional extra fuel tank reduce sales?

I have actually owned several FPVs (T6&V8), have driven hundreds of thousands of kilometres in them in multiple states at speeds of up to 250km/h (legally on the road in NT) and am very aware that the little cobra badge on the BF2 is plastic (and a cobra is actually a snake)
BF2 Cobra will only have resale value if it is seldom driven and what is the point of that?

So what is your personal experience driving long distances at high speed in modern falcons in regional Australia?

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Where did you find these 'facts' on the back of a cereal box or from old wally down the pub.

You will find that 95% plus of people WILL live within 10 minutes or less of a service station and that the majority of car buyers WILL reside in the suburbs of capital cities.

So your made up facts could not be further from the truth...



Why would you need to carry a Jerry can in an FPV Are you saying you would not come across a servo in a 500km drive??? I think you are looking for problems where there are none.
Why would you pay extra for stripes and a plastic snake, when it cost the same as a standard FPV, but with more options and better resale??? You obviously don't really know much about these cars, and I did not know that Cobra's came with a plastic snake.
Jealousy is a curse I guess

Some of us do live in areas where a "city" car probably isn't the best choice. Our new G6E has the 19" wheels off the turbo fitted...they were on it when we bought it, otherwise there's no way we would have chosen them, given the roads we drive on out here. we're constantly paranoid of busting a tyre or wrecking a rim hitting the potholes or dropping off the edge of the road. Before you say I have nothing to worry about, a woman I work with had her brand new XR6 turbo with 19's off the road for a few weeks out here with two broken rims...not just flat tyres, one rim was cracked completely and the other bent...after hitting a decent pothole at 110kph just over the crest of a hill.
I may be speaking herasy, but when it comes to tyre time, we're going to be hunting around for a nice set of 17" or 18" wheels for it...style is one thing, but the harsh reality is that the roads aren't billiard-table smooth out here and 19's may not be the best choice for durability...

[Brazen]

Yeah I also think at least some variants need to be a bit higher off the ground... Please dont shoot me. Im probably the only one who thinks it anyway.

People like being a bit higher off the road, makes them feel safer and its easier to park. Getting in and out of a Falcon can be back-breaking, but im showing my age now.

[SM1DY]

- 2.9% finance
- XR8 and Sprint
- Extent Focus range to include RS as a regular in the line-up
- Revive the Territory Turbo
- Push a diesel model into the FPV line-up
- Keyless ignition across the range (like in the Outlander)

All in good fun ; )

[Lukeyson]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

- 2.9% finance
- XR8 and Sprint
- Extent Focus range to include RS as a regular in the line-up
- Revive the Territory Turbo
- Push a diesel model into the FPV line-up
- Keyless ignition across the range (like in the Outlander)

This, especially finance.

And also some pre outs on factory ICC

[vztrt]

Get the LPG out there. Its costing lots of sales.

I would want it developed across the range. Then I would be marketing the LPG to get people to drive it. If the new LiLPG is what people are hyping it up to be more people would go down that route when you can get rid of the misconception of modern LPG it should go down well with private, commercial and government buyers.

[jpd80]

A change in perception for Falcon, it must be able to span mid size and large vehicle categories.


1) keep the shell and cabin the same
2) use I-4 and V6 petrol and diesel engines
3) look at making nose around 125mm shorter
4) shorten boot overhang slightly by increase wheelbase 50mm
5) Keep sedan and add Hatchback (with short tail like Focus).
6) Reduce weight by lightening framing where possible

End up with two vehicles that look completely different = perception change.

[Gaz]

Let's face it, the large car market is falling - it won't revive, people just don't want them any more. We don't need 6 models of falcon (XT, G6, G6E, G6ET, XR6, XR6T).

Don't set stupid RRP's that no one gets close to paying. Don't think anyone has paid 40k for an xt and 44k for an xr6 for a long bloody time. Set a good price and don't offer so much wriggle room.

Drop XT
G6 (34k)/xr6(36k)/xr6t(44k) - standard bluetooth, ipod, colour screen, option - camera, sensors and sat nav, leather
g6e(42k)/t(50k) - standard - all of the above.

Fix the damn boot. Yes the litre capacity is big, but you can't fit anything under the parcel shelf, and you struggle to fit 2 suitcases side by side without them sitting on strangles angles cause of the boot floor.

My cousins maxima can fit 3 golf bags in the boot, and 1 or 2 buggies, I can fit maybe 2 bags or 1 and a buggy.

more to whinge about, but that's the basics.

[chevypower]

This is what I would do, looking at it from a global perspective. Trying to make it work well on every continent. I would leave room for both Taurus and Mondeo, so I would want the Falcon to be very different. Not just in drivetrain.

Styling: I would make it retro. Think 4 door Mustang or Challenger for a second, with the retro styling. Not saying I would make it exactly like that, but it would be a retro 4 door, on either the current Falcon platform, or a new version of it. I like Mustang's live axle, but it wouldn't suit a 4 door.

3.7L V6, 5.0 V8
2.0 I4, 3.5 V6, 5.0 V8 EcoBoost
3.0 TTV6 diesel.

I would have something like the SEL (base) 3.7 V6, 2.0 EB
Limited (with 2.0 EB, 3.7, V6 diesel, 3.5 EB)
XR6 3.5 EB
GT 5.0
GTHO 5.0 EB

I don't know... something like that.

[theboxmike]

• Drop XT falcon
• Add NA G8E
• Bring Back RTV
• Upgrade Turbos for G6ET and XR6T to 310 (assuming FPV update)
• Fire Marketing Department and hire Holden marketing Department
• Eventually try and combine Mustang and Falcon platforms
• Bring in a diesel Falcon model
• Update electronic systems to euro standard (aka slightly less than M3)
• Get the word out there that the Falcon is a far supriour product to Commodore and much more Australian (and it is)

[Zero_PSI]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NisCkxU544c

Exactly what I'd do.

[MAGPIE]

Falcon Wagon (including XR versions)

Diesel Falcon

Xenon/LED lights

Airbags all round on all models

[chevypower]

Yes LED Headlights and taillights would be good
Plus Electronic Power Steering
6 Speed Auto on base V6
8 Speed Auto on premium engines (with paddles)
optional 6 speed manual on sports models (only for people that just have to have it).

The GTHO with 5.0L V8 EcoBoost would be aimed at destroying the SRT-8, M5 and E63

[The Yeti]

fix the quality issues
Bring back the station wagon
Bring back fairlane (Giha) is.just a falcon
Fix the quality issues
Shoot marketing
Fixed price servicing