End of the road for Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore

[Kingair]

Notice Ford are really ramping up the advertising Fiesta, Focus and Territory but no mention of the Falcon


People are pretty dumb when it comes to getting cars serviced, and the old dealers/smooth talking service manager certainly touch them along! Inlaws bought a Barina and the dealer put together a special service plan for them, pity the car only does 5,000 kms a year- it is a Barina not the space shuttle and it will need a service every 10,000 km.

[aj_308]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Oh you guys don't have that?

We've had that for over 20 years.

um, we have too, for 25 years that I know of.

How is an operating lease new GTR? There's at least 5 leasing companies in Australia with over 20,000 Operating leases on their books?

Back on topic, I can't feel sorry for Ford.

Consumers have spoken and said that they don't want large cars (see Corolla and Mazda 3 sales increases in the last 5 years)
The Govt. coughs up our tax money to Ford in the way of grants..
..so they put a 4 cylinder and gas into the Falcon no-one wants to buy.

Holden at least wised up and found the Cruze from the international GM car bin. Its selling pretty good for what it is.

[Downoz]

If Ford keeps building 400 kw cars like this, be a good thing http://www.carsguide.com.au/news-and...gt_police_car/

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by aj_308

um, we have too, for 25 years that I know of.

How is an operating lease new GTR? There's at least 5 leasing companies in Australia with over 20,000 Operating leases on their books?

Its headed for the mainstream, to the mass market... not just for those who are clever enough to know it exists

Toyota Financial Services has some amazing firepower, able to borrow in Japan at almost 0%, resell the cash here at 6+%... its kind of a wait and see.

A couple of others financiers are planning something similar...

[pigs fly]

Originally Posted by Marcos WTF

Agreed. frod marketing seems more focused ( no pun) on 'conectivity' so one can plug in ya MP3/smartphone/ whatever gadget is flavour of the month).

WTF happened to extolling the things that actually matter in a car?
You know. Minor stuff like performance, safety, enconomy, looks, price etc.
frod are just xxxxing on their heritage. Such as it was

TOO true frod just keep stuffing it up and I don't feel sorry for management but really sorry for workers who will pay with thier jobs.

[kittle]

THE clash of the titans is over. Ford's Falcon and Holden's Commodore will likely be phased out within months of each other in 2016.

Holden will continue to manufacture cars to at least 2022
Ford likely to shut its factories by the end of 2016

With both companies producing poor quality cars it was going to happen soon.

http://www.news.com.au/business/comp...-1226554833139

[NZSTfan]

Yes this is a shame for many no doubt. But times move on and i dont think we could have believed that the falcon vs commodore battle would go on forever.

I guess its evolution of the car manufacturing industry?

Personally though i dont think its the end of the world (just my opinion). You will always see cool cars at race tracks as motorsport will never die!

I even caught a glimpse of electric car racing a while back. A little weird for sure, for one there wasn't much noise, but still racing is racing.

People want smaller, smarter and more efficient cars - and this will eventually be translated into the cars we see at the track of the future.

Any good business moves with the times, and i think your link supports that.

As i said a shame for sure, but something that ultimately m/sport wont be immune from

[Umai Naa]

Oh well.

You can only churn out lousy product after lousy product for so long.

[Bevan-L]

Originally Posted by Umai Naa

Oh well.

You can only churn out lousy product after lousy product for so long.

Are they really a lousy product? dont own any of their models but looking at them here and there, I cant say their cars are lousy.... about the only cries I hear from owners seem to be their experiences with Dealers/servicing etc

[Umai Naa]

The overall build quality could be a lot better.

V6 motors in the Commodores aren't known for their reliability either.

[NZSTfan]

For me personally, and this is just my opinion, the VE commodore is one of the best looking sedans out at the moment. Its not as aggressive front on like the falcon, but man its got a great arse! Simple in design admittedly, but some of the best cars often are.

have never owned one and more than likely never will. I had the option of buying a SS-V with 6spd manual a while back, but it just didn't float my boat. But to look at....phwooaar! I felt like a midget driving it even though i am over 6 foot tall! I often get the omega and SV6 as hire cars and they are always a blast. The XR6 on the other hand has an awful gearbox and doesn't have the right feel as the commie. Still gets up and boogies though....

In the end i went with a Mazda 6 2.5L sporthatch (in black) with the 6spd manual....rare as rocking horse do-do's (manual versions that is), but a good drive nonetheless, and not bad on the 'looks' front.

The new falcon, from what i've seen looks the business, but i'm not sold on the VF looks-wise

[bluesport]

My son-in-law rented a Falcon G6 ecoboost while on holiday recently and loved it........he owns a honda himself.

[Umai Naa]

Originally Posted by NZSTfan

For me personally, and this is just my opinion, the VE commodore is one of the best looking sedans out at the moment. Its not as aggressive front on like the falcon, but man its got a great arse! Simple in design admittedly, but some of the best cars often are.

have never owned one and more than likely never will. I had the option of buying a SS-V with 6spd manual a while back, but it just didn't float my boat. But to look at....phwooaar! I felt like a midget driving it even though i am over 6 foot tall! I often get the omega and SV6 as hire cars and they are always a blast. The XR6 on the other hand has an awful gearbox and doesn't have the right feel as the commie. Still gets up and boogies though....

In the end i went with a Mazda 6 2.5L sporthatch (in black) with the 6spd manual....rare as rocking horse do-do's (manual versions that is), but a good drive nonetheless, and not bad on the 'looks' front.

The new falcon, from what i've seen looks the business, but i'm not sold on the VF looks-wise

That's just it. The current Falcon and Commodore are fantastic-looking cars. They represent great value-for-money in quite a few trim levels, and have decent performance, too. Just very poorly executed.

[NZSTfan]

Originally Posted by Umai Naa

That's just it. The current Falcon and Commodore are fantastic-looking cars. They represent great value-for-money in quite a few trim levels, and have decent performance, too. Just very poorly executed.

Yes thats possibly true but then again look at the similar-ish rivals in the same price bracket.......Toyota Camry (yuk), Nissan maxima (funny looking), and that old Mitsi 380 thing, and probably others too. All bung front wheel drive BIG cars. And with that in mind one would have to say that the cooners and commies are not that bad. But i totally get what your saying when you up the anti a little....e.g Beemer, merc, audi et al

[RedZedMikey]

Originally Posted by NZSTfan

The XR6 on the other hand has an awful gearbox and doesn't have the right feel as the commie. Still gets up and boogies though....

Interested to know what the gearbox was - manual, or 4/5/6 speed auto? I have a BF XR6 with the ZF 6 speed, I reckon it's a great trans. The car has the OEM heavy duty tow kit, has towed my Z from Melb to Morgan Park and back capably and legally. Makes a hell of a lot better daily driver than the options I might be facing from 2016 onwards ... guess I'd better keep it in good condition!

I have very little interest in my next daily/towcar being a Navara, Hi-Lux, Ranger, Colorado etc.