September VFACTS

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Thunder

Kuga has a full glass roof! With no availability to open it at all, and the "shade" cloth is full of holes, so you always get the sun in! Not good for Australia.

Glass roof should have a proper "full" curtain or at least the availability to open roof like a sunroof.

The panorama roof on the Titanium, Trend doesn't have it and yes having a fixed panorama roof in Australia is dumb.
Perhaps Ford should be putting a decent tint on them at no charge to avoid any concerns about sunburn and skin cancer..
My last three new cars have been tinted before delivery, the difference that makes to internal temperatures is phenomenal.

Pleas don think this as being a Ford apologist but a lot of vehicles have issues with heat, glass and sunburn in our country,
I just take it at a give that people naturally go for some form of tinting on windows to reduce UV by 99% and improve A/C efficiency.
If you were serious about the titanium Kuga, then I'm sure the dealer would be keen remove any concerns regarding the glass roof..

[rdmr]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Want sales ? Just make this already

image

Totally agree, a Territory dual cab would be terrific. And they could call it a family cab!

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by jpd80

The panorama roof on the Titanium, Trend doesn't have it and yes having a fixed panorama roof in Australia is dumb.
Perhaps Ford should be putting a decent tint on them at no charge to avoid any concerns about sunburn and skin cancer..
My last three new cars have been tinted before delivery, the difference that makes to internal temperatures is phenomenal.

Pleas don think this as being a Ford apologist but a lot of vehicles have issues with heat, glass and sunburn in our country,
I just take it at a give that people naturally go for some form of tinting on windows to reduce UV by 99% and improve A/C efficiency.
If you were serious about the titanium Kuga, then I'm sure the dealer would be keen remove any concerns regarding the glass roof..

Pretty sure all auto glass nowadays is UV sheilded from the factory.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Want sales ? Just make this already

Isn't that what the Ranger is for?

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Isn't that what the Ranger is for?

Ranger is great, but it is still a light truck with a ladder chassis, light truck tyres and a agri engine and interior. Last month three dual cabs were in the top 10 sellers list and I think the market is starting to fragment enough with them becoming family cars and daily drivers that they could bring out a passenger car based ute. But who knows, probably a lot more other cars they could bring out first.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Want sales ? Just make this already

image

At first I thought "here we go" but that chop looks the goods!

[naddis01]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Ranger is great, but it is still a light truck with a ladder chassis, light truck tyres and a agri engine and interior. Last month three dual cabs were in the top 10 sellers list and I think the market is starting to fragment enough with them becoming family cars and daily drivers that they could bring out a passenger car based ute. But who knows, probably a lot more other cars they could bring out first.

I agree. I am now in the position that I need a dual cab because of having a young family. I am dreading having to own a truck based dual cab, I would much prefer a car based one. That is the reason I bought an RTV (and an XLS before that) in the first place. A Territory dual cab would be ideal for me. Sadly I don't see this happening and the RTV is on the market and the search begins for a 'truck'.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by csv8

I know certain FF members will see my comment as negative but please price them competively..KUGA is over priced.. Anyone have sales figures for Kuga.
?

I saw the sales figures posted up at work and I think the Kuga sold 80 something. They were expecting sales of at least 200 a month and it's never even gone close.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Want sales ? Just make this already

Um... what?! Just get an F-150!

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Pretty sure all auto glass nowadays is UV sheilded from the factory.

You would think so until you realise just how much work window tinting contractors do,
my wife's CX-7 had not tint on the glass, we sat in in before purchase and it was boiling hot
but we had the windows tinted before delivery, and now on hot exposed days only the
steering wheel and dash gets hot, something a dash cover cures.....

[zoomie]

Originally Posted by naddis01

I agree. I am now in the position that I need a dual cab because of having a young family. I am dreading having to own a truck based dual cab, I would much prefer a car based one. That is the reason I bought an RTV (and an XLS before that) in the first place. A Territory dual cab would be ideal for me. Sadly I don't see this happening and the RTV is on the market and the search begins for a 'truck'.

Yep. Friends of my dad just bought a low km last of the crewman utes in SS form cos they didnt want a dual cab "pickup"

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I saw the sales figures posted up at work and I think the Kuga sold 80 something. They were expecting sales of at least 200 a month and it's never even gone close.

Frustrating because the restricted product mix, I look at the new US Escape with 1.6 Ecoboost, 2.5 I-4 and 2.0 Ecoboost
and just know that a 2.0 TCDI combined with one or several of those petrol engines would do way better..

We read of slow sales in Europe yet FoE cannot spare diesels for Australia, really sucks that dealers miss on key product,
but hopefully that underscores more than ever the need for FAPA to do the production themselves...

[russellw]

Our first set of graphical statistics are uploaded into the Tech Portal now.

Cheers
Russ

[jpd80]

Thanks Russ,
For some of you who may be disheartened by Territory sales last month, sales were down across that segment:

Territory had a solid month with sales of 1,096 top spot went to the Toyota Prado (1,204) and the Toyota Kluger (1,110) took 2nd spot.

So Territory's 1,096 was a mere 14 sales behind second and 108 sales behind first..

Escape/ Kuga = 50/67 respectively.
All of us are waiting for Ford to bring the nw Escape/Kuga next year, having lower prices
a 2.5 I-4 and diesel option will really boost sales along by better connecting with Aussie buyers.

[Bossxr8]

The diesel option will be the missing piece it needs. Diesel SUV's dominate sales in their class.

[stevz]

I don't know why Ford Aus even bothered bringing the current Kuga in. They should have just started fresh with the new model.

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by stevz

I don't know why Ford Aus even bothered bringing the current Kuga in. They should have just started fresh with the new model.

Well they don't lose anything and it establishes the Kuga name as a premium product as opposed to bringing it in as an Escape when the outgoing model had been overlooked and looks cheap and nasty.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I think I sound like a broken record, but pricing is the biggest issue. I wish their pricing strategy reverted back to what Ford used to do with pricing - big car for the price of a small. Most buyers pick small cars over large purely due to price, the fuel economy aspect is way down the list of priorities, hence record SUV sales.


image

i think your right Brazen, i know in my own case the thought of buying a newer/new car came up a while ago and while fuel is a consideration i can in a bad month drive a bit less or budget for the fuel, but i know that in my financial position and the cost of anything above a small car is going to hurt me with fixed costs(repayments) on a monthly basis, so i would expect out right price to be a high priority for many as well as myself,
if you could drop 10 k off your outright purchase, weekly payments and the monthly budget would be far less painful , some of these car makers are playing hard ball with prices and car loan interest rates and warranties, if Ford wan`ts a bigger share of the pie, i think they will have to sharpen their pencils even more.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by mik

i think your right Brazen, i know in my own case the thought of buying a newer/new car came up a while ago and while fuel is a consideration i can in a bad month drive a bit less or budget for the fuel, but i know that in my financial position and the cost of anything above a small car is going to hurt me with fixed costs(repayments) on a monthly basis, so i would expect out right price to be a high priority for many as well as myself,
if you could drop 10 k off your outright purchase, weekly payments and the monthly budget would be far less painful , some of these car makers are playing hard ball with prices and car loan interest rates and warranties, if Ford wan`ts a bigger share of the pie, i think they will have to sharpen their pencils even more.

And what if "sharpening pencils" adds no extra sales over what is being achieved now with the higher prices?
At some point, a manufacturer has to say enough with discounting and just value add to vehicles instead.

[mik]

Originally Posted by jpd80

And what if "sharpening pencils" adds no extra sales over what is being achieved now with the higher prices?
At some point, a manufacturer has to say enough with discounting and just value add to vehicles instead.

you maybe right mate, but my take on it is
approximatly 30 different cars in US
60 different cars in OZ
and other competitors here are fighting tooth and nail for a slice of the pie, with cheap prices, lots of enticements, regardless of whether falcon or other ford models are technically a better safer car than many on the market people seem to be buying more for money saving and value added vehicles, for example instead of having 2 cars a ute and sedan they get a dual cab,

instead of having one big sedan they buy a medium and a micro car which may still work out cheaper than one sedan ..... or an SUV that doubles as a wagon and the family runabout, in these cash strapped days i think people are going more with saving a dollar in the back of their mind by changing one type of vehicle for a more wallet saving and functional scenario in the long run, the only way i see it is to have an even better deal than the other companies, either that or just be prepared to have a small slice of the pie.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by mik

you maybe right mate, but my take on it is
approximatly 30 different cars in US
60 different cars in OZ
and other competitors here are fighting tooth and nail for a slice of the pie, with cheap prices, lots of enticements, regardless of whether falcon or other ford models are technically a better safer car than many on the market people seem to be buying more for money saving and value added vehicles, for example instead of having 2 cars a ute and sedan they get a dual cab,

instead of having one big sedan they buy a medium and a micro car which may still work out cheaper than one sedan ..... or an SUV that doubles as a wagon and the family runabout, in these cash strapped days i think people are going more with saving a dollar in the back of their mind by changing one type of vehicle for a more wallet saving and functional scenario in the long run, the only way i see it is to have an even better deal than the other companies, either that or just be prepared to have a small slice of the pie.

Scary thought, instead of spending $230 million on the 900 Ecoboost Falcons they have sold so far - they could of reduced Falcon XT to $23,990 driveaway. In the process probably become the nations biggest selling car, improve the economies of scale and also reduce production line complexity by removing the Ecoboost engine and its transmission from inventory and production.

[XWGT]

Mazda 3 plus Mazda CX-5 (just a Mazda 3 on steriods IMO) 6,000+ sales for the month.

I think we can all see where people are buying. 4 doors, medium size, FWD, around 2ltr engine.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Brazen

In the process probably become the nations biggest selling car,

.... and this is the big myth. if you are selling lots of cars then you are doing well financially.

to many, it seems being no.1 seller is more important than making money.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by prydey

.... and this is the big myth. if you are selling lots of cars then you are doing well financially.

to many, it seems being no.1 seller is more important than making money.

Mazda are doing well... They do not gutz cars to sell them, they have been working towards this for many years, give customers what they want and treat them right and they will keep coming back. Ford could learn something from Mazda as most of the range is built on the same platforms. e.g. 3 / Focus are built around the same thing! Fords customer service is what kills the brand time and time again.

Funnily enough Mazdas sales are predominately private / small business, unlike Toyota.

As for the comments about Territory, the poorer result can be credited to Falcon. Sadly Ford cannot build more Territories then Falcon's :(

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by csv8

Trend has come down $5k since first release ? great !! I suppose the Titanium is still $45k???? that should be $39990 drive away ????

If you bothered to look on carsales you would see you can get Titanium for 37 kay drive away... Trends for 31 kay.

Ford has decided to get serious about Kuga and selling what they have in stock.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by russellw

Our first set of graphical statistics are uploaded into the Tech Portal now.

Cheers
Russ

Is the Camry numbers correct??

If so, wow, what a great result for a local product mostly over looked on this forum.. Up 222.9% YTD!!!!!!!! Maybe ditching Falcon over locally built Mondeo isn't such a bad idea after all?

[Falcon_Crazy]

Originally Posted by naddis01

I agree. I am now in the position that I need a dual cab because of having a young family. I am dreading having to own a truck based dual cab, I would much prefer a car based one. That is the reason I bought an RTV (and an XLS before that) in the first place. A Territory dual cab would be ideal for me. Sadly I don't see this happening and the RTV is on the market and the search begins for a 'truck'.

So apart from the Diesel engine (which is a cracka) and the interior (so it’s not Tezza like feel, but very well equipped),the ride and handling which is ridiculously great for a "truck" – I can’t believe how well it handles and rides, it still doesn’t foot bill?
Maybe the T6 Wagon will fit the bill – I’d expect differing trim levels and the added weight across rear will again improve the ride and feel.
After 46,000km across all types of roads, I cannot fault it and any mates who drive HiLuxs and Prados are blown away with the whole package.
See if you can snare a test drive for more than a day from dealer – you may well surprise.
But on sales stuff...
I will chalk another sale up this month for Falcon ute – I’d have thought the new EcoLPi would be a boon for sales but it’s a very crowded market now. Be good to see Ranger get into the bigger mining/construction areas – perhaps its a supply thing – Toyota can pump out more white ones?
"

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by mik

you maybe right mate, but my take on it is
approximatly 30 different cars in US
60 different cars in OZ
and other competitors here are fighting tooth and nail for a slice of the pie, with cheap prices, lots of enticements, regardless of whether falcon or other ford models are technically a better safer car than many on the market people seem to be buying more for money saving and value added vehicles, for example instead of having 2 cars a ute and sedan they get a dual cab,

instead of having one big sedan they buy a medium and a micro car which may still work out cheaper than one sedan ..... or an SUV that doubles as a wagon and the family runabout, in these cash strapped days i think people are going more with saving a dollar in the back of their mind by changing one type of vehicle for a more wallet saving and functional scenario in the long run, the only way i see it is to have an even better deal than the other companies, either that or just be prepared to have a small slice of the pie.

Originally Posted by Brazen

Scary thought, instead of spending $230 million on the 900 Ecoboost Falcons they have sold so far - they could of reduced Falcon XT to $23,990 driveaway. In the process probably become the nations biggest selling car, improve the economies of scale and also reduce production line complexity by removing the Ecoboost engine and its transmission from inventory and production.

Gentlemen, thank you for concise reasoning and thoughts and while I might not agree with all of you logic,
I can see a lot of the thoughts being representative of a lot of the general buying public in Australia.

The only comments I would make is this:

- Ecoboost Falcon did not cost $236 million to develop, that was the cost of the whole sustainability package that actually
included all the upgrades to both SZ Territory and FG II Falcon, as well as delivering Ecoboost, EcoLPI and V6 diesel.
Without a word of doubt, that was very good value and bang for bucks.

-While selling XT Falcons for $23,990 drive away and getting huge buyer response culminating in huge sales may sound smart,
It undermines the basic business principle of decent return on investment and resources expended to generate income.
In Ford's eyes it is better to make less for a higher price than expend energy making four times as many for $10,000 a piece less.

This is sometimes a very hard concept to grasp and will no doubt illicit the highly cynical one Falcon costing $30 million a month comment
but if you think about the intent of right sizing production to true market need a well balanced portfoilo of Falcons is still being sold to buyers
albeit in much lower numbers, but equally those manufacturing costs are also being effectively managed too..

[zilo]

A bit of trivia.

The current Falcon sales are identical to the Mitsubishi 380 volumes in 2006-2008....( about 1000 cars a month)

Hopefully the timeline isn't the same...

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Ugg

A bit of trivia.

The current Falcon sales are identical to the Mitsubishi 380 volumes in 2006-2008....( about 1000 cars a month)

Hopefully the timeline isn't the same...

But Ford production isn't 1,000/mth, it's still up around 2600/mth