Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Australia
Ford Australia saves jobs and inline-6 with big investment
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"No, thanks," says Ford of Australia to the Duratec V6. Instead, Ford of Oz will invest $21 million to upgrade its homegrown inline six-cylinder and keep the invading powerplant out. The ongoing commitment to its own engine saves jobs at Ford's Geelong plant, as well as keeps local Australian suppliers healthy. It doesn't make any sense for gaskets, castings, bearings and other various parts to come from some other continent, so it's a piece of good news for the economy in Victoria. The engine will be freshened to meet Euro IV emissions standards and will keep thundering away down under with exemplary second-order vibration characteristics. The Falcon, Falcon Ute, and Territory will continue to be homegrown products with homegrown hearts, that we still badly want here in he States. C'mon Ford, if Pontiac can do it, you can, too. Thanks for the tip, everyone!
[Source: GeelongAdvertiser]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
jgp 11:35AM (11/21/2008)
YES!
Now to start exporting the straight-6 to the US and kill the Duratec 35 dead...
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Brn 2:05PM (11/21/2008)
Why the animosity to the Ford 3.5? It's a very competitive engine. It does what the Nissan 3.5 does, but doesn't require premium fuel to pull it off. It does what the Toyota 3.5 does, but without the repair issues. Why do you hate it so?
Don 5:03PM (11/22/2008)
The VQ 3.5 is the stuff of legend. The Duratec? Not so much.
Avinash machado 11:37AM (11/21/2008)
C'mon Ford, if Pontiac can do it, you can, too.
Considering how the Pontiac G8 is selling in the States, I doubt Ford will be inspired to sell the Falcon in the States.
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dukeisduke 11:38AM (11/21/2008)
Excellent news, and congrats to Geelong, and to Ford Oz. I'd love to drive one of those someday. And yes, please send us some here in the states (the car *and* the engine).
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whofan 11:45AM (11/21/2008)
That Falcon is a bad ass looking car. Ford should bring it on over here. These Austrailan and European models are the sporty cars that will bring the youth on board for Ford. Here in the states we get the old fart models minus the Mustang. The Flex looks like a Cigar box on wheels. The Edge looks like a moon buggy. The Fusion is nice, should have been the next generation Taurus. The Fiesta will be a welcome addition to the US line up. How about the Falcon as a competiter to the Pontiac G8?
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BigMcLargeHuge 11:47AM (11/21/2008)
How does the fuel econ/hp compare to a Duratec? Thats probably the most important factor to consider before exporting.
Its a powerhouse when turbocharged. Too bad Ford didn't look at it during the Ecoboost development for their RWD cars. A V6 works well for FWD cars.
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Adam 11:54AM (11/21/2008)
"Considering how the Pontiac G8 is selling in the States, I doubt Ford will be inspired to sell the Falcon in the States."
But Ford already has a rear-drive sedan in its (fleet) lineup that could do with a replacing but if they do bring the Falcon here, they really should drop the name Crown Victoria. And if Ford's selling a car as nice as the Falcon in fleet volume here, you may as well sell it to regular folks, too.
A GM mistake with the G8 is not selling a version as a Chevy or selling it exclusively as a Chevy. Police departments and taxi companies would be snapping up a rear-drive Impalas faster than they are the front-drive cars. And the folks who are buying the current FWD Impala probably wouldn't care all that much if a six cylinder motor were turning their rear wheels today instead of the front.
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ElPyroDude 1:32PM (11/21/2008)
I could see police interest in a RWD impala. But in the north, where it snows, *average* people DO care what wheels are powered, and generally prefer FWD (or AWD) over RWD in a year-round car. In climates where it doesn't snow, I'm much more inclined to agree with you.
Shawn 11:55AM (11/21/2008)
What a beautiful engine, the only real 'competitor' to the BMW inline 6s. Inline 6s are great engines, next best thing to a wide angle v12.
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Invisible 12:38PM (12/05/2008)
I agree. I own two vehicles with a straight 6. Love straight 6 motors.
esteva03 11:56AM (11/21/2008)
Yes plese bring a decent I6. The supra engine, I6. The old GTR engine, I6. Good old BMW engine, I6. They are the best engine setup. You can make small displacement high reving machines. I want it. But not in a expensive useless UTE. Just put it in a focus SVT or something like that.
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PhattyDre16 11:56AM (11/21/2008)
Omg Ford! Why can't you bring that cool foreign stuff here, even though I have no idea how it compares to our home grown 6-banger!!! Blah blah blah
import everything blah blah
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Judy Zik 12:24PM (11/21/2008)
No kidding. The naturally aspirated version of that engine would appear to be 4 hp short of the Duratec 35 and Falcons aren't exactly known for being cheap on gas. It is hard to compare economy because they have never sat in the same engine bay but it's pretty obvious the Duratec is more efficient along with being more powerful. Plus despite a bunch of updates isn't this a pretty old engine now? The Duratec 35 is pretty much brand new (2006). It was the first member of the "Cyclone" family that is powering almost everything they build and will be the engine family with the Ecoboost everyone has been drooling over. But yeah they should throw that away and grab an old engine from Australia. NOT.
Lee 2:29PM (11/21/2008)
The Duratech lacks the V8 like torque that the Falcon Inline 6 produces though.
Minnow 10:56AM (11/24/2008)
I'm from down here in Oz, and i can tell you we are pretty happy ford decided to keep the Inline 6, not just for the jobs of the 900 people in Geelong but this motor is superior to all the V6s its competing with. there are 3 versions of the I6. This latest version is the sweetest sounding yet! A very deep note it puts out when revved hard.. sounds good :) Wheel spin is no problem with traction control off. The naturally aspirated version, puts out 261hp and 270hp (6000rpm) on premium. And fuel consumption is pretty good at 23.2MPG on the 6spd and 22.4 on the 5spd. And these motors are put to duty as taxis... and do over a million miles. We dont want the V6 from the US if it cant provide the torque the inline 6 can.
Minnow 11:07AM (11/24/2008)
BTW, that falcon in the top picture the F6, thats 415hp with just 12psi boost on a single turbo and immense torque, 416ft-lbs from just 1950rpm. It kills the Pontiac in every regard. The biggest problem is getting the power down. It will spin the rear wheels in 3rd gear.
esteva03 12:07PM (11/21/2008)
i have an uncle who works in ford and he always takes me for stupid when he says "we leave that stuff in foreign countries to make sure they are good in quality, because here on the states we have the best of the best of the world".
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Ian 12:07PM (11/21/2008)
straight sixes are fundamentally the superior engine design (and V12's of course). It's too bad so many manufacturers killed them for various non-performance related reasons.
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psarhjinian 2:25PM (11/21/2008)
What, like packaging? I6 engines are a real problem in any mainstream car: they're too long, and require further space-stealing components when fitted longitudinally, and they're too wide (long) to fit in conventional front-drive cars transversely. And yes, you could fit it longitudinally in a front-driver, and you'd pay through the nose to do it.
V6s are about 2/3 the length and can be packaged in a short-hooded, front-drive car to maximize interior space. Given that most people value things like cost, space and fuel efficiency, this works out.
I agree the inline six is a great design, but it requires compromises that don't made sense in most cases.