The changing preferences and tastes of Australian buyers have prompted Ford to introduce small cars in the market. Ford will begin the manufacture of Ford Focus in Australia in 2011. Both, the petrol as well as the diesel variant will be available.
To gear up for the 40,000 cars that it plans to manufacture annually, approximately 300 jobs will be added to the Campbellfield manufacturing assembly plant. The Focus small car in Australia will be produced alongside its current Falcon and Territory model lines. With the manufacture of the Focus, the Campbellfield manufacturing assembly plant will return to full capacity utilization. The company’s stamping plant in Geelong will see more action as well.
Australian component manufacturers will also have a piece of the cake, as some components will be sourced from local manufacturers. 15,000 of the cars produced will be for export to the New Zealand and South African markets, nearly double the number of Ford Australia’s vehicle exports currently.
Launch of the Focus in Australia also signifies the movement of the customer to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, a trend that takes them away from the large 6-cylinder engines to the smaller 4-cylinder engines. Ford Focus gives a good fuel economy with 5.6litres/100km; the Carbon dioxide emissions are low as well.
Ford Australia President Mr. Tom Gorman said:
Ford Australia will be the first local car manufacturer to respond to these changing market dynamics in this manner. We look forward to offering Australians their first locally produced small car in more than a decade.
Of all new cars sold in Australia year-to-date, small cars have accounted for 21.7%, up from 15.4% in 1998. It looks like the small car market is in a surge the world over, and the auto industry is gearing up to face the changing market equations.
[Courtesy: Ford]
