Production starts on Ford’s final Falcon

PRODUCTION has begun on the Ford Falcon FG X and SZ Territory MkII with the first cars rolling off the line at the Broadmeadows Assembly Plant 1 yesterday.

With Ford to close the facility and end manufacturing in Australia in 2016 Job # 1, was significant, as it marked the start of production of the final locally built Falcon and Territory.

Vehicle line director for both models David Wilkinson said it was an important moment for the Blue Oval in Australia.

“Years of design and development brings us to this point and the whole team have been laser-focused on bringing customers the best-ever Falcon, and seeing them come off the production line, ready for owners, is a great moment for all of us here at Ford,” he said.

“There are plenty of spy shots out there, however, these are of pre-production vehicles we use for final quality checks.

“Ford has a rigorous global quality process that we follow to ensure Falcon and Territory are built to the highest Ford standards for our customers and without a doubt, these are the best cars we’ve ever made here at Broadmeadows. Everyone at Ford is incredibly proud of these cars.” Ford has also announced more interior details, revealing all grades will get new fabrics and updated instrument cluster graphics.

Higher specifications gain leather upholstery with new stitching styles. A tan trim option will be available on G6E and G6E Turbo variants and will contrast with black mats.

New colours for the headlining will see a dark tone called Shadow in the XR Series and the G6E Turbo, while in the base Falcon and G6E a lighter hue called Light Limestone is used.

XR variants will get a perforated leather-clad steering wheel with new thread colour, the XR6 brings sports cloth seats and sports pedals, while the XR8 gets leather seats and a premium audio system with nine speakers.

As previously reported, the new Falcon will debut Ford’s Sync2 multimedia system, which has advanced voice control and automatic emergency assistance.

Last month Ford announced the pricing for the range, which will kick off at $35,900, plus on-road costs.

Powertrains are carried over from the previous model and include a 179kW/353Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol EcoBoost engine, a 195kW/391Nm 4.0-litre six-cylinder, a 198kW/409Nm 4.0-litre six-cylinder EcoLPI, a 270kW/533Nm 4.0-litre turbo-petrol six-cylinder and 335kW/570Nm 5.0-litre V8.

Ford announced that due to the lightweight and high-strength steel used in the new Falcon’s construction along with powertrain refinements, the fuel economy in the base model six-cylinder has been reduced by nine per cent, down from 9.9 litres per 100km to 9.0L/100km.

With the new Falcon’s official launch on November 24, the cars now rolling off the assembly line will go on sale on December 1.