Falcons gear up for gas

A DEDICATED LPG Falcon, billed as the first vehicle of its kind on the market, was unveiled today by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Senator Robert Hill, and Clean Up Australia founder Ian Kiernan, No other manufacturer currently has a dedicated LPG sedan or wagon as part of its line-up. The LPG-powered newcomers will be offered in Forte and Futura sedan and wagon configuration, and also in Falcon S sedan guise. But the big news is that the LPG Falcons - available only with an automatic transmission - will cost just $798 more than their petrol counterparts. The existing dual-fuel Falcons will continue but they cost about $1500 more than the dedicated LPG vehicles. Holden's Commodore is available with a dual-fuel option that costs $2090 in the sedan and $2585 in the wagon. This option enjoys just a 1.5 per cent take-up across the VT range. "The dedicated LPG Falcon's pricing is a big breakthrough as the payback time is reduced to about 12 months," Ford regional public affairs manager Mr Richard Blackburn said. "It pays for itself in the first 20,000km and after that all the savings go in your back pocket." "This is particularly relevant to fleet buyers, who turn around their cars after 40,000km." No official economy figures are as yet available but the LPG Falcons are said to use slightly more fuel per kilometre than their petrol counterparts. But touring range should be improved thanks to a tank capacity of 92 litres for the sedan and 115 litres for the wagon. The petrol-powered Forte makes do with a 68-litre tank. The only visual clue distinguishing the LPG Falcons from their standard siblings is a green rocker cover atop the six-cylinder engine. Developed in conjunction with Tickford, the 4.0-litre LPG unit generates power and torque outputs of 143kW and 362Nm - compared with 157kW and 357Nm for the petrol 4.0-litre engine. Although peak power is down, the increase in torque means there is no perceptible loss in performance, according to Mr Blackburn. The technology is unlikely to be offered in up-spec cars such as the Fairmont as it is believed the independent rear suspension poses a few engineering hurdles to the LPG conversion. As well as shouting about the LPG Falcons' lower running costs, Ford is pushing the cars' environmental benefits. Ford claims a 20 per cent improvement in emissions that lead to global warming and an 80 per cent reduction in emission of air toxics (harmful pollutants). In addition, smog-forming emissions are down 30 per cent and there are zero evaporative emissions. Although fleets and taxis will be the main targets for the LPG Falcons, Mr Blackburn suggests the quicker payback time means a lot of private buyers will opt for them. He says owning a dedicated LPG car is now a viable proposition as "you can now drive around Australia and still have access to LPG pumps". "LPG is something that is here and now. We believe we can make an impact with it," Mr Blackburn said.