Local remanufacturing of Ford F-150 pick-up to right-hand drive opens the door for other models
Ford’s local right-hand drive remanufacturing operation that begins with the 2023 Ford F-150 pick-up next year could spawn other all-new Blue Oval models for the Aussie market – including the smash-hit Ford Bronco.
That’s the word from Ford’s local chief Andrew Birkic, who confirmed to carsales that the door is now open for other vehicles hitherto unavailable to Australian buyers because they remain produced exclusively in left-hand drive.
These include the Bronco, which Birkic officially ruled out in September 2020 when it became clear the all-new retro-inspired 4×4 off-roader would not be produced in right-hand drive at Ford’s Michigan factory in the US.
That now plants the 300kW Ford Bronco Raptor on the Aussie agenda too, complete with its 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that will also slot into the forthcoming 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor super-ute.
The other hot prospect is the Ford Maverick – a passenger car-based compact dual-cab ute that would sit below the incoming new-generation Ford Ranger – while the latest-generation Ford Explorer large SUV is another candidate.
Birkic told carsales this week that beyond the company’s priority in getting the new Ford F-150 program up and running, the new right-hand drive remanufacturing program – the first of its kind in the Ford world – would provide other opportunities for vehicles such as the Bronco.
But only if the quality of the vehicle conversions “is absolutely spot on”.
“Does it give us some opportunities down the track? Yes, but again, our focus needs to be on F-150,” he said.
“There’s a lot of work that goes in behind whether we bring a vehicle into Australia. Can we get the supply? Is it commercially viable? Is there a market for it?
“We would need to do all that due diligence, and that would be part of our decision-making process.
“But certainly we will test this out. This is a very significant step for us and really, globally, this is a first.
“So we just need to ensure that the quality of it is absolutely spot on.”
A Ford Special Vehicles operations team with senior personnel from Ford Australia and its Victorian-based Asia Pacific Product Development Centre has been established, working with the Blue Oval brand’s remanufacturing partner, RMA Automotive.
RMA will set up its production facility in Mickleham, north of Melbourne, in the same precinct as Ford Australia’s parts supply and logistics hub.
“RMA and Ford Special Vehicles have got a lot of work to do in terms of the engineering and setting up the manufacturing facility,” said Birkic. “Let’s get it [F-150] here, let’s get it down the line, let’s spend the time on the remanufacture, let’s get it out to our customers.
“Then I think we’ll move on to the next step [such as other models and derivatives].
“There’s no hard and fast timing. What we want to do is ensure that the process is robust and that we do it really, really well.”
Asked about the prospects of the Ford Explorer joining the local RHD program, Birkic said: “The market is evolving, customers’ expectations are changing, so we’ll continue to look at that.
“You’re seeing that manifest here today [with F-150] … so we’ll continue to have an open mind.
“We are going to learn a lot in the next 12 months as we go through this process, as we develop our muscle in this space.”
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Keyword: Ford Bronco back on the table for Australia