It’s been a rough few years for the Australian car industry, with the closure of Holden highlighting just how tough it can be, even for the biggest brands, to secure the right models to build a successful future.
For those working under the belief that our market was important in the global scheme of things, the big wigs at General Motors made it very clear that’s not the case. The swift and emotionless way in which Holden was wiped off the Australian automotive landscape made it brutally clear just how precarious any brand is without the right cars.
The final years of Holden saw the brand become a mixture of anything GM could make in right-hand drive at the right price, be it a Chevrolet, GMC or Opel. It made for a disjointed showroom line-up because, well, it was a disjointed line-up made up of multiple brands forced together under a common badge.
Through this lens, things didn’t look too bright for Ford either in recent years. As I have personally written, Ford Australia has seemingly been left out in the cold on some of the most exciting new models Ford head office has built. This includes the Mustang Mach-E, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Maverick and, of course, the F-150.
Or at least it had until recently. The decision to convert the F-150 locally is a big deal for Ford Australia in more ways than one. Obviously it will grow volume, allowing Ford to compete in a market it never has before, while also likely being profitable despite the complex process of remanufacturing it in right-hand drive.
But more than that, this deal shows that Ford HQ is willing to do what it takes to make a success of the Australian market. Unlike GM, the Blue Oval sees a long-term future as a volume brand, and it has taken the necessary steps to ensure the right products are available here even if it requires more work.
The decision to remanufacture the F-150 locally is unique within the Ford empire, no other market has been allowed to go to such lengths to get a model that would otherwise be unavailable.
After years of publicly claiming the Ranger was good enough and the F-150 wasn’t required for our market, Ford Australia’s upper management changed its tune several years ago – probably around the same time Chevrolet and Ram pick-ups began selling like hot cakes with six-figure price tags.
However, that change-of-heart seemingly came too late for this latest generation F-150, which was launched in 2020. Given the F-Series typically has a five-year product cycle, getting local sales of the F-150 up and running will be crucial to ensuring the next-generation model is more likely to get the steering wheel on the right side from the factory.
Ford Australia has the opportunity to demonstrate to its US bosses that the local market loves big pick-ups and is therefore worthy of more consideration at the planning stages.
During the announcement of the new arrangement, Ford Australia CEO Andrew Birkic repeatedly said the priority is to ensure the initial V6 EcoBoost-powered F-150s are well-built and sell in expected numbers. However, when asked repeatedly about the potential for other F-150 variants (specifically the Raptor and Lightning) as well as other Ford models that could be converted, he refused to rule it out. While hardly confirmation, it certainly leaves the door open for more Australian-led initiatives.
Of course, this does highlight the fact that Ford USA ruled out producing the F-150 in right-hand drive, despite Ford Australia clearly wanting it, which does somewhat dampen the celebrations around the deal.
As I’ve written before, the so-called ‘One Ford’ philosophy of trying to build global, rather than market-specific, models has seemingly faded away. The fact the Bronco, a car that began life using the Australian-developed, right-hand-drive-capable Ranger T6 underpinnings, hasn’t been engineered for right-hand drive does speak to a US-centric attitude that needs to change in the long-term.
Ford Australia has for too long missed out on key models, like the Shelby Mustangs, Bronco and Mustang Mach-E so hopefully this new deal is the start of a new era for the blue oval that will allow it to grow beyond its current limitations.
Keyword: Why the F-150 is a big deal for Ford Australia and its future | Opinion