Ford has developed Australia’s first large all-wheel drive crossover vehicle which is part car, part 4WD and part people mover, writes Mike Duffy.
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The five or seven-seat vehicle – to be called the Territory – will be built on the same assembly line as the Falcon large car range at Broadmeadows in Victoria.
Territory will run a Ford-developed single mode all-wheel drive system similar in concept to the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV 4 and Subaru Forester class of small ”softroaders” – but substantially larger.
The new car will create around 400 new assembly jobs and several hundred more positions throughout the components industry – many in South Australia.
The Territory is the result of three years’ development and will cost $500 million to bring to market.
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By GlobalDataThe first production prototype of the new vehicle was one of the highlights of the Melbourne Motor Show which opened today.
It is due to go on sale in the second quarter of 2004 and Ford hopes to open up export markets for right and left-hand drive versions of the all-wheel drive vehicle.
Ford is not releasing prices, engine options or specifications at this stage. But it is likely Territory will share Falcon’s engine line-up which consists of a four litre in-line six cylinder model and 5.4 litre V8 options with the turbocharged XR6 engine, earmarked for a sports model.
Prices are likely to start around the $A35,000 mark.
The carmaker discovered a growing need for a locally-made large multi-purpose vehicle three years ago when it was researching the business case for the latest Falcon.
The embattled car make was able to ”sell” the concept to head office in Detroit of building the BA – and investing another $500 million on the Territory.
Ford Australia president Geoff Polites said: “We talked to large car owners, owners of large 4WDs and owners of people movers and found that although each of these owners was reasonably happy with their respective vehicles, they could all identify areas where their vehicles did not match their needs.”
Ford found:
LARGE car buyers liked their car’s performance and handling but wished it could do more in terms of adapting to their lifestyle.
4WD owners loved the ”command” driving position, good visibility in traffic and high versatility, but wishes it handled like a car. They also admitted they did not need or use its rugged off-road capabilities and were not happy with high running costs.
PEOPLE MOVER drivers grudgingly admitted their car was very practical but they hated ”being the family bus driver”.
“We had identified an unmet need out there for something that offered the handling and style of a car with the versatility of a 4WD and/or people mover,” Mr Polites said.
Mr Polites said it was estimated 60 per cent of Territory sales would be to people who previously had bought imported vehicles.
”So even without an export program, this vehicle will produce trade and balance of payment benefits for Australia,” Mr Polites said.
