Has Ford Simply got it Wrong?

[Crazy Dazz]

It seems that Nomatter what Ford does, they cannot arrest the sliding sales of the Falcon, and whilst the Terri has rebounded, it’s not really enough to justify a stand-alone model.

All of this has got me to thinking; has Ford simply gone completely the wrong direction with their large cars?
It seems to me that increasingly these cars are aimed at boring old farts. Their most significant developments of late have been the Diesel Territory Slug, the EcoLpi, and the EB. The XR6 is barely more than a trim level (essentially replacing the Futura and SR) The XR6T lives in constant fear of the axe, V8 is gone, and the XR8 no more. The Territory has lost all its turbo modes, including the F6X, and you can’t even get an I6 in AWD! FPV have trimmed back its models, etc, etc. Yes, the world has changed, the market has changed, and I'm not saying that any of the forgoing would necessarily have “saved” the Falcon, but it does make me wonder if they haven’t made a dreadful mistake?

There is obviously a large (increasing?) demographic out there who care nothing about style, performance, or handling. As long as their family slug has 57 airbags and 18 different button on the steering wheel, they’re happy. There are also those who having driven “reliable” (and boring as bat ****) Corollas all their boring lives now want something a little more comfortable for the replacement hips. Problem is NONE of these people are going to buy a Falcon Nomatter how boring you make it.
People wanting a safe reliable family slug for their missus and kids will buy her a Camry or some Hyundai. Those who want to be a little bit “stylish” will get a Mazda 6. I(If I was going that path, as a Ford diehard, I’d be tempted to get her an ecolpi, but would probably plump for the Mondeo TD.) Boring old farts (still reeling from the demise of the Avalon) will STILL buy ******* Camrys, secure in the knowledge that they COULD buy an Aurion if they wanted to be a hoodlum.

If you want a “bang for your buck” RWD saloon, or SUV, the Falcon and Terri are impossible to beat in their home market. And I still reckon there is a significant niche market out there for exports of those models.
Nobody overseas is going to want to buy an EB Falcon, nor be fooled that a Territory Titanium is a prestige vehicle. But stick the 300kw+ I6T in an AWD, and you have something that PERFORMANCE wise would be punching way above its price-range.

I'm not suggesting that FA make EVERY Falcon a performance model, only that focussing on, and highlighting those aspects of the range, along with less boring styling, might reposition the Falcon brand in the market place.

It’s basic marketing 101. To carve out a market share you either need to offer an (attractive) point of difference, or you need to be able to improve upon what the market is currently consuming. The Falcon will never compete with Camrys & Hyundais etc when it comes to price, economy, and “reliability.” Hence the need to have points(s) of difference.