Further fettling for final Falcon facelift (say that fast 3 times)

[Road_Warrior]

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257B910002B8C8

Ford’s local design chief says company is still tinkering on final Falcon facelift

21 June 2013

By IAN PORTER

FORD’S local design chief Joel Piaskowski’s body clock might still be on US summer time, but that’s not holding him back as he puts the finishing touches to what will be the world’s final Falcon.

Having only arrived in Australia in January as Ford’s director of design for Asia Pacific and Africa, Mr Piaskowski appears to have slipped straight into the country and the job.

A job, he says, which encompasses some last-minute tweaks to the facelifted Falcon due in the second half of 2014, destined to be the last of the line when Ford stops manufacturing here in October 2016.

“It’s really great to be here,” he told GoAuto. “It’s a car country with a car culture... and that’s what makes it exciting.”

Having been born and raised in Michigan, not far from Detroit, he feels right at home here. And some familiar sights on the road help build his comfort levels.

“What’s really neat is to see the amount of Mustangs, classic Mustangs, driving around, both left hand drive and right hand drive.”

A veteran of 21 years in automotive design, Mr Piaskowski had worked at General Motors, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz before he was appointed as Ford’s director of exterior design for the Americas in 2010.

Although the (already announced) facelifts for the last Falcon and Territory models were set when he arrived in Australia earlier this year, he has been able to have some influence.

“When I came on, the design was set and we’ve just been working on the delivery and the commercialisation process of it.”

But there is still some tinkering being done, he admitted.

“We are still designing elements of it, details of it. We had a big design review today, actually, on the tail lamp. There were lots of opinions.”

He said there would also be a mild facelift for what will be the last Territory, and that is also being wrapped up right now.

Mr Piaskowski said there would still be plenty of work for the design studio to do after the last Australasia-only models were completed. Ford Australia president and CEO Bob Graziano has previously confirmed the company will retain a research and design presence here beyond the plant closures.

“The core responsibilities of the local studio are for the Asia/Pacific, so when there are programs specifically for the region, they will be coming through the studio at Broadmeadows,” said Mr Piaskowski.

In addition, the Broadmeadows studio will be competing with the other Ford Design studios around the world for a wide range of projects.

The other studios are in the US (Dearborn), Germany (Cologne), England (London and Dunton), Brazil (Camacari) and China (Shanghai).

As we reported from India last month, Ford’s Chinese-based Asia-Pacific passenger vehicle and SUV programs director Trevor Worthington – a former vice-president of product development of Ford Australia – said the local R&D centre was fully booked, and could perhaps even justify taking on extra staff.

Although Ford Australia scored a big hit with the rebodied Fiesta called Figo in India, where it went to number one on the sales charts, there is no guarantee that the studio will do the next Figo.

“We operate globally,” said Mr Piaskowski. “We have global design competitions, and three or four times a year the global design directors gather at various studios and have design discussions.

“Through these design competitions, it really helps to elevate the global design studio level. Each studio feeds off the other studio and it raises the game within Ford Design and, ultimately, the company benefits.

“Numerous vehicles have been, if not designed from here, have been heavily influenced by the design talent and resources from the studio here.”

“It’s really being able to bubble up or bring out the best of design within our global portfolio of studios to funnel the best ideas into the end products.

“There are numerous products around the globe that have started in various studios but ultimately it goes through the filters of Ford Design management and product development organisation to hit the market.”

The comparatively small local design centre led the development of the global Ranger ute, and also had significant design input on the Chinese-market Escort concept revealed in Shanghai last April.

It has also working on a rugged SUV version of the Ranger – prototypes of which have now been seen on Melbourne roads.

The Australian-based engineers and designers have also been involved in the highly anticipated next-generation Mustang, a global program – including right-hand drive – due to reach production in 2015.

I was under the impression the final design was locked in late last year/early this year. But I guess when someone new rocks up with a couple of new ideas it is always open to change. I hope it is a good change.

Interesting comments on the Territory as well, again I thought there weren't any further styling changes and it was all for powertrain enhancement and feature additions.

Personally I think they've spent more than the widely-publicised $103 Million on all this.

[toothless]

I wish they would make a gt ho wagon with fpv gear that would look nice

[csv8]

It must have an in your face, wtf!! face, to get peoples attention..not a bland design. Go macho not girly...

[FalconXV]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Personally I think they've spent more than the widely-publicised $103 Million on all this.

Yeah I thought that might have just been for the fuel savings outlined in the co-investment. Wheels says 'As recently as April, Dearborn signed off on an extra $202million equity injection into the local business". Could I be reading too much into things?

Just hope he hasn't been sent to soften it, make sure it doesn't steal Mondeo's thunder, don't want too many grubby Yank fingers on our last Falcon.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by csv8

It must have an in your face, wtf!! face, to get peoples attention..not a bland design. Go macho not girly...

Well...WTF as in "wow, that's hot", not WTF as in the scene from Predator when Arnie first lays eyes on the Predator without it's mask on. We don't want that.

That said the corporate design language at the moment as shown on the '14 Fusion gives a good idea what it will look like and if it looks like that, it should provide a very good looking Falcon indeed.

[R-Design]

Interesting comments on seeing Mustangs around Melbourne, maybe alluding to a lot more pony cars hitting our shores soon?

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by R-Design

Interesting comments on seeing Mustangs around Melbourne, maybe alluding to a lot more pony cars hitting our shores soon?

Thought the same thing but I think its more of a reference to "feeling at home" blah blah.

Worth noting will be how much the Mustang name is now dropped into media releases from here in.

I cant wait to see the XR6T; might be better value than the F6 as it has enough stonk. I wonder if any powertrain upgrades are due?

[ebv8]

i have no idea but i bet it will have a fusion front, fusion back and have the same engines and same suspension and a bit more kit inside
that way we won't be able to tell too much when they drop it and bring in its replacement
territory will probably go the other way and look more like a ranger
can't see them spending time and money on engines, just more plastic and electronics
but i'm just guessing

[Polyal]

^^No doubt the styling will be the bridge between what is coming next. Which is normal anyway, BF2 morphed a little with the headlights to look like a FG; eases the "shock" of a new model a little.

[JPFS1]

it was always going to be draw closer to the newer design themes coming out of this whole One Ford idea.

I think it will look OK.

[Polyal]

JPFS1..change of avatar...sqwinting seems to not help identify that drawing..article mentioned lights..

[JPFS1]

Originally Posted by Polyal

JPFS1..change of avatar...sqwinting seems to not help identify that drawing..article mentioned lights..

Yeah thought I needed a change of scenery.

[Road_Warrior]

Yeah tail lights though.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by JPFS1

Yeah thought I needed a change of scenery.

Looks like Dream Theater DSOTM artwork :-)

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Looks like Dream Theater DSOTM artwork :-)

If only avatars stayed the same at the time of a post

[NX74205]

Originally Posted by ebv8

i have no idea but i bet it will have a fusion front, fusion back

I'm kind of hoping it'll look more like the current Focus/Kuga at the front, with the Aston-Martin style lower grille and a 'letterbox' upper grille housing the Ford badge. I dislike the look of the new Fusion/Focus ST front end 'letterbox' lower grille, the big, gaping Aston-Martin upper grille with the Ford badge on the bonnet above it. It doesn't look right to me.

Fusion rear end is very nice, though.

[mik]

Personally I hope they don't change the falcon too much in the body work, it looks pretty good as it is, the driveline is good, just blow the budget on interior and kit mostly.

[Hawkeye84]

I'm guessing Fusion front, Escort rear for the Falcon facelift.
I would be surprised if the gave the Territory a Fusion facelift

[Buntz]

I just really want to see it. More importantly, what it looked like when it was signed off on, and what it looks like now with this... "fettling"

[csv8]

What they should do is drop XT, bring back Futura (same spec as current G6) as entry model, then Fairmont or drop Fairmont and just have Fairmont Titanium. (FORD cann't use GHIA)..
Range would be ..Futura, $35,990. Fairmont Titanium.$39,990 Fairmont Titanium Turbo.$45990...no V8's ...they are history, sad to say...
XR6 $37,990, XR6 Turbo. $45,990.. with increased kit..to match or come close to the VF. FORD have the kit in their world car ,parts bin..just gotta install it here ...
But, I can dream!!!!!

[NX74205]

Originally Posted by csv8

What they should do is drop XT, bring back Futura (same spec as current G6) as entry model, then Fairmont or drop Fairmont and just have Fairmont Titanium.

I'm all for bringing back the Fairmont name

[My poor XF]

Originally Posted by NX74205

I'm all for bringing back the Fairmont name

God NO!!

[StealthAu]

Being the last of the Falcons, they should bring back the GTHO.
I wasn't sure how I sat with the idea when thrown around prior to the end of production announcement, but with that out I think a final HO in the final production Falcon line up would be pretty special.

[FNQracing]

Hope they give the interior a jolly good reworking, like ED to EF. Wow, what a change that was. My main fear is that the quality will take a massive drive south, after all, Falcon's a dead man walking.

[jpd80]

We've already seen the VF range and while it boasts an impressive line up of features, the styling is a little bland.

I think 2014 is a great opportunity for Ford to stamp Falcon's authority with a much more aggressive face and
with some tidying up of the interior and selection of the right options that are available, this could work....

[csv8]

They could call it The Millenium Falcon...

[csv8]

My Poor XF...Why not ??? everyone knows what a Fairmont is,,,,,but a G6 or a G6E ?????

[Falcon_Crazy]

All i know is i will line up prob in 2015 to swap the FG2 XR6T ute for the "last". then i will tgo o the pub, and cry in my beer (maybe after a long drive on some great blacktop)

[in_xcess]

The facelift will constitute a slightly different line for the head and tail lamps, some chrome trim where they didn't have chrome trim before, a colour they have offered before but give a new name and some new wheel covers on the base model... Unless Dearborne grow some balls and let Ford Oz actually do what they want for the final one!

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by csv8

They could call it The Millenium Falcon...

They tried that back in 2002? I think it was, but George Lucus got in the way. Which is why the Millenium Fairlane came out, to celebrate 100 years of Ford. It was supposed to be a Falcon.