New car sales May 2015

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by duaned

Great wall sold 12 units in May. The writing is on the wall for those crap boxes for sure!

That's because the Great Wall brand is being phased out and replaced with Haval and Foton.

[mik]

Originally Posted by zilo

Gearbox issues much more severe than those haven't stopped people from buying Volkswagons by the shipload.....

Actually I think it did hurt them for a while, but their damage control /cost cutting and heavy advertising is paying off.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Which is pox in this day and age, 5sp manual still?

I've got an LV Focus, has a 6sp manual and its three models old now, why go back to 5 gears?

You have been too spoilt Big Damo, can you imagine what it was like in the good old days with 2 speed autos and 3 speed manuals with no synchro on 1st ☺.

Personally I'd be happy with 5.

[cheap]

BTW, I still haven't seen one single XR8 or for that matter a FG X on the road. Those stats back up my experience.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Focused

Ignore everything on Facebook.
My parents had a LW Trend and replaced it with a LW2 Trend a few months ago and both were fine.

Ford don't sell because:
1) the dealers are crap
2) the general public associate Ford with crappy outdated Falcons...

Yawn. We've heard every lame excuse under the sun blaming Falcon for Fords poor sales (except Ranger). XF door handles, EA head gaskets, AU looks Fact is if you say Falcon to most people they will respond with 'what?'
Just like everyone who knows someone who has a Ranger, a lot of people know someone who has had dramas with that power shift lemon.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by cheap

BTW, I still haven't seen one single XR8 or for that matter a FG X on the road. Those stats back up my experience.

They are selling all they are making I think you'll find.

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

They are selling all they are making I think you'll find.

That hardly matters when they are making 2 fifths of not many.

[minheim]

I believe the dry clutch powershift auto is what has killed the focus name and Ford know what a disaster it is. The new Mondeo and the latest Kuga no longer have a Powershift auto. I'm sure the next generation focus if there is one will won't have a powershift auto.

[XR Martin]

Mondeo and Kuga never had the dry clutch powershift box. Diesels of those models previously and currently have a wet clutch powershift

[minheim]

You might be right re the previous model Kuga but I'm fairly certain the ecoboost MC Mondeos had a powershift transmission and being petrol powered I suspect they had a dry clutch. However I am happy to be corrected if wrong.

Edit. Havde done a little more research it may well be the Mondeo has a wetclucth throughout with only fiesta and focus having dry clutch.

[SumoDog68]

Originally Posted by minheim

You might be right re the previous model Kuga but I'm fairly certain the ecoboost MC Mondeos had a powershift transmission and being petrol powered I suspect they had a dry clutch. However I am happy to be corrected if wrong.

Edit. Havde done a little more research it may well be the Mondeo has a wetclucth throughout with only fiesta and focus having dry clutch.

Wet clutch dual clutch transmissions are generally used for higher torque engines (above 300-350 Nm depending on manufacturer ).

[Kieron]

Originally Posted by smoo

Yawn. We've heard every lame excuse under the sun blaming Falcon for Fords poor sales (except Ranger). XF door handles, EA head gaskets, AU looks Fact is if you say Falcon to most people they will respond with 'what?'

That's not fact, just your opinion.

What is fact is Ford Australia have for a very long time, had the Falcon as the core product and in reality, those Falcon sales have been 70 odd percent to fleets. Sales of micro/small/medium Ford's have never been particularly strong, the one exception being the Laser. One other stroke of success was the late great Geoff Polites Territory.

My opinion is the buying public over the years have seen Ford as the Falcon car co and passed Ford over when looking at smaller cars, ie Ford are not even on these peoples shopping list like say Toyota, this is why Ford Au are doing the Ford/Toyota comparo ads, trying to get punters to look at Ford again.

A similar scenario occurred in the USA with Ford (and GM/Chrysler) too. They relied on the F series and SUV's for profit in the early 2,000's as these returned far greater profit margins than the small cars. When the GFC hit and oil prices rose, people stopped buying the big stuff, didn't see Ford as a small car manufacturer and on top of that, Ford's small car offerings in the US were substandard compared with the 'imports'. The latter is why Ford adopted the Euro Focus and Mondeo/Fusion and this is fact too.

Ford UK/Europe have never had this issue as their core product have always been right sized for the markets hence the Focus' success there.

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by SumoDog68

Wet clutch dual clutch transmissions are generally used for higher torque engines (above 300-350 Nm depending on manufacturer ).

but come with their own set of issues - they leak!

[csv8]

I got crapped on for buying an i20 and its 9th in sales !! Fiesta is nowhere in sight..sad to say..Drop the DSG box and price and advertise!!! Fiesta and Focus must get the conventional auto box, asap...
XR6 Martin.."They are selling all they are making I think you'll find." But where do you find them ??? I have only seen one FGX in Rockhampton a G6E. Ford Ecosport 2, Trax a few..Barina quite a fewand so it goes..VF heaps..Holden must be doing something right?? Why aren't alarm bells going off in Detroit????

[csv8]

New Focus still has Powershift
NEW FORD FOCUS from £13,995
With a completely restyled, more sculpted exterior and a cabin space that’s more advanced and sophisticated than ever, this is the most refined Focus yet.

This next generation model incorporates a wide range of remarkable new technologies, too. For example, Ford SYNC 2 with Voice Control and 8” Touchscreen enables you to intuitively operate the car’s navigation, entertainment and climate control systems, just by using your voice. And an upgraded Active Park Assist has now been enhanced to take the stress out of both parallel and perpendicular parking.

A range of state-of-the-art petrol and diesel engines deliver the perfect balance of power and fuel-economy. An advanced PowerShift transmission and paddle shift gear changes maximise the performance and efficiency of both.

Find out more about the driving experience, the levels of performance and efficiency, the safety features and the design of the Focus.

[FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0]

Originally Posted by csv8

I got crapped on for buying an i20 and its 9th in sales !!

You're on Australian Ford Forums and you came on here telling us why the Hyundai was better than the Ford. No wonder you got crapped on.

That's why I don't bother going to the Australian Hyundai Forum: I own Fords. I'd expect to get crapped on there, too.

Seriously, what did you expect.......

Craig H

[OLD BALDY]

My 14 year old Grand Son has seen the complete range of new Falcons and Terri in and around Werribee Vic. Little **** every one he sees sends to me via email ,even takes photos out of school bus and sends to me. (I can't even send emails let alone photos). ? what age do they start looking and Photos of Girls!!! Also some photos of 65-70 year old young chicks for Pa.

[csv8]

psychobimbo..I never said the i20 was better than the Fiesta..It was a hip pocket decision ,,

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by csv8

psychobimbo..I never said the i20 was better than the Fiesta..It was a hip pocket decision ,,

How much did you pay? 3/5-door, auto/man?

[csv8]

MrZ . $15,500 auto 5 door drive away with 48kms on the speedo.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by csv8

MrZ . $15,500 auto 5 door drive away with 48kms on the speedo.

Hmm, seems cheap. RRP for that is $18k+. Was it built the previous year or something?

[csv8]

Mr Z..I bought it Dec 30 2014 it's a Sept 2014 build ,the deal to good to refuse ,5 months it's been faultless. Averages around 7l/100kms. The best deal on a Fiesta Ambiente auto was $17,990,

[XR Martin]

Theres ones on carsales for $15990 OTR.
Still about $15k too expensive IMO.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Theres ones on carsales for $15990 OTR.
Still about $15k too expensive IMO.

The cheapest brand-new 2015 I see on there is $16,990 OTR. The only ones less than that are either used or "near new".

@csv8 - the reason why it was so cheap is because 2 days after you bought it, it was already a year old. The dealer knew this - that once Jan 1st came around, the car would be seen as being last year's build. On Carsales I see brand-new Suzuki Swift autos for $15,990 drive-away - arguably a better deal than the i20 due to being made in Japan and a newer design (dating back only to 2011, vs 2008 for the i20). When you look at resale value, there is no comparison - a 3-year-old i20 is worth 60% vs 68% for the Swift. An 8% difference on a $16k car comes to $1280 - a considerable amount.

[russellw]

The first set of graphical stats for May have been uploaded to the Tech Portal.

Cheers
Russ

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by MrZ

The cheapest brand-new 2015 I see on there is $16,990 OTR. The only ones less than that are either used or "near new".

@csv8 - the reason why it was so cheap is because 2 days after you bought it, it was already a year old. The dealer knew this - that once Jan 1st came around, the car would be seen as being last year's build. On Carsales I see brand-new Suzuki Swift autos for $15,990 drive-away - arguably a better deal than the i20 due to being made in Japan and a newer design (dating back only to 2011, vs 2008 for the i20). When you look at resale value, there is no comparison - a 3-year-old i20 is worth 60% vs 68% for the Swift. An 8% difference on a $16k car comes to $1280 - a considerable amount.

Actually the resale difference would be bigger as the rate is calculated off RRP so the Swift would be 68% of 19k (or whatever RRP is)

[mr smith]

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

I'm gonna be different. West Point Ford Hoppers Crossing and Eclipse Ford Ballarat are in my mind the two best dealers you can go to. Fantastic service and always helpful. Staff even remember your name when you go back next time.

Rex Gorrell in Geelong is good too. Not as good as the other two but I'd buy a car from them if I had to.

West Point nearly made me give up on the brand. New sales were OK but the service dept was shocking.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Actually the resale difference would be bigger as the rate is calculated off RRP so the Swift would be 68% of 19k (or whatever RRP is)

Believe it or not, the Swift auto RRP is $17,990 which is *less* than the i20 5-door auto!!

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

I'm gonna be different. West Point Ford Hoppers Crossing and Eclipse Ford Ballarat are in my mind the two best dealers you can go to. Fantastic service and always helpful. Staff even remember your name when you go back next time.

Rex Gorrell in Geelong is good too. Not as good as the other two but I'd buy a car from them if I had to.

Agree on Rex Gorell, they treated us well and with rapport when we serviced our SY with them.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by Spammy

Reading the above it appears the small Fords have the reliability issues of a 2nd tier Euro and the driveway cred of a Ford.....gee, I wonder why they are not selling very well.

Yeah, if I'm going to be seeing a lot of the RACV truck, I'm going to see it wearing a proper Euro badge!




Edit: more seriously, I think you've nailed it. Poor sales of Focus and Fiesta have nothing do to with Falcon, and more to do with this. Its a shame as their design (save: gearbox) is brilliant and the Euro built ones really were competitive with the 'semi premium' image VW have captured. Additionally they have a great ride/handling balance, as does Territory and Mondeo in their segments. At least the petrol Mondeo and Territory have a 6 speed torque converter auto.