Ford Australia looks to China as it plans major lineup expansion

Soon, Ford will have two China-sourced models in its Australian lineup — the Transit City and the Bronco Basecamp – and the brand isn’t shy about adding more as it looks to plug holes in its lineups.

Speaking at the brand’s Ford Uncovered event in Melbourne this week, Ford Australia president and CEO Fadi Mawal confirmed the brand is looking to increase its market coverage.

Mr Mawal underscored that Ford currently only competes in 30 per cent of Australia’s new-vehicle market, following the discontinuation of models like the Fiesta , Focus , Puma , Escape and Mondeo in recent years.

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Mr Mawal said this 30 per cent figure is "not enough”. He confirmed that Ford aims to double the number of segments it competes in to 60 per cent in the next three years, adding that by the end of the decade, 90 per cent of the brand’s lineup will be either all-new models, or significantly refreshed.

“We can’t rest on our laurels. We have to evolve, grow, and serve customers in new ways,” said Mr Mawal.

“By leveraging our global footprint, including China for the first time, we are moving fast and staying affordable without asking customers to compromise on capability, lifestyle, or quality.”

“Ford is here to win. We will be here for the next 100 years, no matter what the challenges are in front of us. But we know we need to evolve to win,” Mr Mawal added.

“Our future direction is clear. Greater choice for our customers, deeper loyalty with the Ford brand, and more foot traffic into our dealerships. Smarter, more affordable vehicles that leverage cutting edge, multi-energy technology. A much more diverse lineup to sell beyond the wildly successful Ranger and Everest .

“All of which helps us to compete aggressively with new and legacy automakers alike.”

In the first half of this year, the related and locally developed Ranger and Everest accounted for a whopping 88.5 per cent of Ford's Australian sales.

Mr Mawal underscored that Ford Australia will continue to have involvement in design and development of various Ford models. It's currently in the process of developing the Bronco Basecamp’s local tune, which is expected to eventually go global to other markets.

“We will keep designing and engineering the right vehicles here, made for Australian and Kiwi customers,” said Mr Mawal.

“These new vehicles, and many more that we can’t share with you yet, broaden our portfolio and open up parts of the market that we haven’t spoken to for some time.”