Ford to Close Australian Assembly Plant
Today, Ford officially closed its assembly plant in Melbourne, Australia. The plant produced the entire Falcon lineup—which was an Australian exclusive—as well as the Territory, a midsize SUV.
The American manufacturer has been producing cars in the country since 1925, becoming the first automaker to do so.
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According to Ford, production costs were simply too high to keep building the Falcon and the Territory. Furthermore, demand for these vehicles was going down because of fuel prices and competition.
Ford Australia's arch-rival, Holden, isn't in great shape either: at the end of 2017, they will shut down the production line of the Commodore.
This will mark the end of the Australian ute—a little pickup truck built on the chassis of a larger sedan, kind of like an El Camino—since they won't be built elsewhere.
Australia's other automaker, Toyota, will also close its factory: according to them, the supplier's rising prices will make it hard for us them keep building Camrys.
Ford will keep the very last Falcon, Falcon Ute and Territory for their museum. Since the first model in the 1960s, 3.4 million Falcons have been produced.
