GP confirms no V8 Territory - Page 5 - Ford Forums

XF 5.0 S · 05-07-2003, 17:21

Famous mistaken quotes from the past:

Captain, she's unsinkable, full steam ahead through the ice.....(titanic 1st officer)

The world is flat (unknown idiot)

The market does not need a V8, an injected six is more than enough (XF bean counter bubble head)

The AU falcon is a revlutionary design, we believe that this segment of the market will embrace our americanised poofter design...(XF bean counter promoted to design)....

CDAA · 05-07-2003, 17:30

Part of the problem as I see it is we have all been trained to 'follow the leader' which is Holden. Every thing Ford does, we immediately look to Holden to see if they are doing the same, better or worse. When Ford don�t follow and improve on what they have we all feel hard-done by.

The reality is with Territory, Ford appears to be going in their own direction and not following Holden�s lead with the SS wagon etc. We may well be eating our words in 2004, if thousands of Territory�s are buzzing around with the �average �consumer, regardless of what we think. On the other hand I personally would have welcomed and waited for a completely new BA 260 /240 wagon or Cross Over duel cab ute etc. At the moment that is just what I really need.

I'll be buying a BA sedan instead of buying a SS wagon. Ford / Holden biased aside, I'm a little annoyed that I am in this position in order have a new Falcon. If my blood wasn't so blue, that SS wagon would fit the bill. Silly really.

Cheers

JR · 05-07-2003, 18:08

Quote:

Originally posted by JR
Mr Polites has confirmed that the new cross-over Territory model will be released in early 2004 without a V8 option.

"We can't do everything, we have a very good six-cylinder engine," he said. The Barra V8 will not fit into the engine bay of the Territory with all the ancillaries that go along with an all-wheel drive drivetrain.

Looking back at this, there are a few potential loopholes for Ford in what GP said.

"We can't do everything" could be "we can't do everything at once," meaning the V8 will come along later.

And the fact that the BarraV8 won't fit doesn't mean that no V8 will fit.

Now that I'm finished with the caveats:

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING GEOFF POLITES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who is the dickhead in the Product planning department that is telling you that these sort of half arsed, short sighted, STUPID decisions will make the Territory a success.

"Let's benchmark our new cross-over 4WD against a BMW X5. But we won't offer the sporting V8 option to customers who prefer a V8 because we'd like to give our main competitor a total marketing advantage for ANOTHER 6 years!!!!!!!!!!!!"

If there IS a V8 option of some sort coming with the Territory in the future, you can't NOT announce it, now that you'd caused so much havoc by implying that there will be no V8 option at launch.

Making the XR6T the Hero car is one thing - developing an FPV T6 that will flog the GT's is another, but how many times do you need to get raped by Holden before you wake up to the fact that there is a class of Aussie buyer that WILL ONLY ACCEPT A PRODUCT WITH A V8 OPTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These people think one thing when you wave a Turbo 6 at them: RICE!!!!!!!!

Memo to Ford Australia Personnel Department: STOP HIRING HOLDEN LOVERS FOR THE PRODUCT PLANNING DEPARTMENT - THEY'RE RUINING YOUR COMPANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Off to take a sedative now...

Cheers
Jason

Aussie Pete · 05-07-2003, 18:18

Quote:

Originally posted by JR
Who is the dickhead in the Product planning department that is telling you that these sort of half arsed, short sighted, STUPID decisions will make the Territory a success.......
Cheers
Jason

Jason. they're not d!ckheads. They are real people probably doing what needs to be done to make money (although not pleasing all of us).

I'm not happy but I personally wouldn't call someone a d!ckhead if I hadn't met them and fully understand their predicament (although we did meet the key person at Raid 2 - name escapes me right now).

Mr Sparkle · 05-07-2003, 18:33

Quote:

Originally posted by Aussie Pete
I'm not happy but I personally wouldn't call someone a d!ckhead if I hadn't met them and fully understand their predicament (although we did meet the key person at Raid 2 - name escapes me right now).

That is correct.... what you would do, is to go straight to the opposition camp and buy their product - a little more concerning for the product planners than getting called names, wouldn't you think?

JR · 05-07-2003, 18:35

Quote:

Originally posted by Aussie Pete
Jason. they're not d!ckheads. They are real people probably doing what needs to be done to make money (although not pleasing all of us).

I'm not happy but I personally wouldn't call someone a d!ckhead if I hadn't met them and fully understand their predicament (although we did meet the key person at Raid 2 - name escapes me right now).

Sorry Pete, but I'm calling it as I see it.

Peter Hamburgler is predicting Holden will build 70,000 GENIII equipped vehicles next year with their domestic and export building programs.

So what does their main market competitor do? Spend HALF A BILLION DOLLARS on a BRAND NEW product line that doesn't fit the companies V8 engine in its' engine bay.

This is the WORST kind of stupid cop-out lame arsed short sightedness.

Figures given to the Federal Government show Ford wants to sell about 30-35,000 of these things a year in addition to the 60-70,000 Falcon SWB & LWB vehicles.

Yet they're prepared to give away a large marketing advantage to their direct competitor by NOT have a V8 option in a car they BENCHMARKED on the BMW X5 with it's 4.4 V.8 option????????

Stupid, short-sighted, and ignorant of reality are just some of the adjectives that come to mind.

LoverBoy · 05-07-2003, 18:39

Sorry JR, but I think that's a bit of an over reaction, no need for that.
Like you said, a V8 might be down the track...just think how much Ford Aus have had on their plate lately.
I don't think the Territory is the bigger mistake without the V8, it's the falcon wagon. The Territory is a 4WD not a family wagon like the falcon.
Cheers
Mason.

Mr Sparkle · 05-07-2003, 18:48

Quote:

Originally posted by LoverBoy
I don't think the Territory is the bigger mistake without the V8, it's the falcon wagon.

Remember this point though - Ford Aus have continually implied that their diminishing support and development of the wagon was entirely due to the introduction of the Territory. One would naturally assume then, that whatever was removed from the wagon lineup, would find an incarnation in the Territory.

We have been asked to forgo luxury and V8 wagons in the name of the Territory, and now we are being asked to swallow the fact that the Territory will not provide these alternatives.

I'm scared that this mentality will work it's way through to the sedan range, over time... never say never!

Not good enough.

subsbligh35 · 05-07-2003, 19:08

What you have to understand is that Ford has a number or vested interests which they have to apease AHEAD of V8 gurus and fast car lovers like you and me.

Unfortunately, enviromental, ergonomical, "family" cars are what they beleive the market wants so they can drive the brats to soccer (jesus why arent they playing rugby leauge? our children are becoming seppodised) and hope that other dickheads whose bitches wouldn't let them have a GT will come up to them with a forced degree of jealousy and see the Territory (wank wank for starters) and say "Geez you got the N/A model? Has it got control link IRS?"(ala Skaife SS ad) and then they will go home, off to the bank at 8am, sit there and dream about a) how they should've married the girl with the big tits and blonde hair who would have let him have anything, anytime he wanted, b) how everyone at soccer would suck his memeber if he really did have an XR6t and c) how Ford should have brought out a V8 territory so he could have a shot at being the coolest dad on the block.

Instead all he has is a tall, "shocked cat" looking falcon wannabe, that is fatter, slower and he now looks like a poor X5 rather than a cool falcon crossover with an Aussie V8

psycho chicken · 05-07-2003, 19:16

I'm going to have to disagree with most people here on the Territory.

What is it? It's a medium sized 4WD. In a class with Honda CRVs, HRVs, all those 'try hard four wheel drives' as I've refered to them for years. The're mainly driven by mothers to take the kids to school, go do the shopping and what not.

Why on earth would they need a V8? Sure, if the Territory was a large 4WD (in the likes of Land Cruisers, Pajeros, etc, etc) I'd be spewing at no V8 option. You really need the torque if you're going off road or doing heavy towing.

But I really can't see the Territory doing a whole heap of off roading, or towing. The fuel economy of the 6 over the 8 will be more attractive for the 'soccer mums' I would think. The people who need a 4WD for towing or off roading will go and buy a Land Cruiser or whatever.

However, that aside, I do agree with the need for Fairmont, Fairmont Ghia, FPV and V8 wagons. My dad needs his wagon for moving stock at work. He needs the space the wagon gives with the seats down, yet he can't have a ute because he sometimes needs to put the seats up to drive the family around. While he's not a person for buying a GT or such, if he had to tow a trailer as well as load the wagon I'm sure we'd have a V8 in the drive way. If I was in his position, and it were in Ford's line up, we'd have an XR8 Wagon on order, maybe even a GT Wagon.

Some people want to tow a caravan but maybe they don't want a large 4WD. Simple, the've now got an XR8 Wagon, or if the're feeling like a performace car, a GT Wagon. I think it's a big enough market to warrant a V8 wagon line up.

That's my 2 cents anyway.