Lot of gnashing of teeth and hand-wringing in Oz this week: Ford will cease car production in 2016 and kill off the venerable Ford Falcon.
Dwindling domestic demand for a thirsty V6 3-box sedan they say. Who'd've thought it? ;-) And few export markets for it either.
Also high, uncompetitive Aussie labour rates - way more than double the wages of the Ford assembly employees in their Thailand factory, for example.
State and Federal Government subsidies and handouts have kept Ford alive in Oz for years, and now all that taxpayer money has gone in vain...
Holden launch the new Commodore next week... might give them a new lease of life? Or maybe they'll be next on the chopping block.
Best-seller in Oz in 2012: the Mazda 3.
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