Ford jobs ”assured” as luxury models cease

By Geelong Story Updates
BY HAMISH HEARD
Ford Australia has assured workers at its Geelong plant of business as usual after production of the marque’s luxury Fairlane and LTD models ceases next year.
The company has announced it will stop producing the models in early 2008 amid falling demand for large vehicles.
But a Ford spokesperson said the company wanted to assure local workers their jobs would be safe.
“There will be no impact on jobs at the Geelong plant as a result of the Fairlane and LTD going out of production,” the spokesperson said.
However, the company revealed it had no plans to produce hybrid cars in Geelong despite fears that Labor leader Kevin Rudd’s vow to replace the Commonwealth fleet with environmentallyfriendly cars would impact on local jobs.
Earlier this month the Independent reported that Liberal Member for Corangamite Stewart McArthur had warned the policy could spell the end of Ford in Geelong if the ALP won this year’s federal election.
He said fleet sales represented more than 70 per cent of the domesticallymanufactured car market and the absence of locallyproduced hybrids would mean the Federal Government would have to look offshore to fill its car parks.
“The production line in Geelong is set up to produce Falcon and Territory models, so at this point in time there’s no scope to integrate hybrid production (in Geelong),” Ford’s spokesperson said.
New Fairlane models have appeared alongside their Falcon stablemates since 1967 when Ford dealers began selling Australia’s first locallyproduced luxury car.
But the luxury models will be notably absent from showrooms when Ford releases its allnew Falcon models early next year.
“A significant decline in sales of upper large vehicles over the past few years has meant that local production of long wheel base variants, primarily for domestic sale only, is currently no longer sustainable,” Ford’s spokesperson said.