Are FORD leaving V8 supertaxi's??

[TSR]

Going by the story in today Sydney Sun Herald FORD are under considering scalling down there involment in the supertaxi, saying that FORD used to be a FALCON MOTOR COMPANY,but under today climate with all the eco stuff FORD are now focusing on the MONDEO, FOCUS and FEISTA.

And Mr Gorman gave Aussie Bernie a little spray saying that the v8supertaxi' do have a used by date.But Mr Gorman did say FORD will always be involed in motorsport in Australia.

So is it only a matter of time before the supertaxi become a one horse race.( Going by this year result it is already happening )

[D.R.T.]

I believe Mr Cattach did retort by mentioning they had Toyota in the wings. However IF Ford did pull out because of a lack of relevant to its motoring sales, would Toyota be willing to jump in against Holden ?

[pete55]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

I believe Mr Cattach did retort by mentioning they had Toyota in the wings. However IF Ford did pull out because of a lack of relevant to its motoring sales, would Toyota be willing to jump in against Holden ?

I doubt it.

[TSR]

Me too, why would Toyota poor millions into something with a used date on it. But on the other hand Toyota is the Number 1 Car Company in Australia and the World, but then again why would they.

[kmsport]

"P-O-P".....Was that a big bubble I heard bursting?

[Razor]

If the Toyota decideds to replace Ford, what car would the Japanese car maker use? Camry? Aurion? Hilux ?

[TSR]

Originally Posted by Razor

If the Toyota decideds to replace Ford, what car would the Japanese car maker use? Camry? Aurion? Hilux ?

Come on Razor, I reckon Toyota will pick the YARIS at least it might have a chance against the walkinshoody VE.

[FPV GTHO]

Why is the only option for Toyota being discussed that of replacing Ford, not joining them and Holden?

[Raglanparade]

I think its inevitable that Ford may leave. If Ford leaves the V8 program, it frees up money to spend on Marketing the small cars better. The small car product, Focus and Fiesta are amongst the best cars in the world in there catagory.

Halo marketing (v8 Supercar) only gets you so far, but maybe Ford is weighing up whats better for its resources.. spending how many Millions a year on the overpriced supertaxi's?? or spending the money wisely promoting the cars that actually sell ??

The V8 Supercars could be Aurion v Commodore v 380 and i wouldnt care less to be honest.

[pete55]

I don't think Toyota would support more than 3 or 4 teams at the most. Would this mean Holden would have to run the other dozen teams?

[TSR]

Originally Posted by pete55

I don't think Toyota would support more than 3 or 4 teams at the most. Would this mean Holden would have to run the other dozen teams?

And Holden are not travelling along that good either

[stmorri]

There still would be private teams prepared to run Falcons in the championship but there would need to be a system of success ballast as a measure of parity to even things up......come to to think of it they need success ballast now for 2007.

[racer69]

Since when does canning the V8Supercar program mean that it would be canning it's motorsport program.

Any V8 pullout would be in favour of marketing the smaller cars, something which the Super2000 Fiesta in the ARC would fit into nicely.

Originally Posted by stmorri

There still would be private teams prepared to run Falcons in the championship but there would need to be a system of success ballast as a measure of parity to even things up......come to to think of it they need success ballast now for 2007.

A) Why would you want to use success ballast for anything, isn't the deal artificially contrived enough already?

B) Why would the series want to keep a car competitive from a manufacturer that wasn't interested in supporting the series?

[Robert Ryan]

With the success of 2litre style touring cars all over Europe getting massive coverage and spectators flocking to events... i would love to see this emulated in Australia. I would also like to see a more a structured format where we could infact have an "International" touring car class.

Also you would see rapidly the death of Australian roadracing. Speedway and Drag Racing would takeover as the major categories here. 2 litre series are far from successful in Europe, FIA GT, and Singleseater categories tend to outrank them. See how many people watch the BTCC?

Most Australians know that V8SC bear little relevance to the showroom cars. Is it any wonder Toyota are killing em both in overall sales?

Don't get me wrong, Toyota's products use more fuel than Ford/Holden's V8s (i.e Landcruiser, Prado etc...) but Toyota have a huge range, the right mix of vehicles (which are priced right) and the parent company is generating so much cash, it's spending all the profit it makes here on marketing.

But they are loath to get involved with local racing.Sounds like a lose lose situation for local industry and Australian Racing.
logically two very different issues, one is to do with the price of petrol and another is a racing series.

[racer69]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

Also you would see rapidly the death of Australian roadracing. Speedway and Drag Racing would takeover as the major categories here. 2 litre series are far from successful in Europe, FIA GT, and Singleseater categories tend to outrank them. See how many people watch the BTCC?

The BTCC has actually been getting good crowds this year, especially at Rockingham a few weeks ago. Single Seater racing is no doubt the main thing in Europe, but the likes of FIA GT and Sportscar racing in general (outside the Le Mans 24 Hours) attracts two men and a dog to the majority of their races. The FIA GT Championship for instance has struggled since it left the Eurosport/WTCC Super Racing Weekend package at the end of 2005.

Whatever the formula of car raced in Australia the main ingrediants required are the main drivers and teams to compete so the fans/media know who they are watching, anything else is just secondary.

[Robert Ryan]

Most Australians know that V8SC bear little relevance to the showroom cars. Is it any wonder Toyota are killing em both in overall sales?

logically two very different issues, one is to do with the price of petrol and another is a racing series.Toyota Corolla is the 2nd biggest seller in Australia

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[stmorri]

A) Why would you want to use success ballast for anything, isn't the deal artificially contrived enough already?

B) Why would the series want to keep a car competitive from a manufacturer that wasn't interested in supporting the series?[/QUOTE]

A) Because it is only a 2 car series and if 1 manufacturer pulls out then the low budget teams will need assistance if they are to remain competitive.

B) Because there is no point in having a series that solely consists of Commodores and VESA wouldn't want to lose the support from the Ford supporters at the track......they pay at the gate.

[SSbaby]

I'm not Ford bashing but having read the article in the SMH, I don't know if Gorman was misquoted or he is implying that the high cost of fuel is really making V8SC seem irrelevant (to Ford) in the current climate.

Surely not? Not when Holden V8 sales have never been stronger!

I agree with some here that V8Supercar entertainment has nothing at all to do with the issue of V8 sales due to high fuel prices. V8SC is about entertainment. Even some Toyota owners follow the sport. What I was alluding to in my earlier post was that I don't blame Ford if they decide to pull out as it's clearly a business decision, irrespective of how successfully/unsuccessfully people believe the company is traveling.

If cost containment is the other issue then it has to be asked why are Ford paying their drivers so much?

[FPV GTHO]

Maybe its about time then the whole category was binned for something more favourable

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by FPV GTHO

Maybe its about time then the whole category was binned for something more favourable

like?

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by peckstar

like?

Something that isnt $500K per new race car.

How much do you think of that is simply going into the suspension, considering not a single piece from either the Falcons or Commodores would be shared with a road going unit.

[pete55]

Of those privateer Falcon teams, would they continue running the BF for the next two years thereby getting value out of that model. Wouldn't that sort of cheapen V8 Supercars, even more than it is now with VZ's still running.

[SSbaby]

The news doesn't surprise me. FoMoCo have had a long history of pulling its motorsport program, dependent on its corporate mood at the time. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame Ford for reviewing its commitment when you look at things from a business angle:

Ford V8Supercar drivers are probably the highest paid with little return on track wins.

Ford V8 sales are a fraction of Holden's. Ford are doing it much tougher than Holden in the market, ATM - don't forget, Holden's huge export programs in place.

The exposure Ford/Holden seem to get from V8SC just targets a finite market... and you don't have to drive a Ford/Holden to the V8SC races just to enjoy the racing!

Most Australians know that V8SC bear little relevance to the showroom cars. Is it any wonder Toyota are killing em both in overall sales? Don't get me wrong, Toyota's products use more fuel than Ford/Holden's V8s (i.e Landcruiser, Prado etc...) but Toyota have a huge range, the right mix of vehicles (which are priced right) and the parent company is generating so much cash, it's spending all the profit it makes here on marketing.

[Chris - Melb]

The combined Australian sales of the Toyota Aurion and the perceived [if maybe not in reality] fuel efficient Toyota Camry is still substantially less than Commodore sales, alone. And only slightly more than the combined Falcon and Territory sales.

Toyota are getting their sales volume from their smaller cars that are simply not economic to produce in Australia.

So Holden's local production output is more relevant to the Australian market than Toyota's is, as things stand at the moment.

Originally Posted by SSbaby

Most Australians know that V8SC bear little relevance to the showroom cars. Is it any wonder Toyota are killing em both in overall sales? .

When you consider the combined sales of Falcon sedan/Ute and Territory and combine it with rumored major developments for Ford Australia in the left hand drive markets, the future seems far more rosy than it currently appears on the surface.

I know Ford bashing is becoming a hobby for some people , but remember that at the end of the day, Ford's predicament is not a lot different to Holden's.

BOTH Holden and Ford want to be spending less money on motor racing than they currently are . Cuts are inevitable, but it does not mean the world as we know it is immediately ending.

[bentate]

Originally Posted by Chris - Melb

The combined Australian sales of the Toyota Aurion and the perceived [if maybe not in reality] fuel efficient Toyota Camry is still substantially less than Commodore sales, alone. And only slightly more than the combined Falcon and Territory sales.

Toyota are getting their sales volume from their smaller cars that are simply not economic to produce in Australia.

So Holden's local production output is more relevant to the Australian market than Toyota's is, as things stand at the moment.



When you consider the combined sales of Falcon sedan/Ute and Territory and combine it with rumored major developments for Ford Australia in the left hand drive markets, the future seems far more rosy than it currently appears on the surface.

I know Ford bashing is becoming a hobby for some people , but remember that at the end of the day, Ford's predicament is not a lot different to Holden's.

BOTH Holden and Ford want to be spending less money on motor racing than they currently are . Cuts are inevitable, but it does not mean the world as we know it is immediately ending.

Wait a second. Ford are spending way less on the Orion than Holden did on the VE. The Orion is basically a reskin of the BA which in itslef was an update of the 98' AU. Holden have a significant and expanding export business for VE based vehicles along with responsibility to engineer and develop the new Camaro and have a thriving export engine business.

Ford have zero export dessl for current Falcon or Territory (they can't be made in left hand drive) and as yet nothing for the Orion, no other significant component exports and no obvious supporters in Ford US for their local product.

In a similar position to Holden? I think that's drawing a very long bow my friend....