Australian production of Ford vehicles ended nearly 10 years ago, when in October 2016 the final Falcon rolled off the line in Broadmeadows, bringing an end to a circa-90-year run of building cars locally.
While this had an immediate impact on some of Ford Australia’s existing staff, an unsung success story has been that of its design and engineering teams, who have continued to carry the torch for its local operations.
Most of the team’s work has been centred around the development of the ‘T6’ platform which underpins the Ranger and Everest sold in Australia and overseas, as well as the popular Bronco in North America.
Ford’s headcount has dropped in recent years, from 2300 staff in 2022 to approximately 1500 presently, mainly on account of the next-generation Ranger and Everest launching in the past few years.
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Questions have been asked about the long-term viability of Ford’s Australian operations, including its You Yangs Proving Ground, which remains the only OEM-owned and exclusively used testing facility Down Under.
Speaking to media at the launch of the updated Ranger and Everest, Mario Brandini, vehicle program director for Ford’s T6 platform, said that as long as the Australian operations are providing value to the brand, it’ll continue to benefit from investments.
“The success of this place is what you see on the road,” Brandini said, speaking within the confines of the You Yangs Proving Grounds.
“Proving time and time again, the ability of the team here and the capability of what we can do with what we’ve got and how we can do it, something that’s proven over and over and over again, hence why we keep investing in the place.”
Across the past 10 years, the You Yangs Proving Ground has benefitted from $5 billion in investments from Ford’s global operations, given its remit extends beyond the development of the T6 platform.
“Us continuing to be successful, we’ll keep adding back. And we add to the global footprint,” he added.
“Things we learn here and feed back are also very valuable, and Ford knows that, and it helps the global success in what we’re doing.
According to Brandini, Ford’s local engineering team and its development pathways extend beyond the brand and even the automotive industry.
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“What we provide is not just for Ford, it’s for the country.
“If you think about the technical building of our students that come from universities, we’ve got people coming in, learning, training, and then they might be going out and working in defence.”
Our visit to You Yangs came less than a month after Holden’s former proving ground in Lang Lang was sold to a defence contractor, resulting in automotive brands utilising the facility having to find another home.
The only other full-time proving ground in Australia is the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC), owned by Linfox and used between car brands and defence companies.
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