Ford Australia’s future as a design and engineering hub for the world has been endorsed by Bill Ford, Executive Chair of the company founded by his great-grandfather.
Speaking during his whirlwind visit to Australia for the 100th anniversary of the Blue Oval, Ford gave his vote of confidence for the local operation that developed the Ranger, Everest and now Ranger Super Duty, amid rumours that the next-generation Ranger development would be moved to the USA.
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“We just launched the [Ranger] Super Duty as you know and that’s amazing and, look, there will be lots more to come for Australia,” Ford said. “One great thing about this team here is they have risen to every challenge they have ever had and they continue to knock it out of the park and I expect they will do so in the future.”
Ford Australia may no longer build cars in Australia, but the company employs a large team of engineers and designers at Broadmeadows to work on both the Ranger/Everest program, but also other models for international markets. However, there has been growing speculation that Ford wants to develop the next generation of Ranger, Everest and Bronco in the USA alongside the F-150 pickup.
Asked if Ford Australia would retain the same level of design and engineering development capability it currently has, Ford was supportive.
“ Why not? I mean we have so much opportunity in front of us and we’ve made Australia a centre of excellence for Ford,” he said. “They’ve done a great job. I mean, just look at the sales results of Ranger and Everest… I think Ranger is now sold in 180 different countries, which is incredible. So yeah, this is a great team here and they will have an opportunity in the future.”
While not an official confirmation that there will be no contraction of Ford Australia’s product development role, having such a senior executive support the brand is a major boost for the local team.
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