Photo: Ford Australia
In Australia, the ute as a body style dates back to the 1934 Ford Coupe. When it comes down to the Ford Falcon Ute, the first of its kind dates back to the XK generation from the 1960s. Now, though, the time has come to bid farewell to this workhorse.
On Friday, July 29, Ford Australia has built the last Falcon Ute from the FG X generation at the manufacturer’s Broadmeadows plant in Victoria. In other words, it took Ford Australia 55 years to kill off the Falcon Ute. The last of its kind is a sporty XR6 with a manual and white paint.
The XR6 denomination is a tell-tale sign that the utilitarian machine is motivated by a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter straight-six engine with 195 kW (261 horsepower) and 391 Nm (288 lb-ft) of torque on tap. An XR6 Turbo version was previously available as well, developing a little bit more brawn.
According to Ford Australia, the last Falcon Ute built will be kept by the automaker. On the upside, Ford Australia will display the vehicle at future events. The final Falcon sedan and Territory will be built on October 7 and will keep the FG X Falcon Ute company in the historical vehicle fleet.
What happens after that, you ask? It pains me to say this, but the truth of the matter is that Ford Australia will cease production for good in the Land Down Under. Indeed, this means that the Broadmeadows assembly plant will close together with the Geelong plant, where the Barra straight-six is being produced. The imminent closure will put 1,200 people out of work.
In related news and in a similarly saddening vein, Holden will kill off the long-lived Commodore at the end of 2017, while Toyota will shut down the Altona plant and Camry production by the end of next year as well.
Given the circumstances, the indirect replacemnt for the Falcon Ute comes in the form of the Ranger pickup truck, which is manufactured in Thailand.
The XR6 denomination is a tell-tale sign that the utilitarian machine is motivated by a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter straight-six engine with 195 kW (261 horsepower) and 391 Nm (288 lb-ft) of torque on tap. An XR6 Turbo version was previously available as well, developing a little bit more brawn.
According to Ford Australia, the last Falcon Ute built will be kept by the automaker. On the upside, Ford Australia will display the vehicle at future events. The final Falcon sedan and Territory will be built on October 7 and will keep the FG X Falcon Ute company in the historical vehicle fleet.
What happens after that, you ask? It pains me to say this, but the truth of the matter is that Ford Australia will cease production for good in the Land Down Under. Indeed, this means that the Broadmeadows assembly plant will close together with the Geelong plant, where the Barra straight-six is being produced. The imminent closure will put 1,200 people out of work.
In related news and in a similarly saddening vein, Holden will kill off the long-lived Commodore at the end of 2017, while Toyota will shut down the Altona plant and Camry production by the end of next year as well.
Given the circumstances, the indirect replacemnt for the Falcon Ute comes in the form of the Ranger pickup truck, which is manufactured in Thailand.
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