No Focus For Ford's Australian Plant

Ford continues global restructuring with yet another production modification, this time in Australia where it will build the first-ever four-cylinder Falcon. In addition, Ford Australia confirmed that it won't produce the next-generation Focus at its plant near Melbourne, citing the same difficult economic environment as the reason.

"After assessing the global requirements and costs of producing the next Focus in Australia, Ford determined that the changing economic conditions meant it could not make a business case for profitably manufacturing the car at its operations outside of Melbourne," Ford said in a statement according to just-auto.com.

Overall, the American manufacturer will invest A$230 million in Australia to make its current lineup a bit greener. The Falcon will be the first rear-drive model produced by Ford to feature a two-liter I4 EcoBoost engine, which is already available in the United States on a number of models. Additionally, Ford is also considering a factory-installed LPG system for the Falcon, as well as a clean diesel flavor of the 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 powerplant currently available on the Territory.

Even if it won't build the Focus in Australia, Ford does not plan to cut local workforce, the company said. It is currently collaborating with the government, who agreed to provide support for the Australian division of Ford, but it's yet unknown how much money the country is offering to the carmaker.

Instead, Ford will rely on efficient and environmentally-friendly cars produced outside, while focusing Australian production on Falcon and Territory. Ford Focus is currently built in South Africa for markets outside Europe.