Australia will help set the future worldwide direction for Ford, according to the American company’s global chief.

Jim Farley, who has been a regular visitor down under in recent years, has just completed what he described as a “transformational” visit during the lead-up to the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

“This is a really important trip. Maybe, perhaps, even among the most important for me as a CEO,” said Farley, who is president and CEO of Ford Motor Company.

He led the cheer squad for Red Bull Racing at Albert Park, as Ford is an engine partner for the grand prix team, but also spent time in the real world to assess the showroom situation in Australia.

He test drove Chinese rivals to its top selling Ranger pick-up and also spoke to owners and dealers, even visiting a Bunnings car park.

His wheel time included both a BYD Shark and Cannon Alpha plug-in hybrid from the Chinese brands, a sharp contrast to previous visits when he got behind the wheels of a Ford Mustang in full Supercars racing specification at Calder Park in Melbourne.

His conclusion is the same as many other brands which have used Australia as a global test market, starting with Toyota from the 1960s and now including a swag of ambitious Chinese carmakers.

“Australia is such a unique car market. The Chinese are big here, the Asian companies like Toyota are big, and we are the number one best seller,” said Farley.
“So I am here to decide, with my engineering team, what should the future of our product line-up be in Australia. And its’s really existential for the company, becasuse as Australia goes so does South America, the middle east, Africa, and most of the rest of the world.”

Farley’s trip included a hint that a born-again Falcon-style ute could be a possibility for Ford. He admitted the potential for a more car-like crossover, without the ladder-frame chassis of the current crop of pick-ups that dominate local roads, but stopped short of any solid commitment.

But he also warned that Ford needed government support to continue its development work in Australia. The company employs more than 1500 engineers and designers at its base at Broadmeadows in Melbourne and their jobs depend on future programs for the blue oval brand.

Farley hinted that the work could be done more cheaply in other countries as he headed for meetings in Canberra about the future of the facility.

His bottom line is that experience in Australia is vital to the overall direction of Ford because of the country’s unique motoring landscape and the highly-competitive showroom scene.

“We should leave here with a reallyconcrete, specific idea of what our product plan should be for the next 10 years. For the globe, not just for Australia,” Farley said.