Falcon prices trimmed but not enough
Filed Under Curt Hennig | Posted on April 12, 2008
FORD has announced prices of the new Falcon one week before it
arrives in showrooms. And while it may have slightly undercut
Australia’s best-selling car, the Holden Commodore, industry
experts say the new Falcon is too expensive considering buyer
backlash against large cars.
The Falcon range starts from $36,490, $300 cheaper than the
equivalent Commodore, which now comes with curtain airbags and
air-conditioning as standard. But the new Falcon is $1500 more than
a Toyota Aurion, which also gets curtain airbags and
air-conditioning as standard.
The Falcon comes with dual front airbags and a head-protecting
side airbag in each front seat. But the Falcon’s rivals have
side-impact head-protecting curtain airbags for occupants front and
rear.
“I was very surprised by the pricing,” says Tony Robinson,
director of operations at fleet manager Sure Plan. “You think $300
less than the equivalent Holden is OK but when you add those
options [curtain airbags], it’s a very strange pricing strategy. I
would have thought [the base model Falcon] would be …
well-equipped.”
He says the Mitsubishi 380 sedan suffered when it was released
at a high price and then heavily discounted within months of going
on sale. “It never really recovered … and it really hurt [resale
values].”
“Ford has to live by the price,” he says. “They can’t roll [it]
back in the coming months if they think, ‘Oops we got
itwrong.”‘
Robinson expected the car to cost about $750 to $1000 less than
the equivalent Commodore.
The Falcon recorded its lowest annual sales in the 47-year
history of the nameplate last year. The Commodore has been the most
popular car for the past 12 years but it is under threat from the
Toyota Corolla. In January and February this year, Corolla sales
were ahead of the Commodore.
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