The last Falcon may yet inspire more engineers Friday, 07 October 2016

There will be a sadness at Bathurst this weekend as Ford fans absorb the fact that no more Falcons will be made in Australia. But as the final vehicles roll off the production line today, the company has promised to auction off its final Falcon, Ute and Territory to support the establishment and expansion of student robotics programs in local schools.

“We have spent more than three years helping our manufacturing employees find new futures in Broadmeadows and Geelong,” said Ford Australia CEO Graeme Whickman.

“As the leading local automotive R&D investor and employer going forward, we also want to support the country’s quest to spur more innovation and tap into our unique talent base.”

He said Ford engineers will work with a school in Broadmeadows and Geelong to either expand or create hubs for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) programs. These engineers also will continue to mentor and sponsor teams of kids competing around the world in STEAM robotics competitions.

“Our Australian team lead the global development of the Ranger and Everest at our innovative virtual reality design lab in Broadmeadows, 950 ha test track with one of the world’s most advanced wind tunnels outside Geelong and through some of the world’s toughest terrain across the country,” said Whickman.

“While the scales are different, STEAM kids have to program robots to take on tough challenges in a similar way.”

The vehicles for auction will include a Kinetic 'Ford blue' Falcon XR6 sedan with the company’s most Australian engine, a silver Territory Titanium diesel, and smoke grey Falcon Ute XR6 Turbo.

Technically, they will be the final saleable models of each. The actual final models won't include Government authority numbers on their compliance plates meaning they won't be able to be legally registered. These will initially be displayed at key enthusiast events before being lent to museums in Victoria in the longer term.

[Photo: Ford]

Transport will be a major topic of discussion at the Australian Engineering Conference 2016 in Brisbane on November 23-25.