LPG V6 confirmed for Falcon, diesel for Territory

PLANS to introduce a diesel Falcon in 2010 have faltered, but Ford Australia has committed to a dedicated LPG V6 engine that it expects will account for up to 40 per cent of sales.

Ford Australia president Bill Osborne told GoAuto in April that the company would offer both a diesel Territory and diesel Falcon in 2010.

The Territory diesel project is safe, but it now appears the diesel Falcon project is on the back-burner.

“We are bringing new additional powertrains to Falcon, so there is a limit to the amount of complexity you can have in the plant,” said Mr Osborne today.

“We are positioning Falcon with some new powertrain technologies that will be the lead powertrains the lead fuel economy option for the Territory will be the diesel.” Ford Australia is already flat-out working on the new V6 petrol, V6 LPG and is also tipped to be preparing a new V8 petrol engine as well as V6 petrol and diesel engines for the Territory, leaving little room for a diesel V6 Falcon program - especially with the arrival of the locally-made Focus in 2011.

“At that point it becomes a question of complexity because we are bringing in the Focus as well, which will probably have three powertrain options, so at some point there is a limit to how many engine codes you can put in the plant,” said Mr Osborne.

Mr Osborne told GoAuto that Ford Australia would have a dedicated LPG-equipped version of its new imported V6 engine ready as soon as the production of the I6 E-Gas engine production winds up at the Geelong plant in mid-2010.

“We are not walking away from LPG at all,” said Mr Osborne. “We are thinking LPG will account for 35 to 40 per cent of our share.” Ford is the only local car-maker with a dedicated LPG system, although Holden has declared it is developing a single-fuel LPG version of its locally-made V6 for the Commodore range.

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