Ford turns up XR8 production

FORD Australia has turned up the taps on its Falcon XR8 production after demand exceeded its sales forecast by more than double.

The local car-maker originally predicted 1200 examples of the flagship Falcon would find homes before production ends in 2016, but since the car's announcement, Ford says dealerships have been swamped.

Ford now says it can shift about 2800 examples of the supercharged V8 sedans and has been scrambling to find the capacity at its Broadmeadows factory, but the increased production is now up to speed.

As reported by GoAuto in October, demand for the FG X Falcon soared even before the car had officially launched, and the Blue Oval immediately started looking for ways to boost output, including its own production line and from suppliers.

Even with the increased output now in place, customers will have to wait until the third quarter of this year before taking delivery of their new car, but Ford says the boost to XR8 production won't reduce the numbers of sub-XR8 Falcon variants.

A statement from Ford's production management department said that careful shuffling of resources made the manufacturing boost possible and that it won't come at the detriment of any other models.

“We always work to match production with demand and have been able to increase XR8 supply while still serving our other customers through more efficient management of our production mix,” the statement read.

“We have not changed our output and continue to balance output across the portfolio, which includes, apart from Falcon – Falcon Ute and Territory.”

Ford Australia general manager of marketing David Katic said the strong sales were due to the XR8's attractive combination of value and performance as well as its reputation.

“We’re very proud of the work that’s gone into the XR8,” he said. “It’s an important halo to the FG X Falcon range and we wanted to deliver the ultimate handling performance machine for customers and they clearly love it.”“We have been buoyed by the amazing customer interest and demand for the XR8.

It’s been a runaway success and our dealers have been asking for more.”

While sales of the flagship Falcon have surprised Ford, the company's brand communications manager Neil McDonald told GoAuto demand for the sub-XR8 versions is matching expectations.

“We planned production to meet consumer demand and we are doing the numbers that we expected to do,” he said.

With around 400-500 shifted each month since the model's launch in November last year, sales have taken a dive from the Falcon's glory days of the mid-1990s when it sold at a rate of about 6000 per month.