In a surprise announcement, Ford Motor Company's Australia division said that it has abandoned its plans to build the next generation Focus at its operations outside of Melbourne. The company originally intended to manufacturer around 40,000 units of the C-segment model each year, with 15,000 of those destined for markets outside Australia. Instead, Ford said that it will spend around $230 million AUD to develop new engines for its Falcon and Territory models (see details here). "After assessing the global requirements and costs of producing the next Focus in Australia, Ford determined that the changing economic conditions meant it could not make a business case for profitably manufacturing the car," the company said in a statement.
Marin Burela, President & CEO of Ford Australia, said: "Although difficult, this is the right decision for Ford Australia." Ford claims that the decision to not make the Focus in Australia will not result in any job losses.
According to media reports, Ford has now decided to import the Focus to the Australian market from Thailand.
