FORD has decided not to match the new-found five-star safety of Holden’s Ute, saying that even though Falcon Ute could make the grade, its customers don’t necessarily want it.
Ford Australia president and CEO Marin Burela told a media briefing on Friday that Ford’s research revealed that typical Falcon Ute buyers preferred the current system of option packs for items such as extra airbags.
He said most were satisfied with four-star safety, realising this level was state of the art, including standard features such as ESC and front and side airbags.
“They want the choice,” he said. “But what they don’t want is to have it mandated and have it priced.”
Mr Burela said Ford ute customers tended to spend their money on other options rather than incremental airbags “because they don’t see the incremental airbags as being useful to them in how they interact with the vehicle, and how they use the vehicle”.
He said Ford Australia had set the agenda on safety by introducing Australia’s first locally-made five-star ANCAP car, the current FG Falcon.
At that time, Ford Australia chose not to submit its Falcon-based FG ute to a side pole crash test, which would have given it the extra two points required for five-star rating.
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