The Ford Falcon (FG X) is a

full-size car Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. Af ...

that was produced by

Ford Australia Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of United States-based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Comp ...

. Introduced in 2014, it is a restyled second and final iteration of the seventh generation Falcon FG. While external and drive train changes were significant, the interior was carried over from the 2008-2014 FG model. This was the last locally produced model by Ford Australia.

Naming

Internally known as project 201X, Ford Australia revealed its last Falcon in August 2014 and explained that its series code, "FG X", was chosen following significant feedback from key enthusiasts. The new code, like the preceding FG, pays homage to the Fairmont Ghia nameplates of past generations whereas the X alludes to Falcon's most popular series, from the XK to the XH.

Model range

The FG X was officially launched in December 2014 and was offered in both sedan and utility body styles. The sedan is sold in eight variants comprising: * Falcon * Falcon G6E * Falcon G6E Turbo * Falcon XR6 * Falcon XR6 Turbo * Falcon XR8 * Falcon XR6 Sprint * Falcon XR8 Sprint The latter nameplate returned after being absent from the Falcon range since June 2010. In this final iteration, the XR8 is based on a FPV drivetrain, which includes the locally developed "Miami" variant of the

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine producing and of torque. All XR variants have the option of manual or automatic transmissions, while the Falcon and G6E/G6ET were sold with a 6 speed automatic transmission only. The utility range included the base Ute (replacing the previous XL), XR6 and XR6 Turbo only—each with the option of cab chassis or utility (style side box) bodies. The Falcon utility ended production on 29 July 2016. The G6, which was introduced with the FG series in 2008 to replace the Fairmont badge, was discontinued and, unlike past series, the XR8 sedan was not complemented by a utility version. This Falcon range is the first Australian-made vehicle to feature

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

connectivity and

DAB+ DAB, dab, dabs, or dabbing may refer to: Dictionaries * ''Dictionary of American Biography'', published under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies * ''Dictionary of Australian Biography'', published since 1949 Places * Dąb, ...

radio courtesy of its upgraded

in-car entertainment In-car entertainment (ICE), or in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), is a collection of hardware and software in automobiles that provides audio or video entertainment. In car entertainment originated with car audio systems that consisted of radios and ...

and command system, now marketed as "''SYNC2''". The system also features voice control and emergency call functionality. File:2015 Ford Falcon (FG X) sedan (2017-04-01) 01.jpg, Ford Falcon File:2015 Ford Falcon (FG X) sedan (2017-04-01) 02.jpg, Ford Falcon File:2016 Ford Falcon (FG X) XR6 sedan (2017-04-22) 01.jpg, Ford Falcon XR6 File:2016 Ford Falcon (FG X) XR6 sedan (2017-04-22) 02.jpg, Ford Falcon XR6 File:2014 Ford Falcon (FG X) XR6 Turbo sedan (23382738252).jpg, Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo File:2014 Ford Falcon (FG X) XR6 Turbo sedan (23195437470).jpg, Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo File:Ford Falcon XR8 (40783251631) (cropped).jpg, Ford Falcon XR8 File:2015 Ford Falcon (FG X) XR8 sedan (23878510076).jpg, Ford Falcon XR8 File:2016 Ford Falcon (FG X) XR8 Sprint sedan (2018-09-28) 01.jpg, Ford Falcon XR8 Sprint File:2016 Ford Falcon (FG X) XR8 Sprint sedan (2018-09-28) 02.jpg, Ford Falcon XR8 Sprint File:2014 Ford Falcon (FG X) G6E sedan (2015-01-01) 02.jpg, Ford Falcon G6E File:2015 Ford Falcon (FG X) G6E Turbo (2017-11-18) 02.jpg, Ford Falcon G6E Turbo

Engines

The Ford Falcon FG X is available with the following engines: * 2.0-litre inline-four turbocharged: * 4.0-litre inline-six: * 4.0-litre inline-six lpg (EcoLPI): * 4.0-litre inline-six turbocharged: or for the Sprint model * 5.0-litre V8 supercharged: or for the Sprint model

Successor

Come October 2016, due to

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

's "One Ford" product development plan introduced in 2008 to rationalise its global range, the Falcon will not be directly replaced by a similarly sized vehicle, such as the much-speculated North American

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * '' Bos tauru ...

, due to an unsuccessful previous attempt to sell the third-generation model on the Australian market in the 1990s. Instead,

will offer the fourth-generation

Mondeo The Ford Mondeo is a large family car manufactured by Ford since 1993. The first Ford model declared as a "world car", the Mondeo was intended to consolidate several Ford model lines worldwide (the European Sierra, the Telstar in Asia and Austr ...

from Europe and the sixth-generation

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they ...

, the latter as part of Ford's efforts to boost sales of the Mustang brand worldwide and still give Ford Australia a halo car to replace the Falcon XR and Falcon GT V8 range. The Ford Falcon was labeled as 'inextricably linked to Australian Heritage' by the former CEO of Ford Australia (Bob Graziano). Although Ford has sourced the Mustang and the Fusion/Mondeo, they have no plans to bring in a direct replacement for the Falcon. Ford retired the Falcon name on 7 October 2016 after 56 years of production, therefore, making it the longest running name plate in the history of Ford.

Sales

Sales of the FG X Falcon (and the SZ II Territory) commenced in December 2014. Sales exceeded 700 monthly sales vehicles for the first time in March 2015. The FG X Falcon was produced from October 2014 until the end of Ford vehicle production in Australia in October 2016. During this time, it only sold a little over 11,100 units. Including Utility sales made throughout the same duration, this would bring the tally to approximately 16,100. The six cylinder models were used briefly by police in Western Australia as a general policing vehicle.

References

External links

Ford Australia
{{Ford Falcon FG X Falcon FG X Cars introduced in 2014 Cars of Australia Full-size vehicles Coupé utilities Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Sedans 2010s cars