Australian-designed Ford Everest SUV unveiled in Beijing, China
AS the Australian car manufacturing industry ends by 2018, here’s a glimpse of the future. A car designed, engineered in Australia is built in China.
AUSTRALIA’S car manufacturing industry may be closed by the end of 2017 but there is a bold new export hope: design and engineering talent.
The first ever Australian-designed car to be made in China has been unveiled in Beijing.
CARSGUIDE. COM: 2015 Ford Everest spy shots
CARSGUIDE. COM: 2015 Ford Everest SUV in November reveal
The new Ford Everest family-sized four-wheel-drive was designed and engineered from the ground up in Broadmeadows, on the northern outskirts of Melbourne, in a small building behind the Falcon factory that will fall silent in October 2016.
BROADMEADOWS: Last Ford Falcon GT rolls off production line
FORD AUSTRALIA: 250 to be sacked at Broadmeadows and Geelong
The top secret project is a sign of things to come as car manufacturing comes to an end and Australia becomes an exporter of talent — helping create cars that will be made overseas.
“The Everest is proof of the incredible design and engineering talent we have in Australia and within the global Ford team,” said Ford Australia spokesman Martin Gunsberg.
Ford Australia already employs more designers and engineers than it does blue-collar factory workers — about 1100 versus 850 — and will become the biggest automotive employer of people with such skills once Holden and Toyota also close their factories in 2017.
The Everest is due on sale in Australia next year priced from about $45,000.
It will put a seven-seat, heavy-duty four-wheel-drive within reach of families now that the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol are priced beyond the $61,884 Luxury Car Tax.
As Ford joins the growing trend to global vehicles, the Everest models sold in Australia will be sourced from a factory in Thailand because Ford believes the Chinese production line will barely be able to keep up with demand there.
The Australian-designed and engineered Ford Everest will also be sold in more than 40 countries across the Asia-Pacific, India and Africa.
“The Ford Everest will help to expand our product footprint in the region,” said Trevor Worthington, vice president, product development, Ford Asia Pacific.
As well as being capable off-road, the Ford Everest is equipped with such hi-tech features as radar cruise control, a blind spot warning system, automatic lane-keeping, and cross-traffic alert (which warns the driver of approaching cars when reversing out of perpendicular parking spaces).
The Everest will also automatically dial 000 after a crash — if a mobile is paired — in which an airbag has been deployed.
Meanwhile, anyone who doesn’t want to leave civilisation too far behind can charge a laptop through the Everest’s 240-volt power outlet in the second row, while 12-volt outlets in the front console and in the second row let drivers and passengers charge multiple gadgets at the same time.
Likened to being the Swiss Army knife of cars, another 12-volt outlet in the cargo hold can be used to run devices like air compressors when camping.
This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling
‘Alexa, I’m being pulled over’
Amazon is introducing a new dashcam gadget with voice activation to start recording interactions when you pulled over by the police.
Tested: The SUV with ‘magic seats’
This Japanese SUV has one of the best cabins in the business but are ‘magic seats’ enough to make up for shortcomings in other areas? We find out.
Why sales of new Toyota have skyrocketed
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first Toyota-bred performance car in 20 years, but there is a catch.