Inside Ford Australia’s top secret test track developing cars for China from the Australian outback

BEHIND the tall barbed-wire fences, where cameras and mobiles are confiscated, you can channel The Stig. We take a rare look at Ford’s test track.

Secret track that’s a revhead’s dream

THIS place is a revhead’s dream. There are so many cool cars to look at, you don’t know where to start.

We’re behind the tall barbed-wire fences and inside Ford Australia’s top secret test track near the You Yangs mountain ranges not far from Geelong.

Despite being miles from anywhere there is a traffic jam of cars inside being put through their paces.

We’d love to show you, but the problem is photos are not allowed and our mobile phones have been confiscated.

This place has a bigger lockdown policy than a military facility because of all the top secret models — years away from showrooms — being torture tested on the labyrinth of roads, water crossings and a high speed oval.

Before long, it’s easy to see why. Aside from the next generation Ford sedans planned for China, the car park is full of interesting brand-new vehicles — from rival brands.

Revhead heaven ... a Ford Territory undergoing a body jarring test inside the test track near Geelong. Picture: Supplied

There is the US version of the Toyota Tacoma ute (the North American HiLux), the US version of the Chevrolet Colorado pick-up, and then we spotted a couple of Toyota Camry sedans and a Toyota Yaris hatch.

In the next parking lot was a vast array of cars from China — wearing Suzuki and Fiat badges.

They are all benchmark vehicles so Ford can see how it’s current and future models are tracking against the competition — years ahead of launch.

All car companies do this. It’s the reason most new models tend to leap frog their peers. Occasionally, some cars go backwards during development, but it wouldn’t be polite to list those here (well, aside from maybe the Daewoo-derived Holden Barinas in the mid-2000s that replaced the European models).

The rival US pick-ups are here because the next generation of the Ford Ranger ute — designed and engineered in Australia but built in Thailand — will also be made in Detroit from 2018 onwards.

Ute market ... a Ford Ranger is tested inside Ford Australia’s test track. Picture: Supplied

It’s a sign of the growing ute market globally, but also a massive compliment to the Ford Australia team.

Ford’s sacred ground that has developed every Falcon since 1965 — the facility was built after the 1960s Falcons, based on a US design but made locally, crumbled in harsh Australian conditions — is now home to Ford’s Asia-Pacific test base. Most of the cars found here will end up being built and sold overseas.

Ford will continue to employ more than 1200 designers and engineers in Australia after its factories close in October — but they will be developing cars for China rather than homegrown vehicles.

This will bring Ford’s total workforce, including head office staff to 1500, one of the largest automotive employers in Australia.

Trevor Worthington, who was formerly responsible for developing the latest Falcon sedans and the new Territory SUV, is now the head of Ford’s Asia-Pacific engineering operations.

When asked if he was proud of the skills that Australians designers and engineers can continue to contribute to Ford cars sold overseas, he told News Corp Australia in April: “Of course we’re proud, we’re proud of all the things we do.”

Rival models also put through their paces ... a Falcon ute is put to the test. Picture: Supplied

He was attending the unveiling of the new Ford Taurus at the Shanghai motor show.

The vehicle will be built and sold in China but it was designed and developed from the ground up in Australia.

When asked if the new Ford, which adopts the US name of Taurus, was the “spiritual successor” to the Falcon, Mr Worthington said: “We’ve designed it absolutely specifically for China. The important thing is, this is exactly the product that Chinese customers want.”

As is the case with all car companies, Ford would not disclose which future models it is working on next inside its top secret facility — the cars are at least three years away from showrooms — but Mr Worthington did confirm that Australia will continue to play a key role in Ford’s global future.

“We’re working on multiple programs and we never talk about what we’re working on because that gives away our global portfolio to rivals,” said Mr Worthington.

“(But) we are fully using all of our facilities (in Australia). It’s good for us and it’s good for Ford globally.”

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This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling