Ford Australia denies RWD development shifting to the U.S.
Ford Australia — which last year denied it was even working on a new RWD platform — is now denying rumors that the program is being moved from the land of Oz to America.
Earlier this week it was reported that Ford would be moving its rear-wheel drive vehicle engineering back to the U.S. from Australia due to the weak U.S. dollar.
According to the Australian subsidiary, Ford’s rear-wheel drive vehicle development will be staying where it is. When CarPoint asked Sinead McAlary, Ford’s Australian Manager of Public Affairs, the response they got was “It’s too early to speculate on that.”
To us, it sounds like either the two divisions aren’t on the same page, or that Ford Australia is none-too-pleased to be losing control over rear-wheel drive vehicle development — the setup that many of its vehicles are based on. The shift would also cost Ford Australia hundreds — if not thousands — of jobs.
But with value of the U.S. dollar falling, the move will likely be more about the bottom line rather than which continent wants the development more.
The appearance of Ford Falcon prototypes in America also lends credibility to reports about a realignment of R&D.
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