Ford Australia Ends Local Production After 91 Years

Ford has ended Australian production 91 years after the company’s first models were produced down under.

The automaker announced it would stop production at its last remaining factory in Broadmeadows, Victoria, back in 2013. The move doesn’t just mean the end of local production but also marks the farewell of the Falcon, a car built and sold locally for over 50 years.

While Ford will no longer produce cars in Australia, it isn’t leaving the country entirely and will continue to employ about 1,500 employees in its engineering and design departments.

The first Ford built in Australia was the legendary Model T, initially constructed at the Geelong facility in July 1925. The following year, plants were constructed in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide and in 1930, in Fremantle as well.

Prior to the arrival of Holden, Ford dominated the local market and in 1959, opened the doors to its Broadmeadows Car Assembly Plant. Since the first vehicle rolled out of this factory on August 20, 1959, precisely 4,356,628 vehicles have been built there.

The final Ford produced in Australia was a bright blue Falcon XR6.

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