I'm not sure I can agree that Ford Australia really knows its sh!t.
They have, over the years, foisted some really dud products onto the Aussie market and have been bitten badly by the resulting general opinion - that no matter what class of car they are selling at any given time there is a better, cheaper alternative at another maker. The buying public avoids Ford showrooms.
The last real success they had was the Laser and the Festiva - both these cars had buyers streaming into the showrooms.
But since then, there has been
- the AU disaster - not even a mother could love such an ugg
- the KA - rubbish at a high price
- the first Fiesta - a great little Euro that was brought to market long after it's freshness had gone, and far too pricey.
- the Focus - ditto Fiesta
- the Mondeo - brilliant car, far too expensive and not available in desirable drivetrain combinations, clearly Ford AU worried that Falcon sales would really suffer. They did anyway.
- Territory - a great car, let down by far too long without a diesel. Shocking fuel consumption. Poor after sales service for manufacturing defects.
- the latest Fiesta - good driving dynamics, a bit weird looking inside and out. $25000 for a diesel manual - ya gotta be joking.
I think that Ford marketing is poor - their TV adverts are cringeworthy at best, they bring the wrong cars to market, or they bring the right cars but way too late, too expensive, and wrongly configured.
The cars themselves are usually OK to excellent, burned by poor management.