Ford, GM Holden Woo Oz Buyers as Production Era Ends

Ford and GM Holden are racing full-tilt to win Australian hearts and minds as they abandon local production and become purely importers, bringing in their vehicles from faraway places with strange-sounding names.

Ford is launching an unprecedented wave of new products next year and is accelerating its product- and technology-led transformation with a retooled lineup that will include 20 new or freshened models by 2020.

GM Holden, meantime, unveils its customer council and VIP experience, a program it says uniquely recognizes loyal customers and receives their feedback directly.

The automaker also recognizes the country’s love of sports as it launches the Holden Home Ground Advantage program – a A$5 million ($4.2 million), 10-year grants program to support grass roots sporting clubs across the country.

Ford is putting more money into Australian product-development operations to serve the local market and others around the world.

“We are sending a message that Ford has an exciting future in Australia with a great lineup of new vehicles,” Ford Australia President and CEO Bob Graziano says in a statement.

Ford says its newly introduced Mustang coupe is generating unprecedented excitement, with 15,000 Australians already having expressed interest in the vehicle ahead of its mid-2015 arrival.

For the first time in Asia-Pacific, Ford is debuting the ’15 Focus and Focus ST with more advanced technologies, performance and enhanced fuel economy.

Since 2013, Ford has launched the Fiesta, Fiesta ST, EcoSport SUV, Transit Custom, Transit, Ranger XL Plus and the ’15 Falcon and Territory in Australia.

Other ’15-model launches just over the horizon include the Mondeo, refreshed Kuga and Ranger, and the Australian-designed Everest.

Ford will introduce its first hybrid in Australia by 2020 and launch at least eight new technologies there by 2016, including the automaker’s world-first rear inflatable seatbelts, blindspot detection, cross-traffic alert, active city stop and enhanced active-park assist.

Dealerships soon will employ non-sales-oriented concierges to welcome customers and ask how they want to engage with the sales staff. This permission-based sales process continues throughout the experience.

Ford believes a key highlight for customers will be their own personalized reveal after their purchase. Just as is done at motor shows, the staff reveals the car at the center of the store by pulling off a silk sheet to create “selfie” moments customers can share on their social channels.

The core of the transformation is the dealership’s evolution with modern customer trends. Sales and service experts will blend modern technologies such as iPad-based shopping tools and online scheduling to make the experience easier and more transparent for customers.

Customers ordering vehicles from the overseas factory can follow the car-buying journey with e-mails allowing them to track their car from assembly to arrival at their dealership.

Most of Ford’s 200 dealerships will have completed this transformation by the end of 2015.

GM Holden’s inaugural Customer Council saw it join its 230-strong dealer network. Ten customers from across the country were flown to Melbourne for an exclusive GM Holden experience, including a tour and driving program at its Lang Lang proving ground and a behind-the-scenes tour of its design center.

GM Holden Aftersales Executive Director Michael Filazzola says the Customer Council is designed to facilitate direct feedback on the automaker’s products and customer service.

“As part of the Customer Council, we held a detailed question and answer session where we had an honest and detailed discussion about our products, customer service and plans for the future,” he says.

Council participant Gerard Porta from South Australia calls it a unique experience and says the opportunity to provide feedback and help shape the future of GM Holden was rewarding.

“It was just a fantastic experience from start to finish,” she says. “The opportunity to talk to the senior executives and give them my point of view and help them provide an even better experience for customers was pretty special.”

GM Holden also says sports clubs around Australia have embraced the Home Ground Advantage grants program, with more than 100 applications received.

George Svigos, corporate affairs executive director, says the yearly grants program will be split into two rounds with winter and summer sports seasons each eligible for A$250,000 ($208,369) in grants. In each round, one project will be awarded a grant of up to A$100,000 ($83,344). The remaining funds will be made up in grants of up to A$10,000 ($8,334).

“As the only car company born and bred in Australia, we understand that sport is such an important part of Australian communities and that’s why we are so pleased to be able to deliver this program and support local communities in such an important way,” Svigos says.