Ford Oz to Shut Down FPV in 2014

Ford Australia is shutting down its Ford Performance Vehicles unit next year, marking the beginning of the end of local production for the blue oval.

To mark the transition, Ford Australia’s iconic XR8 sedan will return to the Falcon lineup in late-2014, timed to coincide with the introduction of the ’14 Falcon and Territory update.

FPV became wholly owned by Ford when the automaker purchased Prodrive's stake and moved FPV production to its Broadmeadows plant, just months before announcing it would end manufacturing in Australia by 2016.

Graeme Whickman, Ford Australia vice president-marketing, sales and service, says the automaker has received a lot of interest and continued requests from Falcon fans to bring back the XR8.

“Reintroducing the XR8 sedan, packaged in our updated Falcon, will make our renowned locally engineered and manufactured V-8 engine available to a broader group of people,” Whickman says in a statement.

As the Falcon XR8 returns to the Ford range, the FPV lineup will retire and Ford says it is planning a series of actions during 2014 to ensure the final FPV models celebrate the brand’s iconic status.