Ford New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Ford New Zealand is the New Zealand
subsidiary of Ford Motor Company
. It began in 1936. Since the closure of its assembly plant in Wiri
, Auckland
in 1997, all of its product offerings are fully imported, from Australia
, Japan
and increasingly, Europe
. Its models have traditionally been the same as those of Ford Australia
, with the large Falcon
model being as popular locally as it is in Australia
.
One notable difference between Ford New Zealand's product line-ups and that of Ford Australia is the medium sized Mondeo
from Europe
. Whereas the Mondeo was dropped in Australia in 2001, and did not return until 2007, in New Zealand it is one of Ford's best-selling models, particularly in wagon form.
, Ford New Zealand produced 10,423 vehicles as well as 5.7 million hand grenades and
1.2 million mortar rounds. Civilian car production resumed in 1946 which was also the year assembly of the Fordson tractor was introduced in New Zealand. It was assembled at Lower Hutt. In 1965 a parts depot opened in Auckland, New Zealand and in 1972 a transmission and chassis manufacturing facility at Manukau City. The Wiri assembly plant was also completed in 1972 and began building Falcons the next year. An alloy wheel plant was opened in 1981 at Wiri. Ford New Zealand underwent a major restructuring in 1987-88, including relocation of all operations to the Manukau City site.
Products made by Ford New Zealand up until the 1980s (with exception of the Falcon/Fairmont range, and low volume American product until the 1960s) were predominantly British. Generations of New Zealand
ers grew up with Anglias (known by many as the "Anglebox"), Escorts, Cortinas, Zephyrs and Zodiacs. All were successful, and in contrast with other manufacturers, the model ranges of all were huge, encompassing many body styles and trim levels.
In common with other countries in the Asia Pacific region, Ford New Zealand marketed the Mazda
-based Laser
and Telstar
, which replaced the British
Escort and Cortina
in the early 1980s. Unlike Australia, however, the Sierra
was sold in New Zealand in the 1980s and early 1990s, though generally only available as a wagon
.
A wagon version of the Telstar was eventually offered in New Zealand, based on Mazda's GV platform - in fact New Zealand
was the only country outside Japan where this body style was available. It continued to be marketed locally, along with a sedan version called the Telstar Orion, until 1997.
This sharing of models between Ford and Mazda led to the creation of a joint venture called Vehicle Assemblers of New Zealand (VANZ), in which Ford New Zealand held a 74 percent equity. The Mazda 323 and 626
, were assembled alongside the almost identical Ford Laser and Telstar until well into the 1990s, in contrast to Australia, where Mazdas were not assembled locally, and Ford had switched to importing those models from Japan.
However, free-market reforms in New Zealand in the late 1980s saw the lowering import tariffs and the flood of used imports
from Japan
. Many of these were mechanically identical Mazda Capellas (as the 626 is known in Japan), as well as Ford Telstars and Mondeos. In addition, Australian-built Fords like the Falcon, and its GM rival, the Holden Commodore
, could now be imported New Zealand duty-free.
With the demise of local car assembly looking inevitable, VANZ finally closed in 1997 (the Lower Hutt assembly plant having already closed in the reorganisation of 1987-1988) and the alloy wheel plant was sold in 2001. Ford New Zealand was now able to look to Europe for its product line-up, with the Telstar being replaced by the Mondeo, and the Laser by the Escort. However, the Asian economic crisis and unfavourable exchange rate meant that the Escort, and its successor, the Ford Focus, was too expensive, and the Laser (a rebadged final generation Mazda 323) was reintroduced in 1999. (The Escort wagon, which had been sold in New Zealand since 1996, was retained until UK production finally ceased in 2001.)
The Ford Focus finally arrived in New Zealand in 2003, with the smaller Fiesta
arriving a year later, filling a gap in the market left by the demise of the Kia
-sourced Festiva
.
franchises since the inception of the Super 12 in 1996. The Ford logo on the middle of Blues, Hurricanes, Crusaders, Chiefs and Highlanders jerseys. The All Blacks
also heavily feature in Ford New Zealand's advertising campaign.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
subsidiary of Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. It began in 1936. Since the closure of its assembly plant in Wiri
Wiri
Wiri is a mostly industrial-commercial focused suburb in Manukau City, located to the southwest of the city.As of 2009, Ports of Auckland is building an inland port / rail siding in Wiri, to connect road freight to the port facilities on the Waitemata Harbour further north...
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
in 1997, all of its product offerings are fully imported, from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and increasingly, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Its models have traditionally been the same as those of Ford Australia
Ford Australia
Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA...
, with the large Falcon
Ford Falcon (Australia)
The Ford Falcon is a full-size car which has been manufactured by Ford Australia since 1960. Each model from the XA series of 1972 onward has been designed, developed and built in Australia and/or New Zealand, following the phasing out of the American Falcon of 1960–71 which had been re-engineered...
model being as popular locally as it is in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
One notable difference between Ford New Zealand's product line-ups and that of Ford Australia is the medium sized Mondeo
Ford Mondeo
The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Whereas the Mondeo was dropped in Australia in 2001, and did not return until 2007, in New Zealand it is one of Ford's best-selling models, particularly in wagon form.
History
The company began in 1936, taking over the assembly arm of the Colonial Motor Company, but by 1943 had shifted solely to military work. For World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Ford New Zealand produced 10,423 vehicles as well as 5.7 million hand grenades and
1.2 million mortar rounds. Civilian car production resumed in 1946 which was also the year assembly of the Fordson tractor was introduced in New Zealand. It was assembled at Lower Hutt. In 1965 a parts depot opened in Auckland, New Zealand and in 1972 a transmission and chassis manufacturing facility at Manukau City. The Wiri assembly plant was also completed in 1972 and began building Falcons the next year. An alloy wheel plant was opened in 1981 at Wiri. Ford New Zealand underwent a major restructuring in 1987-88, including relocation of all operations to the Manukau City site.
Products made by Ford New Zealand up until the 1980s (with exception of the Falcon/Fairmont range, and low volume American product until the 1960s) were predominantly British. Generations of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
ers grew up with Anglias (known by many as the "Anglebox"), Escorts, Cortinas, Zephyrs and Zodiacs. All were successful, and in contrast with other manufacturers, the model ranges of all were huge, encompassing many body styles and trim levels.
In common with other countries in the Asia Pacific region, Ford New Zealand marketed the Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
-based Laser
Ford Laser
The 1985 KC Laser/GC Meteor was the model's first major redesign. All body styles were carried over, with the addition of a station wagon from 1986. A new "TX3" variant, which was half-way between "GL" & "Ghia" in specification level, replaced the "Sport" variant from the KB series. Unlike the...
and Telstar
Ford Telstar
The Ford Telstar is an automobile that was sold by the Ford Motor Company in Asia, Australasia and Africa, comparable in size to the European Ford Sierra and the American Ford Tempo. It has been progressively replaced by the Ford Mondeo....
, which replaced the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Escort and Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
in the early 1980s. Unlike Australia, however, the Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
was sold in New Zealand in the 1980s and early 1990s, though generally only available as a wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
.
A wagon version of the Telstar was eventually offered in New Zealand, based on Mazda's GV platform - in fact New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
was the only country outside Japan where this body style was available. It continued to be marketed locally, along with a sedan version called the Telstar Orion, until 1997.
This sharing of models between Ford and Mazda led to the creation of a joint venture called Vehicle Assemblers of New Zealand (VANZ), in which Ford New Zealand held a 74 percent equity. The Mazda 323 and 626
Mazda 626
The Mazda 626 is an automobile that was produced by Mazda for the export market. It was based on the Japan-market Mazda Capella. The 626 replaced the 616/618 and RX-2 in 1979 and was sold through 2002, when the new Mazda6 took over as Mazda's large family car...
, were assembled alongside the almost identical Ford Laser and Telstar until well into the 1990s, in contrast to Australia, where Mazdas were not assembled locally, and Ford had switched to importing those models from Japan.
However, free-market reforms in New Zealand in the late 1980s saw the lowering import tariffs and the flood of used imports
Grey import vehicles
Grey import vehicles are new or used motor vehicles and motorcycles legally imported from another country through channels other than the maker's official distribution system...
from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Many of these were mechanically identical Mazda Capellas (as the 626 is known in Japan), as well as Ford Telstars and Mondeos. In addition, Australian-built Fords like the Falcon, and its GM rival, the Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
, could now be imported New Zealand duty-free.
With the demise of local car assembly looking inevitable, VANZ finally closed in 1997 (the Lower Hutt assembly plant having already closed in the reorganisation of 1987-1988) and the alloy wheel plant was sold in 2001. Ford New Zealand was now able to look to Europe for its product line-up, with the Telstar being replaced by the Mondeo, and the Laser by the Escort. However, the Asian economic crisis and unfavourable exchange rate meant that the Escort, and its successor, the Ford Focus, was too expensive, and the Laser (a rebadged final generation Mazda 323) was reintroduced in 1999. (The Escort wagon, which had been sold in New Zealand since 1996, was retained until UK production finally ceased in 2001.)
The Ford Focus finally arrived in New Zealand in 2003, with the smaller Fiesta
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
arriving a year later, filling a gap in the market left by the demise of the Kia
Kia Motors
Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010...
-sourced Festiva
Ford Festiva
The Ford Festiva is a subcompact car that was marketed by the Ford Motor Company between 1986 and 2002. Built by Mazda in Japan and Kia Motors in South Korea, the Festiva was sold in Japan, the Americas, and Australasia...
.
Sponsorship
Ford New Zealand is currently a major sponsor of the New Zealand Rugby Union. Ford has been the main shirt sponsor for all 5 of the New Zealand Super 14Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
franchises since the inception of the Super 12 in 1996. The Ford logo on the middle of Blues, Hurricanes, Crusaders, Chiefs and Highlanders jerseys. The All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
also heavily feature in Ford New Zealand's advertising campaign.