SPY PICS: Ford's final Falcon

Ford’s last ever Falcon continues to be subjected to durability testing around Victoria, as these new spy shots in suburban Melbourne show.

These fresh images also reveal a high-spec variant of the final Falcon for the first time – perhaps a G6E, complete with concealed front quarter vents and subtle rear decklid spoiler.

The carefully positioned camouflage confirms the 2015 Falcon, which goes on sale in November, will wear new front and rear sheetmetal, including a fresh bonnet – likely to feature a bulging ‘power dome’ for the born-again XR8.

Expect the ‘FH’ Falcon, codenamed 201X, to also present redesigned quarter panels and new bumpers and lights at both ends, including narrower headlights and tail-lights and LED running lamps up front.

Completing the new look will be new grilles inspired by the latest Mondeo and a fresh range of alloy wheels. Expect the facelifted Falcon to also bring interior upgrades, probably limited to revised trims and graphic upgrades for the central display screen.

Engine and chassis performance is likely to remain the same, with no changes expected in power and torque outputs or suspension calibration.

However, Ford is understood to have made significant efforts to reduce fuel consumption, which was the main prerequisite for the provision of a $34 million federal government grant in 2012.

Average fuel consumption of the entry-level Falcon is tipped to drop from 9.9 to 9.5L/100km, which is still more than 3.0 and 3.6-litre V6 versions of Holden’s Commodore.

Efficiency gains are expected to come mainly from the adoption of lower rolling resistance tyres and a lighter Chinese-built ZF six-speed automatic transmission for all models except the XR6 Turbo and XR8. The performance Falcons continue with a German-made ZF six-speed auto.

Of course, the reborn XR8 will bring the biggest mechanical change by essentially offering the same 335kW/570Nm supercharged 5.0-litre V8 powertrain as Ford Performance Vehicles’ GT, which will be discontinued following the launch of the fresh Falcon range.

XR8 aside, expect all of the above changes to also apply to the only Australian-made SUV, the Territory, which will be released soon after the Falcon before Ford ceases production of both models some time in the next two and a half years.

Exactly when that will take place continues to be the subject of intense industry speculation.

Ford has consistently said it intends to build cars until October 2016, when its Geelong and Broadmeadows factory doors will close – unless Falcon and/or Territory sales continue to spiral.

To February this year Territory sales were down more than 40 per cent, Falcon sedan sales had slipped more than 38 per cent and 26 per cent fewer Falcon utes were sold.

That’s on top of Falcon sedan sales slides of 24 per cent last year, 25 per cent in 2012 and 36 per cent in 2011.

In January, Ford sold just 461 Falcon sedans, 237 Falcon utes and 681 Territorys, for a total of 1379 locally made vehicles. That figure rose marginally to 1570 last month, but that’s still less than the number of Falcons Ford sold every week a decade ago.

Ford Australia currently produces about 140 vehicles a day – down from more than 200 a day in 2012 -- but that number will fall to between 80 and 90 a day from June. It’s then that Ford will shed a further 300 workers, reducing its workforce to less than 1000.

Amazingly, even the reduced level of production is well above current demand, raising the spectre of further manufacturing and job cuts.

Ford says it is committed to releasing upgraded the Falcon and Territory models this year, but the question now appears to be for how long and in what numbers.

There’s no doubt the next Falcon will be the most exclusive ever, but some sources have speculated manufacture of the 2015 Falcon and Territory could be limited to as few as 300 examples each.

Ford rejects that suggestion out of hand, saying it would not build just 300 of any model (less than two weeks of production!) due to supply contracts and the investment involved in developing any new product.

“Wherever that information came from it’s not correct,” said Ford Australia’s new Public Affairs Director Wes Sherwood.

“The plan is for production to continue right up to October 2016, depending on market conditions.

“In fact, the plan is to broaden our portfolio with a range of new [imported] models and to refresh our entire line-up by 2017.”

The new models include the all-new Everest and Mustang, new Mondeo, new Transit and facelifted Focus next year, and possibly the Territory-replacing Edge in 2016.

The $35 million in federal funding Ford received to develop the 2015 Falcon and Territory was conditional on it continuing to manufacture in Victoria until 2016.

But given Ford Australia announced combined losses of almost $600 million over the previous five years when it revealed it will shut its plants in 2016 last May (including a record $290 million loss in 2011), closing its factory doors much earlier than that could be the best way for Ford Australia to limit its financial pain.