Ford's fightback: New models, longer warranties and a bold growth plan

How Ford plans to take on Chinese car brands in Australia

Ford CEO Farley Jim Farley captured headlines late last year when he said Western car manufacturers are “in a fight for our lives”, describing China as the “700-pound gorilla in the EV industry”.

No doubt the comments were designed to galvanise US regulators to the looming threat posed by Chinese car makers in Ford’s vital home market (where Chinese cars are effectively banned via punitive tariffs), but it was also a rallying cry for the Blue Oval’s global subsidiaries to ready themselves for battle.

It's a fight already well under way here in Australia, where our open market has seen Chinese brands scale rapidly to account for half of the top 10 most popular new vehicles in August, and nearly one third of the total new vehicle sold that month.

While car makers in the US can rely on the protection of trade barriers from Chinese and other car makers, there are no such protections in Australia where 60-plus brands selling 400-plus nameplates compete for the consumer dollar.

The message from Ford Australia and New Zealand CEO Fadi Mawal at the Ford Uncovered event in Melbourne was that legacy brands like Ford Australia must step up and face the challenge head on.

The event gave media an unusually candid insight into the brand’s product pipeline and other initiatives it is rolling out to protect, and potentially grow, its market share in Australia and New Zealand.

The evening had shades of the annual “upfronts” staged by Australia’s commercial television industry, designed to get advertisers pumped about a network’s upcoming programs.

In this case, Ford was focused on getting journalists, and by extension the public, pumped about its reinvigorated product lineup.

Central to Ford Australia’s strategy are two brand new models and a third significantly enhanced hero car, each competing in different vehicle segments.

The Blue Oval’s strategy also includes an expanded warranty program for Ford owners who service with Ford dealers, the introduction of a new Ford Pro ownership program for commercial vehicle operators, and a forthcoming product expansion into segments the brand is currently absent from.

Remarkably, Ford currently competes in only 30% of the new vehicle market but aims to double that to 60% within three years, and to have 90% of its range either new or significantly refreshed by 2030.

Here's the lowdown on how Ford Australia plans to hold its ground against Chinese and other rival car makers.

Ford Transit City (November 2026)

Ironically, given Jim Farley’s China comments, the tip of the spear for Ford Australia’s product offensive is a Chinese-made commercial delivery van, the battery-electric Transit City.
Described as the next evolution of the Transit family – which traces its lineage back to 1965 and is hailed as the world’s best-selling commercial van – the Transit City arrives in November in a single, pragmatic specification level, priced at a competitive $50,000 (MRLP).

Equipped with a 56kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery paired with a 110kW front-wheel-drive e-motor the Transit City delivers up to 254km of combined-cycle range or 380km of urban range.

Its maximum DC charging rate of 87kW enables a 10-80% charge in about 33 minutes, while 11kW AC charging delivers 10-100% in about 5.5 hours.

Ford describes its new electric van as being particularly well-suited to the booming last-mile delivery sector, thanks in part to its manoeuvrability and zero-tailpipe emissions.

Standard features include keyless push-button start, a 12.3-inch central touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated driver's seat, and adaptive cruise control.

The cargo area is accessed via barn rear and sliding side doors, and boasts a durable, full-length load liner, half-height protective interior side trim, and tie-down points.

Maximum payload is a competitive 1,085kg, while 6.4 cubic metres of cargo space is enough to accommodate three Euro pallets.

Standard Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) include Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Rear-View Camera with Dynamic Guidelines, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go, and Lane Departure Warning.

By delivering a BEV at an ICE price Ford claims to have removed the biggest barrier to commercial operators embracing electrification – namely, price.

The company says operators will realise cost-of-ownership benefits from the get-go thanks to a reduction in scheduled maintenance costs compared to equivalent diesel vans, and one-year /30,000km service intervals.

The Ford Transit City is manufactured in China by Ford’s Chinese joint-venture partner, Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC).

Ford Mustang Dark Horse with T8-Spec Pack (Q4 2026)

The all-new Transit City will be closely followed, or perhaps even beaten to market by a local development of Ford’s halo sports car, the Mustang Dark Horse.

In scenes reminiscent of the days when Ford Australia made fast Falcons and regularly leaned on racing drivers like Queenslander Dick Johnson to promote them, Ford rolled out seven-times Supercars championship driver-turned-team-owner Jamie Whincup to whip the covers off the new Dark Horse with T8-Spec Pack.

Whincup and his Triple Eight Race Engineering race team were said to have been involved in development of the new Australia-only model, which is available as a limited edition 250 unit run.

The starting point for the T8-Spec Pack is the already stove-hot Mustang Dark Horse, which boasts a range of unique styling upgrades along with a 5.0-litre V8 producing a muscular 350kW/550Nm.
Ford describes the T8-Spec upgrades – which are a Ford Licensed Accessory Pack and fitted at the company’s manufacturing facility in Broadmeadows, Victoria – as adding a new level of track-focused capability to the Dark Horse.

Available exclusively with Avalanche prestige paint and Tremec six-speed manual transmission, the T8-Spec pack’s specific performance and aesthetic upgrades include a wider footprint courtesy of larger 19x10.5-inch front and 19x11-inch rear alloy wheels clad in high-performance Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres (305/30R19 front, 315/30R19 rear).

There’s also a larger rear spoiler with distinctive blue gurney flap and an enhanced front aero splitter, which Ford says is designed for track use only.

Other changes include a revised tune for the specialised MagneRide suspension, stiffer springs and rollbars, and adjustable top mounts for sharper steering response.

Exterior design changes include Triple Eight branding, a black roof, blue Brembo brakes, and unique bonnet decals.

Inside, there’s Recaro sports seats, Triple Eight branded scuff plates, a unique gear shift knob, and a sequentially numbered build plate.

As a cherry on top, every customer who purchases the new $138,888 (MRLP) Mustang variant will be invited to an exclusive Track Experience at Queensland Raceway in the first half of 2027.

Ford Bronco Basecamp (H2 2027)

The third confirmed new product revealed at the Ford event is due here next year wearing a nameplate that will be familiar to many Aussies thanks to decades of third-party and private imports, five years of local manufacture, and an infamous LA freeway chase in the 1990s.

The Bronco is one of Ford’s most iconic nameplates, first released in 1966, but only sold here officially by Ford Australia between 1981-1986 when it was assembled at the company’s Broadmeadows manufacturing facility.
The new Bronco Basecamp is a vastly different proposition to that F-Series based 4x4, being an entirely contemporary-looking SUV, built on a monocoque platform and powered by Ford's first super hybrid extended-range electrified powertrain.

Aside from its distinctive appearance, which includes illuminated ‘BRONCO’ lettering stretching the width of the grille, the new model integrates some neat touches that are usually the reserve of the aftermarket accessory industry.

This includes, on select models:

• An electric lift roof that pops up at one end to increase headroom and allow occupants to sit or lie more comfortably in the camper-van like interior;
• Seats that fold flat to create a sleeping space which can be paired with an optional full-length inflatable mattress;

An integrated 7.5-litre warm/cool storage console; A fold-down kitchen table with Pro Power Onboard plug built into the inside of the side-hinged tailgate.

The Bronco Basecamp’s super-hybrid powertrain pairs dual electric motors powered by a 49kWh battery with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine.

The ICE acts solely as an on-board range extender to deliver what Ford says is similarly smooth, and responsive driving dynamics as a full electric vehicle, while delivering a combined cycle driving range of between 800- 900km.

The Bronco also includes a 6.6kW Pro Power Onboard (Vehicle-to-Load) system which allows it to supply off-grid power for appliances like induction cooktops, coffee machines, camp lights, and more.

Ford’s adventure-oriented electrified SUV is due in the second half of 2027 with full specifications and pricing due closer to the launch date.

Like the Transit City, the Bronco Basecamp is is manufactured in China by Ford’s Chinese joint-venture partner, Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC).

Ford Extended Warranty

Ford Pro

Rounding out the announcements was the local launch of Ford Pro, which Ford Australia describes as an “integrated ecosystem” for commercial vehicle operators built around the notion that if an operator’s vehicle isn't on the road, it’s not earning money.

Already established in Europe and North America, Ford Pro brings together vehicles, customisation, finance, service and software into one place.

Ford describes it as is an evolution of the traditional fleet model which has largely focused on selling and servicing commercial vehicles.

The move is a direct shot over the bow of commercial vehicle market leader Toyota, with Ford keen to point out that it has been Australia's number two commercial vehicle brand for 13 consecutive years and has closed its historical circa 21,000-unit gap to just 3,400 units year-to-date.

The size of the prize is the big appeal here, with Ford estimating almost half of all vehicles sold in Australia are transacted through an ABN.