Ford increases prices too

FORD has joined Toyota in announcing widespread price increases from January 1, when the entry-level Falcon XT sedan price will rise by $900, from $36,790 to $37,690.

Holden fired the first salvo of price increases last month by lifting its prices by a similar amount in November, when the base Commodore Omega sedan’s sticker price rose by $500, from $36,790 to $37,290.

In response to a 35 per cent slump in the value of the Australian dollar versus the Japanese yen over the past three months, Toyota last week announced price increases for all models except the Prius and the Australian-made Camry and Aurion, which remains priced at a significantly lower $34,990 for the basic AT-X auto.

Toyota Yaris and Chery A1 (below).

GM Holden chairman and managing director Mark Reuss told GoAuto on Friday that he had no immediate plans to raise prices further, indicating that Japanese car-makers were now experiencing similar exchange-rate issues as Holden and Ford.

“We have no plans to increase prices,” he said. “We have a bunch of Korean cars and our locally built cars a very well positioned.

“They (Japanese brands including Toyota) have had it good for a long time.” Ford’s Focus and upcoming Fiesta, which will be launched later this week but will not hit showrooms until early 2009, has been spared the price hike, while prices for both the mid-size Mondeo and Ranger utility will rise by $1000 across the board from January.

Of Ford’s locally manufactured models, the Falcon Ute will be $500 more expensive across the range and Territory pricing will increase by $500 for the base TX variant only.

Ford’s price increases average about 2.5 per cent – similar to the 2.4 per cent range-wide increase at Toyota – with the XT sedan’s $900 increase being the most modest price rise and the G6E Turbo’s $1400 increase being the biggest largest.

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Toyota hikes prices