Ford RHD conversions for Australia: F-150 could be just the first

Ford's recently announced right-hand drive local conversion program could pave the way for more models, with the Blue Oval considering adding future vehicles to the project if its F-150 foray is a success.

In March this year, Ford announced it would follow the lead of GMSV and Ram, converting its F Series plus-size ute to right-hand drive on home turf – but Ford has since revealed it’s already considering expanding the program if more cases stack up.

Speaking to media in Detroit, Ford Motor Company international markets group (IMG) and Ford Blue president Dianne Craig said it was monitoring the progress of the F-150 conversion project closely, but the company was already impressed with Melbourne-based partner RMA.

“The F-150 RHD conversion could really open up some possibilities for us,” she said. “I think we’ve got to crack the code on that one first and we feel really good about the partner we’ve chosen, so stay tuned.”

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The new 2023 Ford F-150

Exactly which models might work alongside the F-150 is far from confirmed at this stage, but a decision will almost certainly be determined by critical margins, which are narrowed by complex re-engineering processes.

According to Craig, a low-volume, high-value vehicle such as the F-150 is a relatively easy business case to make, but the task becomes harder for models considered more affordable (for consumers) and higher-volume.

“It gets trickier as you get more volume. The F-150 volume is relatively low so I think we’ve got to learn from this. Right now it would be very difficult (to offer those more affordable, high-volume models), because we couldn’t get the scale.”

When quizzed about the possibility of the Maverick ute potentially offering another re-engineered model for Australia, Craig confirmed “We have looked at it,” but reiterated that any future models would not be given the green light until the success of the current plan could be completely evaluated.

Another element that could increase the feasibility of future projects is the potential to locally remanufacture models for markets other than Australia, said Craig, which would boost production runs and build a healthier return on investment.

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The muscly new Bronco Raptor ("Braptor"!)

“Working with RMA can really provide some opportunity for us, not just for Australia but some of the other right-hand drive markets. It’s all about scale.

“We’re on the right path and this is the first time we’ve ever really done it, so we’ll see.”

With the arrival of the F-150 in Ford showrooms next year, the Blue Oval will have a model to do battle with heavy-duty utes from Ram and Silverado – and finding other underrepresented markets will be key to whether more models are added to the local operation in Melbourne’s north.

One such option would be the Ford Bronco which is, as yet, not chalked for factory RHD production, but would offer Ford a competitor to Jeep’s popular and capable Wrangler, while the Bronco Sport which takes the Ford Escape as its basis would fill a midsize SUV gap in the local line-up.

That said, Ford’s president and CEO has recently revealed that both cars could make it into factory RHD production if global supply into LHD markets can be satisfied first.

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