What are these Ford AU Falcons doing in Hong Kong… as taxis?

01/22/2025 12:00 AM

There are few things more uniquely Australian than an AU Ford Falcon; hell, it even has 'AU' as the model designation.

So you can imagine our shock when we were reminded when a Hong Kong company shipped a fleet of them to the Chinese special administrative region in the early 2000s to be used as taxis.

Recently, on the Facebook group Hong Kong Nostalgic Automobile Photos, a user wrote, "Australian Ford Falcon LPG station wagon that has appeared in Hong Kong".

RELATED: Ford AU Falcon was a $700 million flop

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As it turns out, the vehicle built in Broadmeadows, Victoria and that was only sold domestically (inclusive of New Zealand), found a new lease of life internationally. And it wasn’t a one off.

So, what are these AU Falcons exiled to a life of hard labour doing in Hong Kong?

Ford Falcons in Hong Kong

The AU Falcons were part of a deal that allowed Ford Australia to test the international market for the Falcon and for Hong Kong to phase out its polluting diesel taxi fleet with a cleaner LPG option around the year 2000.

The Falcons were imported with the first of Ford’s factory LPG systems fitted, even before the Australian market. The infamous Intech six-cylinder bears the green rocker cover to signal a factory-fit 'E-Gas' engine.

Around 20 Falcons were sent to Hong Kong from late 1999 to early 2000, with the plan to send hundreds more over the coming years.

But, within the first few months of the Falcons making their appearance in a new red and white taxi trim, a local Hong Kong newspaper 蘋果日報 (Apple Daily) wrote that residents were sceptical about the new wagons on their roads.

The newspaper reported the Falcon taxis – sold fully fitted for around $A45,000 – "may not be economical enough to run to appeal to the industry", even though their reduced emission levels benefitted local air quality.

The paper wrote that the local drivers calculated the Falcon wagon cost around 18 cents Australian per litre to run compared to 13.8 cents/litre LPG-fuelled Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric taxis. However, the AU’s biggest positive was that drivers were impressed by the Falcon’s cargo capacity which could handle around eight to 10 suitcases.

Ford Australia told Drive in May 2000 that the deal to send "200 vehicles a year to Hong Kong" gives Ford a foothold in the Hong Kong Taxi fleet market, which numbered around 18,000 vehicles.

Ford Manager of Environmental and Safety Engineering, Bruce Priddle, said the program was the result of continuing cooperation between Ford, Hong Kong car dealership Wallace Harper, the Australian Trade Commission and the Hong Kong Government.

"This program is an example of the opportunities available to Australian companies looking to export their expertise to Asia," Priddle said.

"It is also a great example of how we can cooperate to reduce the impact of motor vehicles on the environment.

"We believe we have an advantage over the competing vehicles in that we are the only ones to offer a factory-fitted, integrated system," he added.

"We will be the only Hong Kong taxi that can comfortably handle five passengers and their luggage."

We managed to find a TV review by a Hong Kong journalist, also in the year 2000, praising the Australian wagon through our rough translation (we assume they mean station wagon when referring to 'RV').

"This Falcon RV version produced in Australia also has an LPG engine option. In the past, taxis used to travel to and from the airport, even though passengers would transport a large amount of luggage. When you encounter the problem of insufficient space in the suitcase, you often have to open the tailgate to drive, which is very inconvenient and dangerous. With it, no matter how much luggage you bring, its amazing cargo capacity of 1254 litres will help you drive this Falcon taxi.

"You will find that the engine output is quite powerful, not far different from the Falcon gasoline version we tested in Australia because its output is 213hp and 36.3kgm [356Nm] of torque. It is considered the best among taxis. It is very easy and smooth to drive.

"The response is very sensitive, and it doesn’t feel too frivolous when driving. It also gives you a good texture. You can confidently take turns, and it gives you good confidence. If you are driving with one or two passengers, the load-type shock absorber will obviously feel a bit jarring when riding, but overall, it is quite comfortable.

"You may have to pay more for fuel, but you are required to have comfortable and luxurious equipment. It has everything you need for the price of the car. HKD190,000 ($AU39,293) is not too expensive. If the government can relax the restrictions on private cars, there should be a market for this Falcon which can use LPG."

From what we understand, the AU taxis came in three colours depending on where they was deployed for work. Red cars were Kowloon Taxis, green New Territories Taxis, and blue was Lantau Island Taxi.

It’s difficult to find much information on what happened to the Falcons, but allegedly, Hong Kong taxi drivers ended up preferring Toyota’s Crown when it landed locally with LPG capability. While the luggage storage wasn’t as large as for airport runs, the Crown was much narrower and better on fuel. Plus, given Hong Kong’s geographical location, spare parts were much easier to come by.

"It is a pity that Falcon, as an Australian car with a 4-liter engine and nearly 200 horsepower, is not only larger than ordinary Japanese cars, but also not as durable as Japanese cars," said HK based automotive outlet, CazBuyer.

"In addition, Australian cars are very unpopular in the Hong Kong market. This resulted in high maintenance costs, which ultimately led to the retirement of all Falcon taxis in less than 10 years. Although Ford later returned to the taxi market in 2012 by introducing the global model Transit Connect, the Falcon is the only Australian model in the history of Hong Kong taxis. Its uniqueness is still irreplaceable and has witnessed the introduction of Hong Kong taxis in the past. A bold attempt at an unpopular model."

Given the information we have available, there are currently three known Falcon Taxis still complete (one of each colour). One user on the Abandoned Classic Cars in Hong Kong Facebook group recently posted images of three abandoned ex-taxis sitting forlornly in a field.

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