Hooroo, Mate: Ford Is Done With Australia

(RTTNews) - Auto giant Ford Motor Co. (F) closed its car manufacturing facility in Australia on Friday, after years of successive losses.

About 600 employees are expected to be affected by the closure.

About 3.5 million Falcons have been built since 1960. Ford Australia said it built the world's last six-cylinder, rear-wheel drive Falcon XR6 at its Broadmeadows plant in Melbourne.

Meanwhile, General Motors owned Holden and Toyota are also set to close their doors next year because of high production costs and increase in competition. It is expected to affect jobs of between 15,000 and 20,000 people in the coming years.

Ford will continue to sell and service imported cars in Australia, the company said.