Ford Telstar
The
Ford Telstar was an
automobile sold by the
Ford Motor Company in
Asia,
Australasia and
Africa, comparable in size to the
European
Ford Sierra and the American
Ford Tempo. It has been progressively replaced by the
Ford Mondeo.
Like the smaller
Ford Laser, the Telstar was in fact, based on a model produced by
Mazda in
Japan. It shared its
platform with the
Mazda Capella/
626, the differences being confined to some styling, engine sizes, and specification. The first model (also known as the AR) was launched in
1983, replacing the
Ford Cortina. Unlike the Cortina, or its Sierra successor, the Telstar was usually only available as a
sedan or
hatchback (known as the
TX5). However, after 1988, a Telstar version of the 626 wagon was sold in
Japan and
New Zealand.
In Japan, the Telstar was introduced in
1983 on the new
front wheel drive Mazda GC platform. This model was replaced in
1987 with a refreshed version on the
Mazda GD platform. A station wagon appeared in
1990 on the old GD-based
GV platform, while the sedan was updated the next year with the newer
GE platform. From
1994 through
1996, a special
Telstar II was produced alongside the Japan-only
Mazda Capella on the
CG platform.
The last Telstar, based on the
GF platform, was released in
1997, but was only sold in Japan, as Ford was now marketing the Mondeo in the Asian-Pacific region. The Telstar was dropped by Ford of Japan in
1999, as the company sought to differentiate itself from Mazda by concentrating on
European and American Ford models. Telstars were briefly available with Mazda's four-wheel steering.
In
Australia, the Telstar filled the gap in
Ford Australia's product line-up, left by the
Cortina in
1981. The Telstar was
Wheels magazine's
Car of the Year for 1983.
Local assembly of the Telstar was short-lived, and for a while the model was almost replaced by the
Ford Corsair, which was simply a facelifted version of the
Nissan Pintara, as the two companies were sharing models under the
Button Plan.
The two were sold side-by-side in the Ford range for a few years, with the Telstar only available as the high-performance
TX5 hatchback. Later when
Nissan ended manufacturing in Australia, the Corsair was dropped and the Telstar, fully imported from Japan, once again became Ford's offering in the medium size segment of the market, voted as
Wheels magazine's
Car of the Year for a second time in 1992. It was replaced by the Mondeo in
1995.
In New Zealand, the Telstar, like the Laser, was assembled locally up to
1997, at the Ford/Mazda joint venture plant in
Auckland called Vehicle Assemblers of New Zealand (VANZ). The mechanically identical the european version of
Mazda_626 and
Mazda 323 were assembled alongside the Telstar and Laser.This range included the
Telstar Orion, which was simply the previous model sedan, offered as an entry-level model, along with the wagon. When the first
Mondeos were sold abroad, Ford New Zealand offered a
Telstar Contour and a
Telstar Mystique (named after the US Ford and
Mercury versions of the Mondeo respectively). A high performance V6 version, known as the
Telstar Radisich after the New Zealand racing driver Paul Radisich, was also sold locally. The plant closed in
1997 and all of
Ford New Zealand's product offerings are now fully imported.
In
South Africa, the Telstar replaced the
Ford Sierra in
1993, being assembled by
Samcor alongside the Mazda 626. As in New Zealand, a
Telstar Contour and
Telstar Mystique were offered. In
1998, the Telstar was replaced by the Mondeo, which is now fully imported.
In
Taiwan, the Telstar was locally assembled by Ford Lio Ho, the local Ford joint venture, in
left hand drive, and remained in production in
Malaysia until the early
2000s. It was also sold in
Hong Kong,
Singapore,
Indonesia,
Cyprus and the
Philippines .
*
Ford Festiva*
Ford Laser*
Ford Meteor*
Ford Escort *
Ford Falcon
