Ford builds its final car in Australia

After 91 years, Ford Motor Company has ended its car manufacturing operations in Australia.

In a statement, Detroit, Mich.-based Ford said it has built the world’s last six-cylinder, rear-wheel drive Falcon XR6 at its Broadmeadows plant in Melbourne.

About 600 employees have lost their jobs.

Ford has built about 3.5 million Falcons since 1960 and the model once was Australia’s most popular car.

Ford, General Motors Company, and Toyota Motor Corporation all announced in 2013 that they were shuttering their production sites in Australia and shedding 6,600 jobs because of high production costs, distance from potential export markets, and increasing competition.

Ford will continue to sell and service imported cars in Australia and Australia-based engineers will help develop design vehicles that will be manufactured overseas, Ford said in its statement.

Ford opened its first Australian production line at Geelong in 1925.