Why Ford Australia is shutting up shop

THE END OF FORD AUSTRALIA

* Ford closes its Geelong and Broadmeadows factories for good on Friday, ending 91 years of Australian built cars.

WHO'S NEXT?

* Holden and Toyota will follow, shutting down their Australian manufacturing operations in 2017.

WHY?

* They have blamed a number of reasons, but the need to stay profitable ultimately led to tough decisions being made, according to Ford spokesman Wesley Sherwood.

* A strong Australian dollar leading to cheaper imported cars and high production costs

* Low import tariffs * High wages

* The appetite for Australian made cars has also waned - of 1,144,408 new cars bought in 2015 only 97,443 were built locally. * More cars are available in Australia than ever before with 60 brands and more than 500 models.