Editing Ford Pilot (section)

==Australian assembly==
[[File:Ford V8 Pilot Coupe Utility.jpg|thumb|Ford V8 Pilot coupe utility. This body style differs from the pick-up in its roofline, side windows and integration of the rear bodywork]]
[[Ford Australia]] introduced the Pilot to Australia in 1949, importing the model in both fully assembled and [[semi-knocked down]] form.<ref name=Darwin/> Initially dearer than the Canadian [[Ford Custom V8]], its price was gradually reduced in relative terms until it was cheaper than the Custom.<ref name=Darwin/> A [[coupe utility]] variant was also produced.<ref name=Restored_Cars/> The  Pilot was sold new in Australia until well into the 1950s.

Such importation (along with that of the Ford Prefect and Anglia) was essential in maintaining a presence in that country after a refusal by the then-Federal Government to provide any direct financial assistance to produce a local car (this despite Ford providing a more detailed and comprehensive proposal than GMH, and despite the fact that many millions of pounds had been invested by Ford US in Australian vehicle assembly plants since 1925).<ref name=FordAustralianCars>{{cite book |last=Easdown |first=Geoff |author-link= |title=A History of the Ford Motor Company in Australia |year=1987 |publisher=Golden Press |location=Sydney |isbn=073-020112-0}}</ref> Australian vehicles were also exported to [[New Zealand]].
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