The Ford Falcon is a full-size car that was manufactured by Ford Australia from 1960 to 2016. From the XA series of 1972 onward, each Falcon and range of derivates have been designed, developed, and built in Australia, following the phasing out of the American-influenced Falcon of 1960 to 1971, which had been re-engineered locally as the XK to XY series for the harsher Australian conditions. The luxury-oriented Ford Fairmont model joined the range from 1965. Luxury long-wheelbase derivative versions called the Ford Fairlane and LTD arrived in 1967 and 1973 respectively with production ending in 2007.

Over 3 million Ford Falcons and its derivatives were made over seven generations to 2016, almost exclusively in Australia and New Zealand, but also South Africa and some RHD Asian markets. Along with its closest rival, the Holden Commodore that was also Australian-made, the Falcon once dominated the fleets of taxis in Australia and New Zealand, as well as police and company fleets.

In its last incarnation as the FG X series, the body style of the Falcon range consisted of sedan and utility body styles. Luxury variants of the current model Falcon, collectively known as the G Series, were marketed as the Ford G6, G6 E, and G6 E Turbo, which replaced the long-standing Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia models. Previously the Falcon range also included a hardtop coupé, panel van and station wagon (respectively up to 1978, 1999 and 2010)., as well as the Futura variant. The Falcon platform had also spawned luxury models such as the Landau coupe and long-wheelbase Fairlane and LTD sedans.

In May 2013, Ford Australia announced the end of local production, which consisted of Falcon and its closely related Territory crossover SUV, by October 2016. This decision was attributable to Ford Motor Company's "One Ford" product development plan introduced in 2008 to rationalise its global range. Under this plan, Falcon's indirect replacements are the fourth-generation Mondeo from Europe and the sixth-generation Mustang from North America, the latter to retain Ford's Australian V8 heritage. The final Ford Falcon, a blue XR6, rolled off the production line on 7 October 2016.

During the 1950s, Ford's Australian sales were faltering due to the popularity of Holden, which did not have an effective competitor. Ford assembled the British Zephyr and its Consul and Zodiac derivatives. However, while these cars were moderately successful and had a good reputation, Ford could not match Holden's price, so sales suffered. One of the reasons for the price difference was the higher cost of imported parts, which were subject to an import tariff. Ford also assembled Canadian-sourced Ford V8 models, but these cars were in a higher price category, putting them out of reach of the average buyer.

Hence, Ford decided to commence local production of a Holden challenger. Initially, they intended to produce the Zephyr, Consul, and Zodiac, using expensive dies they would need to purchase from Ford of Britain. However, during a visit to Ford headquarters in Detroit in 1958, they were shown the new Falcon, which was being prepared for its United States launch. Immediately, the executives were attracted to the new car- it was about the same size as Holden, but it was low, long, wide and modern. The width allowed it to accommodate six people, and a two-speed automatic transmission was available. Besides all this, Ford Australia felt they had more experience building North American cars. Hence, they decided to make Falcon their new Australian car. In 1959, Ford built the Broadmeadows Assembly Plant at Campbellfield, a suburb of Melbourne, for local production of the North American Ford Falcon. The factory was designed in Canada, and had a roof designed for Canadian snow falls, which is needed in Melbourne due to the occurrence of heavy hail falls in the Australian south east and east coast areas.^{[citation needed]}

The first Falcon sold in Australia was the XK series, introduced in September 1960. It was initially offered only as a four-door sedan, in both Falcon and Falcon Deluxe trim levels. The XK was essentially a right-hand drive version of the North American model, although dealerships in Australia’s rural areas often included modifications such as heavy-duty rear suspension (five leaves) and larger, 6.40 by 13-inch (16 by 33 centimetre), tyres.

The steering was light and the ride surprisingly good, on well-paved roads. The Falcon's "king-size" drum brakes actually had less lining area than the Zephyr's, but they were stopping a car that was more than 100 kilograms (220 lb) lighter, and so were adequate. Whereas the North American model used an "economy" 3.10 to 1 rear-axle ratio, the XK’s axle had a 3.56 to 1 ratio, which better complemented the torque characteristics of the engine, yet still allowed a reduction in cruising rpm when compared with the Zephyr.