Ford to pull out of V8 Supercars after 2015 season

The manufacturer did not make a public announcement, but communicated its decision to stakeholders on Monday morning.

The move follows plans by Ford to close its Australian manufacturing plants by October 2016 and cease production of its Falcon.

The latest iteration of the car, the FG X, was released last week.

Ford Performance Racing and Team Penske DJR are the only teams that currently race with Ford.

Tim Edwards, CEO of Prodrive Racing (Australia) which runs FPR as a factory-aligned operation, expressed his disappointment at the news.

"Ford Australia's decision to not extend its commercial relationship with our team beyond the end of next season is extremely disappointing for our large and loyal fanbase, but as a business this decision now allows us to concentrate on our long-term future," he said.

Edwards did not rule out continuing with Ford beyond its official pullout, but said the team had already looked at other options.

"We will run the new FG X Falcon next season as planned with support from Ford, and we'll possibly campaign the car in 2016 ahead of the major regulation changes coming from 2017," he said.

"Now that we know where we stand we can further develop other opportunities. We have a range of options, some existing and some that were awaiting this decision, so we can now begin to explore these further."

Ford's long-standing rivalry with Holden in Australian touring car racing was the bedrock of the V8 Supercar championship from its inception in 1997.

The series was the exclusive domain of the two manufacturers until 2013, when a new set of regulations opened the door for the arrival of Mercedes, Nissan and Volvo.