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Ford India has sewn up plans to roll out at least three new models in segments where it is not present currently over the next 12 months, beginning with its compact sedan, the Figo Aspire.
The American automotive major, which earlier this year commissioned a large manufacturing facility at Sanand in Gujarat, its second after its plant located near Chennai in Tamil Nadu, now has great flexibility in rolling out new models as it seeks to consolidate India presence.
Umashankar PK, Vice-President, Customer Service Operations, told BusinessLine during the weekend that the company is looking at next phase of growth as it introduces new models and also delights its customers with quality ownership experience.
The Gujarat plant, which has annual capacity of 2,40,000 vehicles per annum was set up with an investment of over $1 billion and along with the Tamil Nadu plant, the company has a combined manufacturing capacity of 4,40,000 vehicles per annum, which would enable the company to launch many more models, he said. During his visit to Hyderabad, Umashankar said Figo Aspire is likely to be introduced during the festival season.
He said the new car is pegged in a market of compact sub-four metre sedans, which accounts for sales of 1.1 million and projected to grow to about 1.6 million by 2018.
“We expect Figo Aspire to generate a lot more interest than what we had achieved with the introduction of Figo hatch and Ford Ecosport our compact SUV. And as we come out with new models in segments where we have not been present earlier, the volumes are likely to increase,” he explained.
Referring to a number of initiatives the company has taken to make customers happy, he said the cost of ownership has come down and one can have a car serviced for as low as ₹2,199, he said.
The company has embarked on a 10-week-long road show across 25 cities in the country. This is part of experiential consumer campaign – What Drives You – that aims to discover the values and aspirations driving modern India. Led by actor Farhan Akhtar, the campaign is seen to serve as a platform for young and enterprising Indians.
According to Ford, both the 1.5L-TDCi diesel and 1.2L TiVCT petrol engine-powered Figo Aspire offer a compelling mix of performance, refinement and fuel efficiency.
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