The Hindu : Business : Ford Fiesta launch in November

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Thursday, Sep 29, 2005

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Business

Ford Fiesta launch in November

Special Correspondent

The petrol engines will be made at the Pithambur facility of Hindustan Motors

TO TEST INDIAN ROADS: The Managing Director and President of Ford India, Arvind Mathew (left), and Vice President-Marketing, Sales and Service, with the first production prototype of the all new Ford Fiesta.

CHENNAI: The new global car that Ford India is proposing to launch in the country some time in November is named `Ford Fiesta'. It will be positioned as a `premium aspirational car in the mid-size segment', according to Arvind Mathew, Managing Director.

Ford Fiesta will have both petrol and diesel options. While the petrol version will be fitted with Duratec engine, the diesel one will have Duratorq engine.

Mr. Mathew said the petrol engines would be made at the Pithambur facility of Hindustan Motors. The diesel ones would be imported from a Ford factory elsewhere in the globe.

TDCi technology

The diesel option in Ford Fiesta would see the company introducing its proprietary turbo direct common rail injection (TDCi) technology in India. Consequently, the aluminium alloy Duratorq diesel engine, the company claimed, would provide fuel economy and a refined driving pleasure. "TDCi-powered Ford Fiesta will be environment-friendly,'' the Managing Director said. Mr. Mathew said in a tele-conference that he expected the split between diesel and petrol versions to be equal in Ford Fiesta production. The Fiesta car for India is a product of Ford's shared technology approach, which saw Indian engineers work in tandem with the product development teams in various countries.

Ikon v Fiesta

To a question on where the new car would stand vis-à-vis Ford Ikon, "Ford Fiesta will be an additive and complement the Ikon.'' Mr. Mathew said, "If Ford Ikon is an aspirational entry-level car in the mid-size segment, Ford Fiesta will be an `aspirational premium car.'' Each Ford brand in India — Ikon, Mondeo, Endeavour and Fusion — had a role to play in the company's portfolio, he added.

Mr. Mathew said that Ford Fiesta would initially have a local content of 70 per cent, which would be scaled up to over 90 per cent overtime. He, however, declined to comment on the price of the new car and its engine capacity.

With the launch of Fiesta, he said, Ford would have a "unique footprint in the mid-size segment.'' Stating that the growth was fastest in this segment, he said, "I am extremely bullish on the eve of Fiesta launch.''

Fielding a range of questions during a conference call, Mr. Mathew said he was happy with Ford's focus on the petrol version of Fusion. To another question, he said that the company had not taken any decision at this point in time on increasing the prices.

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