Even though the Indian arm of US-based automobile giant Ford Motors is remaining tight-lipped on the pricing of its forthcoming small car, the company has said that it is concentrating on providing an extremely competitive cost of ownership for its newest offering — the Ford Figo.
After increasing the number of Ford dealerships domestically by 50 per cent over the last 15 months, the company is aiming at breaching the 150-mark by the end of this calendar year. “We currently have 139 dealerships in India and this number will go up to 159 by year-end,” Ford India President and Managing Director Micheal Boneham said.
Boneham explained that while the pricing of the Figo would be “extremely competitive”, the automaker would also ensure that the life-cycle cost of the vehicle would be substantially low. “For the buyer, the initial price of the car is not the only thing. They will also look at the cost component in the longer term. Overall, we want to create unbelievable value for money for a Figo owner,” he said. The sub-4 meter long Figo would be available in a 1.2 litre petrol and a sub 1.5 litre diesel variant, and would be exported from India to countries in the Asia Pacific region and Africa, Boneham said.
Looking forward, Ford India would release a new model every 12-18 months and the majority of further invesment by the company in India would be product driven. “But we could look at expanding our facility in Chennai over the next few years if there is sufficient demand,” Boneham said.