Ikon's lowest Cost of Ownership and top-ranking dependability validated.
Drives through the country covering well over 20,000kms; Delivers extremely low running expense of Rs 1.39 per km.
The epic 52 day 'Ikon Cross Country Drive' a drive covering over 20,000kms passing through 25 state capitals concluded at a function in Mumbai presided over by Michael Boneham, president & managing director, Ford India. Along-with Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor Autocar India and Nigel Wark, executive director, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford India.
The Ikon clocked an impressive fuel economy of 28.54 KMPL and an extremely low running expense measured as cost per km of Rs 1.39 per / km*.
Speaking on the occasion,Michael Boneham said ''I am extremely excited as this drive has been in real Indian road conditions experienced by customers and the Ikon has come out with flying colours. The result is a testament that the Ford Ikon is the most sensible vehicle - contemporary, stylish, affordable, fuel efficient and capable of effortlessly cruising through a diverse range of terrains".
Boneham, further added "This independent real life validation of the Ikon is a double delight coming on the back of the 2009 J.D Power Asia-Pacific Vehicle Dependability Study where the Ford Ikon was ranked as the Most Dependable entry level sedan".
A team of professional drivers from Autocar drove a standard Ikon diesel, without any modifications what-so-ever monitoring and logging very parameter of the car’s performance including fuel consumption, tyre wear, and consumables like engine oil, brake fluid etc. The route through the 25 state capitals and 3 union territories was meticulously charted to encapsulate all the road conditions and weather conditions that drivers in India would encounter. To accurately measure the durability, cost of ownership and fuel efficiency of the Ikon as the distance travelled during the drive is akin to what is driven normally in a period of two years. The Ikon underwent two scheduled service checks at Ford’s authorized service centre's en-route the over 20,000km drive. The entire drive has been audited and verified by KPMG.
Nigel Wark, executive director, marketing, sales and service, Ford India said, “We believe in manufacturing vehicles with highest quality standards and extremely low cost of ownership. We are delighted that the Ikon has set new benchmarks by achieving excellent fuel economy during the drive with a low cost of ownership and has once again proven itself as a class leader in the entry level sedan segment.”
The Ford Ikon with the new 1.4-litre DuraTorq, common-rail TDCi engine under its hood embarked on this pan-India drive from the Ford India plant in Maraimalainagar near Chennai on the 22nd of April. The first leg of the drive was from Chennai to Pune through Puducherry, Panjim, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Thiruvanathapuram. brilliant four lane roads while also encountering numerous diversions and an unfinished section of NH4A with truck swallowing pot holes. The second leg of the drive from Pune to Delhi saw the Ikon passing through Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Daman, Srinagar and Shimla, the extreme heat conditions, steep twisting mountainous roads with narrow one vehicle bridges made for slow driving speeds. The Ikon drove through Dehradun, Raipur, Patna, Gangtok during the third leg of the drive, a large part of the roads were two lane highways with numerous diversions as work progressed to widen them and large potholes in certain sections slowing traffic. A huge landslide saw the team stopped for 5 hours. Narrow and steep mountainous roads made for slow going in the hills. The last leg of the drive was through the North eastern states, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Vizag
Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India said, “This event was all about extracting the best in terms of fuel efficiency and running costs. With good driving and an efficient engine like the 1.4 Duratorq, we achieved amazing results. This event also highlighted the impact of varying road conditions and terrain on fuel consumption.”
The Ford Ikon (228 PP/100) was ranked No 1 entry mid size sedan in the 2009 J.D Power Vehicle Dependability awards coming ahead stronger in vehicle dependability compared to Maruti Esteem (295 PP/100) and Tata Indigo/ Marina( 376 PP/100) in the segment. The Ikon was instrumental in reducing the segment average which stands at 330 PP.
Editor's Notes:
*The cost per kilometre of Rs 1.39 is arrived by adding the total of the fuel expense and the service expense over 20,263.7kms.
Established in 1995, Ford India is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader. Ford India manufactures and distributes automobiles made at its modern integrated manufacturing facility, at Maraimalai Nagar, near Chennai. With nearly 2100 employees, the company's models include the Ikon, Fusion, Endeavour and the Fiesta. Ford India is in its twelfth year of operations in the country.
For more information, visit www.india.ford.com
