Ford Takes It Slow In India

Faisal Ali Khan
by Faisal Ali Khan

While Ford has launched quite a few vehicles globally in 2012, the American automaker hasn’t launched a single new product in India this year. After the success of the Figo (a hatchback developed especially for India and now being exported to emerging markets), Ford announced its plans to launch 8 new products by 2015 in the sub-continent. The company promptly launched the first product, the new Ford Fiesta. It performed quite badly due to the high pricing. At the Auto Expo earlier this year, Ford created a huge wave among prospective buyers by unveiling the second generation EcoSport.

Sadly, the EcoSport hasn’t been launched in India yet while the company has gone ahead and launched the compact SUV in various markets including Brazil and China. The EcoSport is set for a February 2013 launch, which is almost 14 months after it was first unveiled. Ford also showcased the EcoSport immediately after the Expo unveil in January 2012 in various cities, created a lot of hype, knowing well enough that the launch is still months away. Not the best strategy to wake up competitors. Seeing the positive reaction to the EcoSport, many car makers have started to work on their own compact SUV.

While all this happened, Renault was smart enough to launch the Duster in July, creating a near-monopoly for them. Sales of the Duster have been so good that Renault has hiked prices twice already. Last month, Renault sold more units of the Duster than Ford sold of the Figo (Ford’s highest selling vehicle in India). The Duster costs twice as much as the Figo, which shows the delay in the EcoSport has been a lost opportunity.

Faisal Ali Khan is the editor of MotorBeam.com, a website covering the automobile industry of India.

Faisal Ali Khan
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  • Niky Niky on Dec 24, 2012

    Truly a lost opportunity. It's strange that Ford announced the EcoSport and still won't sell them in India till next year, and in Asia till 2014 or 2015. That's a looooong time to wait. They could hit a mid-cycle model change before launching it in some markets! Shame about the space, but the EcoSport really is limited by the source material. That Fiesta platform is just too tight.

    • Faisal Ali Khan Faisal Ali Khan on Dec 25, 2012

      Niky, yes the Fiesta is quite cramped at the rear, so the EcoSport won't be any better.

  • Cargogh Cargogh on Dec 24, 2012

    In profile that thing looks as nose heavy as a QX56.

  • Otaku Otaku on Dec 24, 2012

    FWIW I think those headlamps might not look terrible grafted onto the current Fiesta. The new Aston grill is a decent upgrade for the facelifted Fiesta, but the headlamps still take up way too much space on its nose.

  • Rmwill Rmwill on Dec 27, 2012

    I am in Delhi right now, and Ford has a very limited presence. I see some Figos, a few Fiestas, but mostly high end Endeavors. I see about as many total Fords as Chevy cars. Chevy seems to have a popular SUV / people mover in the Tavera. The clear leaders here are Maruti Suzuki, Tata, and to a lesser extent Toyota and Hyundai. Hyundai seems to have the most new hardware on the road. I have seen exactly 3 BMWs, 1 Audi, 1 Land Rover, and 1 S Cass Benz. I have seen zero Nissan, and 1 Fiat. I hired a cab for the day to take my family to the Taj Mahal, about 500km round trip, in a Tata Indigo. It was less than $100, including driver, fuel, parking, tolls. At that price, it's easy to be overpriced for a non Indian car maker.

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