Ford Reveals Small Car for India, Says Production of It to Start Early Next Year

Ford Motor Co. President and CEO Alan Mulally today revealed the American automaker's intent to produce a small, fuel-efficient car in India.

Called the Ford Figo, the car was unveiled at a press event in Delhi as a major addition to the Ford India brand portfolio.

Mulally's visit underscored the strategic importance of India in Ford's future plans. He stated the Figo is designed and engineered to compete in the heart of the domestic India car market.

In a statement issued today, Ford said the Figo will be manufactured at Ford's manufacturing facility near Chennai, which is undergoing a $500 million transformation to double to 200,000 the number of small cars that can be made at the plant annually.

"Our exciting new Ford Figo shows how serious we are about India," Mulally said. "It reflects our commitment to compete with great products in all segments of this car market.  We are confident the Ford Figo will be a product that Indian consumers really want and value."

Those are bold words, coming as they did only months after Indian automaker Tata began selling the four-seat, $2,000, 47-miles-per-gallon Nano in India.

Ford is hoping the Figo will be competitive in India's small-car segment, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the new vehicle market. The automaker intends to leverage Ford's small-car platform architecture, sharing underlying technology with the Ford Fiesta, which is already familiar to Indian drivers.

If you're wondering about the name, Figo is colloquial Italian for "cool." If you're wondering about Figo's fuel economy, acceleration and other performance characteristics, you'll have to wait. Ford is discussing them now.

Posted by

Scott Doggett September 23, 2009, 10:23 AM

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Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, India, Tata

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Ford Fiesta, Ford Figo, Fuel Economy, Fuel Efficient, India, Tata Nano