The Hindu Business Line : Ford's Fiesta to be launched in November

Mr Arvind Mathew (left), Managing Director and President, Ford India, with Mr V. Sivaramakrishnan, Vice-President, Marketing, Sales and service, during the launch of `Ford Fiesta' in Chennai on Wednesday.

Chennai , Sept. 28

FORD India has decided to import a well-established brand name from the Ford stable - Fiesta - for the premium, mid-sized sedan that it will launch in November.

The Fiesta - essentially a hatchback - was launched by Ford Motor Company in Europe in 1976 and is still under production, after going through six redesigns.

In India, the Fiesta will be a three-box car that has been designed and engineered globally. It will be manufactured at Ford India's plant at nearby Maraimalai Nagar.

"It is a very powerful brand name and has been in Europe for the last three decades. It is a brand that is widely admired around the world," said Mr Arvind Mathew, Managing Director and President, Ford India, on why the company chose the name.

He added that the company had conducted extensive research, including among likely buyers of a premium mid-size sedan in India, and found that Fiesta was a unanimous choice.

Mr Mathew also said that the Fiesta would be available in dealerships across the country in the first week of November and would be ready for customer delivery by middle of the month.

The Fiesta would be a premium, aspirational car, parked in the heart of the growing mid-size segment, according to Mr V. Sivaramakrishnan, Vice-President (Marketing, Sales and Service).

While not giving any more details - on the likely price, the dimensions, the capacity of the petrol and diesel engines that will be available, or the numbers that the company expects to sell - both Mr Mathew and Mr Sivaramakrishnan said that the Fiesta would complement Ford India's other cars - the Ikon and the Fusion.According to a Ford India release, the Fiesta has been designed and engineered globally.

A core team of Indian engineers worked with product development teams from UK, Germany, and Australia on the project.

The Fiesta will have a Duratec petrol engine - to be manufactured for Ford India by Hindustan Motors at its Pithampur plant - and a Duratorq diesel engine that will be imported from Europe.

Ford Motor Company manufactures the turbo direct common rail injection (TDCi) diesel engines jointly with Peugeot. In Europe, the Fiesta and the Fusion have 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre TDCi engine options. The joint venture has also developed a 2-litre TDCi engine. It is believed that Ford India will bring in the 1.6-litre and 2-litre TDCi engines in the Fiesta.

At launch, the Fiesta will have 70 per cent localisation, which Mr Mathew said would increase as volumes pick up.

Mr Sivaramakrishnan said that Ford India's marketing for the Fiesta would be based on three platforms - that the car was contemporary and offered modern styling, had superior driving dynamics, and the technology of the Duratec and Duratorq engines.

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