The Hindu Business Line : And now, a sportier Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta has quickly climbed up the market share ladder. Within a year of its launch, the car has become the second largest selling family sedan in the Indian market.

Of course, the more popular (by a big margin) of the two models — petrol and diesel — is the latter, and for obvious reasons. The Fiesta 1.4 TDCi, with its advanced, `fuel-frugal' common rail injection diesel technology engine and its diesel fuel advantage is clearly the first choice amongst fuel-efficiency conscious sedan buyers.

Though the going has been relatively good for the Fiesta in the last ten months or so, there is renewed competition in the form of the new Hyundai Verna CRDi diesel sedan. The Verna, which has just been launched, also sports a new generation common rail diesel engine and could be a strong contender for a big share in this segment.

While Ford may soon have to come up with a refreshed package for the diesel Fiesta, for now it has launched newer versions of the two petrol-engine variants of the Fiesta.

To mark the first anniversary of its launch this month, Ford India has unveiled a limited edition version of the sedan. Christened Fiesta Durasport, it has been priced aggressively, starting at Rs 6.05 lakh (ex-showroom Chennai). This special edition Fiesta Durasport, available in two colours Moondust Silver and Panther Black, will be at Ford showrooms during the upcoming festival season in two petrol versions — 1.4 petrol EXi and 1.6 petrol ZXi.

The 1.6 Petrol ZXi Durasport boasts of features such as exclusive body graphics; leather-style vinyl seat covers; stylish seven-spoke alloy wheels; fog lamps with chrome surround; and sporty pedals. The 1.4 Petrol EXi Durasport comes with exclusive body graphics; leather-style vinyl seat covers; Kenwood audio system with MP3 player; fog lamps with chrome bezel; and sporty pedals.

Ford says that the new Durasport is an adventurous version of the Fiesta, presenting an ideal combination of style and performance. The refreshed version of the Fiesta is said to have been developed based on feedback from the sedan's owners, who Ford feels appreciate the vehicle's driving dynamics, but missed buying into a sportier overall package.

With the prominent, broad white stripe running down the middle of the Fiesta's outside, all the way from the bonnet grille to the rear, Ford will be hoping to capture the design passion that performance sports compacts (such as the Mini Cooper) and rally cars create in the minds of the buyers. The rest of the cosmetic changes that come with the package should help too. But though the target segment for this kind of design and package is growing, it still will be a niche product, which will not dramatically improve the sales volumes of the Fiesta's petrol version.

S. Muralidhar