Fords small cars to hit Indian roads by 2009

Ford’s small car may be on the roads of India by the end of 2009, and would conform to the engine capacity requirement of the Indian Government for duty concessions, Ford India’s President and Managing Director Michael Boneham said. “Ford is entering the small car segment for the first time here and we know it has to be aggressively priced. The small car is designed at our R&D facility in Australia and with a team from India. The major competition will be Suzuki and Hyundai models. Ford’s small car will have more features to suit Indian conditions and consumer expectations,” Boneham said. The engineers in Australia also worked on designs for Ford’s units in Europe. Ford India was investing US$500 million to expand its production capacity and dealer network (now totaling 80 across India), he said. Executive Director, Marketing, Nigel Wark, said though oil price hikes have affected the Indian automotive industry, Ford was able to retain its market share in both car and SUV segments with a 15% and 20% share, respectively. “The Indian automobile market continues to grow,” he said. (June 26, 2008)