Report and First Pics: The Ford Figo is HERE !! More info - Pg19

[Dippy]

Its not everyday that you have the Big Boss of a global car manufacturer come a visiting so when it was known that Alan Mulallay, the President and CEO of Ford Motor Company was making a quick trip to India, it had to be something big. And really big it was. Ford is finally getting into the segment that matters the most in our country, the small car segment. Ford took the covers off its all new small car for India. Say Hello to the Ford Figo, the latest offering to the Indian car scene from the American manufacturer and as always Team BHP was there to get you all the action.

The event took place at the Taj Palace New Delhi. Everyone from the Ford Team who I met were very excited about the whole event. After an introduction by Michael Boneham, the MD of Ford India, Alan took the wraps off what Ford says is the most important car for them in India. I caught up for a one on one with Alan and his collegue John Parker who is the Vice President of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa for more on the Figo. Some important points coming from the conversation:

• The car is built on a Ford world platform and NOT the one of the existing Fiesta.
  
• The Figo will come with a 1.2 petrol and a 1.5 diesel engine. Three variants Ambiente, Trend and Titanium. The Titanium models were on display.
  
• A midsizer based on the Figo platform can be expected in the future.
  
• An AT model of the Figo is definately on the cards.
  
• No word on pricing yet. That will only be known at the launch in March 2010. It is expected to be in the 5-6 lakh bracket.
  
• The Chennai plant will be a hub for export of the Figo and other future models. The plant is also going to have a seperate manfufacturing facility for Ford's petrol and diesel engines for local and export markets.
  
• Apart from new cars, Ford will be getting into commercial vehicles as well.
  

Coming to the car, here are my first impressions on the Figo:

• The rear of the Figo resembles the Fusion to quite an extent, seem lower in height though.
  
• Overall size is somewhat close to the i20.
  
• I did not find anything ground breaking about the design but looks like a well made hatch.
  
• The build quality on the outside feels good.
  
• Cant comment on the interiors. They were blacked out with dark tints. Ford wont show anything till the launch I guess.
  
• Big headlights. Fog lamps integrated into the bumper look nice.
  
• Large tail lights seem to have a become hatchback favourite and here its no different.
  
• The wheelcaps are from the Fiesta. Cheap looking IMO.

Ford just needs to get the prcing right. Of course all details will only be known come March.

Let the pictures do the talking now


Alan Mullalay speaks about the new Ford Figo




And here it is, the new Ford Figo




The Ford Team with the Figo




The Ford Figo








A side profile




The Figo badging



Large tail lights, seen on many hatchbacks today



ORVMS are of a good size.




The rear side profile reminds you of the Fusion




And the Fiesta maybe?



The windows have a good glass area for a hatch






Big headlights look great. Fog lights integrated into the bumper





Wheelcaps from the Fiesta . 175 profile tyres on 14" steel wheels.




An artist's impression of the interiors



Please note that this report was actually compiled on 24th September 2009. However, in order to position the event report + pictures at the start of the thread, an older (dummy) post of mine was suitably edited, and all posts from the older Figo thread have been moved here. The Ford Figo was spotted being tested by a Team-BHPian way back in 2007. Link to thread (SCOOP !! Ford's new small car for India (with Spy Pics). Update launched now Figo!)

[sidindica]

first video grabs of the car

[sidindica]

the name is FORD FIGO

YouTube - Ford Figo

[grules]

And yes, its called as FIGO
Fusion, Fiesta and now FIGO.. all F series

[kiren]

Figo-The small fusion already launched sid, amit details please.

[sidindica]

video grabs of the car

[McLaren Rulez]

Nice looks. Hopefully it looks good in the flesh too unlike the Polo.

[grules]

Here are the pics







Facebook fanpage
Ford Figo | Facebook

[kiren]

The car looks very good. Hope the specs and the pricing is also good.

[Jebs]

The BEST looking car than i20. Hope pricing also looks the same.

[rajivn]

Looks good. Pretty neat and sleek. Looks better than the Maruti cars. I think Figo looks are bettered only by Punto and i20. Engine specs please. I guess 1.4Tdci shud be one offering. The petrol one.. ?

[Matt]

waaw looks cool. Hope it looks same in real too. The tailgate has some similarity with that of Fusion, but this one looks much better.

[deepakhon]

Looks pretty neat. Engine options and price...

[StarScream]

FORD’S GLOBAL CEO REVEALS NEW FORD FIGO
TARGETING INDIA MARKET AND EXPORT SALES


• Ford Motor Company President and CEO Alan Mulally today revealed the much-anticipated new car to be produced in India. Called the new 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 underscores the strategic importance of India in Ford’s future plans. He stated the new Ford Figo is designed and engineered to compete in the heart of the domestic India car market.

• The new Ford Figo will be manufactured at Ford’s expanded integrated manufacturing facility near Chennai, which is undergoing a $500 million transformation to become a regional centre of excellence for Ford small car production.

• The importance of Ford Figo extends beyond India’s borders. Ford’s investment in its Chennai plant gears it for eco-friendly volume production and positions Ford India to become a major export producer.



DELHI, India, Sept. 23, 2009 – India’s role as an important player in the future of Ford Motor Company’s international strategy was underscored today when the company’s President and CEO, Alan Mulally, unveiled an all-new car targeting the heart of the Indian car market – the new Ford Figo.

The Ford Figo, a new nameplate and a fresh face on the Indian market, signals Ford’s intention to compete in India’s largest and most important small car market segment.

Ford Figo is the result of a significant Ford investment commitment to expand its plant near Chennai for volume production as a small-car centre of excellence regionally. Ford’s $500 million investment has doubled the plant’s production capacity to 200,000 units per year and introduces major advances in high-quality automation and innovative, eco-friendly production techniques.

“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.”

Ford Figo is designed and engineered to compete in India’s small car segment, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the new vehicle market. It leverages Ford’s small-car platform architecture, sharing underlying technology with the Ford Fiesta, already familiar to Indian drivers.

New Shape, Solid Foundation
Today’s press conference in Delhi was the first public preview of the exterior design of the new Ford Figo. Ford is reserving further details about the vehicle until closer to its production launch early in 2010.

Design-conscious Italy inspired the new Ford Figo’s name. Figo is colloquial Italian for “cool.”

Sharing key elements of Ford’s kinetic design language with vehicles like the globally renowned Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo and the Ford Fiesta, Ford Figo features a fresh, contemporary shape that will be a distinctive alternative to traditional brands in this segment. The design language conveys a dynamic spirit of energy in motion.
Quality, substance and generous proportions are clearly evident in the design of the new Ford Figo, which features a solid stance, an invitingly large interior and a vibrant, youthful character. Its package is right-sized for the market, which is predominated by congested urban driving conditions.

From its modern headlamps, grille shapes and sculpted bonnet of its distinctive face to the subtle integrated spoiler and chamfered window shape at the rear, Ford Figo is filled with kinetic design touches. These also include sculpted shapes to the body side – chiseled front fenders, a “comet tail” undercut in the doors and additional light-catching sculpting in the lower bodyside – which combine to communicate the solidity, substance and protective safety of its design.

The bold graphic of Ford Figo’s large side window shape is another key kinetic design feature hinting at the comfort and spaciousness awaiting occupants’ front and rear. The side window graphic is executed with a blacked-out B-pillar, an elegant design touch that unifies the side windows into one shape visually.

With its wheels positioned at the four corners of the vehicle with minimal overhang, Ford Figo’s bold wheel arches self-assuredly signal its agility and solidity.

“We’re confident that the new Ford Figo will be extremely attractive to Indian car buyers,” said Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India. “It’s going to be very competitive with the current market leaders and offer a tremendous value story for our consumers. We believe Ford Figo is a big game-changer for Ford that will help transform our brand into a volume player in India.”

New Ford Regional Production Centre
The introduction of the new Ford Figo marks a significant shift for India’s role in Ford’s strategy. Transformed with a production capacity of 200,000 units, the integrated Chennai manufacturing facility is now positioned as a Ford regional centre of excellence for small-car engineering and production. .

Ford Figo models will be produced at the plant for export to international markets. The plant is also being groomed to produce diesel and petrol engines for local vehicle production and export within Ford’s Asia Pacific and Africa region.

With more automation and high-tech new facilities, the new site reflects the latest Ford manufacturing processes globally and pioneers new technologies for Ford and India. Created with a “best of the best” approach, it has been benchmarked against other competitive facilities globally, as well as the current volume manufacturers in the Indian market, for quality and production efficiency.

The transformed plant introduces eco-friendly production techniques like its new Three-Wet High-Solids paint process. This approach produces beautifully painted vehicles with three wet coats – primer, base coat and clear coat – of high solids-content paint applied one after the other without oven curing between coats. A first for India, it produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions and reduces volatile organic compounds emissions by about 20 percent compared to current medium-solids solvent-borne paints. Use of high-solids content results in a paint finish with high levels of gloss and depth of colour which is more resistant to scratches and stone chips.

[frankmehta]

OMG OMG OMG! I love it!