[CARDEEP]

Thank you @damager21 for bringing up this thread.

IMO opinion, ford should learn the pricing game for Indian products. Barring the Figo, all their current cars have lost over time because of absurd pricing.

... & launching the Fiesta hatch wont help much, & in fact, would mean even lower sales, because Indian's just love sedans. Why would under 4 m sedans thrive over hatches of similar length? If we (general public... not enthusiasts) get a chance to buy a sedan for the price of hatch we all rush to buy the sedan instead & this is the reason why cars like Indigo CS, DZire CS & Amaze have survived & thrived.

On the contrary, if a hatch is launched in the price range of sedans, it is bound to be a failure in market.

Ford should concentrate on strengthening it position in India with Ecosport & also launch the Figo Sedan in Rs5-5.5 lacs starting price range & it should bring good numbers to them.

Additionally, they should also introduce the 1L EcoBoost engine in Figo, as it would mean better economy & perormance for the Figo Petrol.

[damager21]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

If Ford can price the Fiesta at i20 levels, then it will sell. Look at the success of i20. Who would have thought that a hatch costing 9L OTR could become such a big hit! Most i20s I see on the road here in Bangalore are Asta CRDi.

I think its not just about pricing, India is all about Value for money. If people see value they will definitely pay. If price was everything, possibly Vista would have out sold Swift.

Like most of you have mentioned, Fiesta looks great but looses out to the likes of City and Verna on many scores and add to that a higher price tag which has resulted in low sale.

I think its also about intent, look at EcoSport. Ford is working hard to localize it as much as possible to ensure it gets everything right including the price. In case of Fiesta sedan Ford just failed to do that.

Like blue_pulsar rightly mentioned, people are buying i20 even at 9 lacs which is quite comparable to mid variant of C2 sedan segment. No reason why Fiesta hatch should not sell if the offering is right.

[sansvk]

At some point in time, Ford will need a sedan in their line-up to compete with the City, Vento and Verna's. The Ford classic is now truly a classic when compared to the rest.
The main problem with the Fiesta was its high pricing, and we know that the interiors, engines and many other parts that are shared between the Ecosport and Fiesta. Seeing the kind of localization being done on the Ford Ecopsort, I foresee Ford relaunching the Fiesta sedan in a year's time with competitive pricing.

[vb-saan]

Actually more than pricing, they need to do something on the brand Fiesta. Some heavy marketing with the facelifted model may possibly help in the revival. It’s quite hard to shake-off the negative image garnered with unimaginative pricing + not so attractive interior packaging, especially in the rear.

Infact, the pricing now I believe is quite on par with the competition. It was pricey at launch, but now most of the competition has hiked the prices in past one year or so. When I checked the on-road prices in Kerala (all top variants), the Verna is the most expensive in the diesel and petrol MT space, and in the Petrol AT comparison the Honda City tops the pricing.

[avira_tk]

I think Ford will be making a big mistake if they discontinue the Fiesta sedan and launch the hatch, the sedan form is probably the only thing in its favour in public perception. The car has a lot of things right and there were discounts available early on, feature wise the T+ is right up there. Ford makes global models today, so changes for the Indian market, which accounts for a negligible share of the Fiesta sales is simply not worth their while.

The car has a lot going for it, cruise control, awesome space in the foot well - makes a big difference on long drives, steering with the right amount of feedback and ease at parking speeds. The mileage of around 17 with AC in town and near 20 on the highway(speeds around 120) is good for the segment and a step up from old Fiesta.

Launching a hatch will mean two flops for Ford, and getting people to check out this car will be an uphill task, how many people buy top end hatches anyway, the bestselling models are always ones without safety or convenience features.

[agambhandari]

The Figo's trumpcard is the Space and the VFM it offers.

The Fiesta hatch has none of those and frankly, nobody outside this forum gives a heck for "Ride and Handling". It could be another Hyundai vs Ford battle where Hyundai comes out triumphant(just like Verna vs Fiesta).

If they really want to make money off the Fiesta, they should utilise the localisation done with the EcoSport and Relaunch the Fiesta Sedan with a Facelift and better prices.
Also, they mostly advertise about the Petrol AT PowerShift. As advanced it may be, if a Person is thinking about buying a Petrol AT, he would have enough means to research all the AT options available.

They should publicise the Diesel and its great FE.

A lot of you may hate me for giving the following suggestion, but here it goes:
Offer Beige interiors!! The Fiesta is already cramped in space and the All black interiors though look sporty, add to the gloominess of the Interiors.

[sbala]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

If Ford can price the Fiesta at i20 levels, then it will sell. Look at the success of i20. Who would have thought that a hatch costing 9L OTR could become such a big hit! Most i20s I see on the road here in Bangalore are Asta CRDi.

There is one more angle to it. Nowadays, a decent C2 sedan base model starts from 8.5 Lakhs. This was not the case before 5 years. For 8 lakhs, we were getting a mid trim of a sedan. Car prices have gone up at much higher rate than average income of a person. So, one will have to get satisfied with a premium hatch for a budget of 8-9 Lakhs, if his budget can't be extended by few.more Lakhs.

[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by damager21

I think its not just about pricing, India is all about Value for money. If people see value they will definitely pay. If price was everything, possibly Vista would have out sold Swift.

I agree to a large extent. But there are still the youngsters, who would pay a huge premium for the sex appeal.

The new hatch should become the hottest hatch, if released in India. (Punto has been here for a while now, without major changes). This along with a reasonable pricing, coupled with the ecoboost engine options, they sure have a winner.

Swift sells, not because it is a Maruti alone, but also because of the appeal with the design. Look what happened to the Sail.

The Fiesta also does not have the space that a sedan class car should have. This ought to be a hatch, with a lot of oomph.

For now, we have a ugly booted sedan mimic which is going nowhere.

[GTO]

There are actually two things that killed the new Fiesta:

1. Launch pricing (eventually corrected a bit, but the market didn't care anymore).

2. The Hyundai Verna. Leave aside the Fiesta, even the Vento, Rapid etc. suffered after the market's fascination with fluidic sedans.

I don't think they should discontinue the Fiesta sedan. Launch the facelift at a killer pricing. But yes, bring the Fiesta hatchback too (both can co-exist happily).

For now though, it'll be too much of a distraction. Ford's taken its own sweet time with the EcoSport, and its launch is just around the corner. A well positioned EcoSport has far more potential than a Fiesta hatchback does. Remember, there is fierce competition among premium hatchbacks, but you can count compact SUVs on your fingertips!

[Eminenttismo]

By the time Ford does their homework and launch the Hatch here, the next gen Fiesta Hatch will be just around the corner.

Is it only me?! I feel Ford and GM to have very short term strategies unlike Maruti and Hyundai. See the example of Sail, they hoped high got doomed and they have nothing beyond Enjoy next. Pity on such giants.

[Balaji31582]

I think both should co-exist. But what I am disappointed with Ford is that, they have the similar interiors for a mid segment hatch like figo and a sedan like fiesta. They should know to differentiate like maruti. The interiors of Swift and Swift Dzire are not the same!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Balaji31582

I think both should co-exist. But what I am disappointed with Ford is that, they have the similar interiors for a mid segment hatch like figo and a sedan like fiesta. They should know to differentiate like maruti. The interiors of Swift and Swift Dzire are not the same!

Sorry, can you explain a bit more? I would like to know where exactly is the similarity.

[girishglg]

One of the main reasons Ford should do away with the sedan is that no matter what they do it will still remain cramped and not VFM at all. Instead launching the super looking hatch will get more sales ticking. Must do for that-
1. Get it at the price range of Punto and i20 and nothing more to draw those near 10k customers to have a look at them and even a quarter of them sold on it means decent numbers.
2. Probably have a new name for the hatch in our market since Fiesta brand is either old or a flop. Think Indica/ Indigo.and what it did to Vista/ Manza

[Coolman]

With a cramped rear and the price tag of the Fiesta, Ford has has suffered enough. And the hatchback, if based on the same platform will not be able to reap rich benefits.

They'd rather benefit by launching a major revamp of the Classic or a redesigned Fiesta (and not just a mere facelift) with more rear room and an attractive price tag.

Thanks,
C_

[vineethvazhayil]

50-50 on the poll results is surprising to me! I think Ford should have both in the market. The hatchback at price point just above the Figo and the Sedan competitively priced with the rest of the segment. That way they will cover a wider swath of people. However the tight rear bench and cargo area on the Fiesta and the below par interior quality is its pitfall. Irrespective of what they do, I don't see them moving a whole lot of cars.