[rambo1o1]

Originally Posted by 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.

Where will the ecosport fit in all of this?? isn't the ecosport the SUVed version of the fiesta hatch?? same platform,same space, similar interiors,engine.I feel Ford should launch the ecosport at a price range of 6.0 to 7.5 lakhs initially and slowly increase the price to accommodate the next gen fiesta which should be ready by 2015??

I don't think the ecosport will survive being priced close to 9 lakhs just to make room for the fiesta hatch. If Ford does intend to launch the hatch before the year ends what will be the standard choice of the petrol engine?? The 1.5 will exceed the duty limit,1 liter ecoboost ?? or most probably the 1.2 from the figo, which gives poor mileage and performance!


Lets wait and watch and see how Ford positions the ecosport to get any idea of the future of the fiesta hatch.

[rjalihal]

I feel that the New Fiesta's look did not appeal to a majority of the Indians. It is a bit too dodgy for our tastes. A price cut may not be enough to spur up the numbers. I say they need to advertise the car more. I mean, when was the last time we saw a Fiesta ad on TV?

Cheers!
Rohan

[deetjohn]

I am eagerly waiting for the new Fiesta hatch. But it looks it will be very late to the party as the EcoSport is not out yet. And I think both the hatch and sedan can coexist together. Ford should bring out the face lifted models at a competitive price. The EcoSport will result in huge footfalls and better economies of scale and it is a tremendous opportunity for Ford.

Is the new Fiesta available now? I heard its been temporarily put on hold now. No idea on the credibility of the information though. Eagerly waiting for the monthly sales figures.

[sandeepmohan]

This view is highly subjective. When I was in the market for a new car, I was looking at another Ford as my ride was a Ikon. When I checked out the Fiesta, apart from the toys in it, every single fitting in it felt cheap and very poor in quality. The less said the better about the accommodation at the rear. There was no space inside it. From an Ikon, it felt like I was getting into a smaller car. When I took the wheel of the Fiesta, what hit me the most was the lack of power. Paper power and "felt" power were at two extremes. It was just dead compared to my Ikon. Why on earth would I pay 11lac plus (2011) for a petrol Fiesta that does not move, has a cramped interior and low rent plastics. I have to hand it to Ford for that spot on driving position which is leagues ahead of my existing car and maybe some of the toys on board.

Ford should launch the hatch back but there are a lot of things they need to sort out if it has to be a success. For a start, get a good diesel engine into the car and make the interior look and feel top rate.

[srvshaun]

IMHO - Fiesta hatch (with Ecoboost) engine and a 4.99+ launch price for base petrol (I am looking at Amaze I know) and 5.99 for a frugal diesel makes a lot of sense.

I would never think of Polo 1.2 TSI / Swift Diesel for a hot hatch - given the looks, ride and handling the international/European Fiesta Hatch offers. I am sure, it may take time but there would be a lot of others joining me. It is such a good package it nearly destroys every premium match in India (Yes, I am looking at you i20).

[Balaji31582]

Originally Posted by vb-san

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

I am not indicating about the setup. But I am trying to talk about the trim level used. Trim level in sense the quality of material. Atleast to me, I don't see a huge difference between the interior trim used for a figo to classic to fiesta. The design of fiesta is spectacular (at least I like it personally) from externals, but with respect to the interior cabin, I felt the trim levels are not so of a different quality compared to the hatchback. For the fiesta sedan, I felt the interior spacing is less at the rear with a not so practical boot. Just to compensate this, they can provide dual trims of customer's choice, probably first in the segment (please correct me if i am wrong). With respect to interior feel, Just differentiating with the dashboard arrangement is not enough to shell out more than 10L in that segment, is my humble opinion, I can rather spend half of it to go for a mid version Figo.

[shazikon]

I have driven the fiesta and its a better handling and well planted car than any car in the segment. Its build quality is way better than Verna. Its a lovely drivers car. I think Ford lost the race with the choice of engines they put together in this segment and the priced it a little high. The diesel has a noticeable turbo lag and the Petrol is not as peppy to drive as the older fiesta. But it can handle and go around corners like a go-kart. How I wish the current car had more torque at lower rpm and more BHP . I would like to see the new fiesta sedan with the facelift with more useable power and also a hot hatch along side.

[ku69rd]

Will still be a good option to get the hatch back and place it at a slightly lesser price compared to the Ford Ecosports. Remember Maruti has Swift to cater to the premium end of its customers and Ritz to cater to Value for money conscious customers.
But they would have to ensure that the price is matched accordingly and if it means discontinuing the Figo Titanium if it eats into the entry level of Fiesta Hatchback then so be it. They have room for it though.

[Arch-Angel]

Ford can probably take figo for a few more iterations and i think the fiesta hatch should be brought into the market priced at a slightly higher price than figo commanded and then, i think the hatch would make sense. Seeing the fiesta languish in the market is a pain considering it is quite a cute car. Ford did the right thing by launching ecosport albeit a little late. So a smart strategy would be to move from strength to strength. Compact SUV market is still open which is where i feel ford will capitalize.

[bhavtol]

May be i am a bit confused. Will some one please help with the no of cars sold by ford under the Ford - Classic Brand (the original fiesta).

[sansvk]

Originally Posted by ampere

And the worst part is they have all the elements in their arsenal.

- Killer engine line ups (Petrol/Turbo Charged Petrol/Fuel Efficient Diesel)
- Killer Suspension
- Killer Handling capabilities

Add to that excellent NVH on the New Fiesta, light Clutch and one of the better OE Audio system.

I would take a sedan with these features on any given day if its reasonably priced. Wonder if anyone from Ford is reading this thread.

[AshOnTheRocks]

This is an interesting topic for discussion and something I would like to add my two bit. First of all, as a New Fiesta (Petrol) owner for about a year and having driven the car both in city and highways, I have to say its out and out drivers car and as long as rear seat is not put to use much there is no issue. I have to say I have not regretted the decision to buy New Fiesta even if I see very few New Fiestas on road.While I would liked more power/torque in the petrol version apart from quality inside door handles.

Points mentioned by @GTO, Ampere, vb-san & sansvk on this thread are bang on and I concur with their views. The design language, build quality, driving dynamics, road cornering, high speed stability, breaking, NVH levels and excellent OE audio puts this car in a different class altogether.

In my opinion Fiesta in compact sedan category should continue with the following iterations: competitive pricing by increased localisation content (espcially after EcoSport localisation drive), increased power/torque equation & a facelift (front/rear) & better interior trim options with better rear space/seat management. Secondly, Fiesta should get decent marketing/advertising coverage with its key, aspirational attributes being focussed. If Fiesta gets the aspirational tag and market catches the same given that Fiesta had lot of things going well otherwise as mentionedgets going, it will give Ford a much needed shot in the arm. IMO ,cross purchase between premium hatch and compact sedan category and vice versa is common.The Indian car buyer if given a choice between a well specced compact sedan and premium hatch will go for well specced sedan, given the facination with sedan version. I doubt very much with Figo & Eco Sport around the corner, Ford's ability to launch Fiesta hatch in India. I doubt there will be many takers. The best bet for Ford would be relaunch the sedan with the above mentioned iterations and price and market it well. Apart from other customers, Ford will be able to tap previous Figo/Fieta Classic buyer's who are ready to upgrade; and those who could not/have not gone in for EcoSport.

[ACM]

The Ford Fiesta has outpriced itself from the market. The Hatch would not be sufficently cheaper vs the sedan. They need to reprice and reposition the sedan too while launching the hatch as well.

The i20 is an exception and it's sales success should not been taken as a given. Post Eco Sport Launch they should relaunch the sedan and also get in the hatch. But pricing will be key and they need to just better the i20.

[W.A.G.7]

I feel that Ford should get the pricing strategy right with their cars. They never seem to get any price correct initially and keep on launching countless special editions. The new Ford Fiesta never got a right chance to compete in the market due to the high price. And for us enthusiasts, we tend to look at finer points, but majority of the people are not interested in handling, refinement, other such technical aspects. They are mainly interested in the looks, and also majorly interested in the fuel efficiency. So, even though the car is technically very good and competent, I think the other aspects were hit or miss, which may also have contributed to its downfall.

Since the car is almost as good as dead, why not kill it, and bring on a new sedan instead of a hatchback, which is much more sensibly priced?

[linuxmanju]

Guys what about Fiesta classic?. It is a true driver's car in comparison to Dzire and Amaze, we all know that fiesta classic is the best handler this side of 10 lac and on top of it, it is a full sized sedan.

The only thing that is missing from the package is a good engine to justify it's wonderful chassis. My suggestion is ford should fit that Ecoboost engine on to Fiesta classic and price it around Amaze/Dzire territory. Tell me guys would you not buy it?.

In my opinion Ford should do that and discontinue all new Fiesta sedan.