[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by karthick_b

OT, I would have really liked Ford to have named the Aspire as 'Ford Ikon'.

My heart totally agrees to this. A beautiful thought, even I would love it if I could see the Ikon brand relived. That car holds terrific value in my heart. But, on the other hand, to have the Ikon name, the new car has to stand up and prove the point. The Ikon is known for fantastic driving dynamics with a stonker of an engine in the 1.6L Rocam. Even the 1.3L was good.

Originally Posted by 1100D

most people associate the brand to be non fuel efficient and high on maintenance costs, though the perception could be different from reality.

This is what my mind says! The common man doesn't know a thing about what a great car the Ikon was. They still associate it with higher maintenance costs and low fuel economy, hence the new name with "Figo" prefix for the very same reason.

[RavenAvi]

The first Ford Figo Aspire car has rolled out from Ford's Sanand plant in Gujarat.

Scheduled to start its sales innings in the Indian auto market from July 2015 onwards, the Figo Aspire will be coming with several unique safety and comfort features.

Site Plant Manager, Kel Kearns, too was ecstatic with the success. “It is fantastic to produce an exciting new product for customers in India and our export markets,” said Kel Kearns, Site Plant Manager, Ford Sanand Plant. This is going to be yet another game changer for Ford. Figo Aspire has been built to meet Ford’s high global standards of design, quality and performance, and is a true demonstration of the One Ford Plan."

“This Job 1 is a dream come true for the entire Sanand Team. Together we have been able to roll out a great product from a whole new site thanks to the passionate team,” said Anand Misra, Area Manager, Plant Launch.

Echoing a similar sentiment, Dhiraj Dixit, Assistant Plant Manager, said, “Job 1 starts a new journey for the Ford Team at Sanand… it is exciting to see how both product and people have become synonymous with quality. The team at Sanand is now waiting to see the product conquer the Indian roads.”

OnCars

[MetalBuff]

What's with the sudden death of buzz around the Aspire? The Jazz and S-cross seem to be lapping it all! IMHO, Ford should not have let the initial wave which they had successfully created settle.

Any information about the variant specifications? Dealers don't know a thing about when the sales will commence from so, not sure where things are headed towards.

Cheerio,
-Shivang Gandotra

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by MetalBuff

What's with the sudden death of buzz around the Aspire? The Jazz and S-cross seem to be lapping it all! IMHO, Ford should not have let the initial wave which they had successfully created settle.

Any information about the variant specifications? Dealers don't know a thing about when the sales will commence from so, not sure where things are headed towards.

Cheerio,
-Shivang Gandotra

Yes Shivang, looks like the Ford Aspire peaked too early. They did a big mistake by doing the public display long before the media drive and official launch and being so silent now.

IMO, the order should be

Start teasing in the website and create the buzz slowly (2 months before launch) -> Media Drive (1.5 month before launch) -> Launch teasers and begin Public Display (1 month before launch) ->Continue this for one month leading to the launch to keep the public interested and media buzzing -> Official launch with pricing and complete variant list and start delivery withing 2 weeks.

Why I say Media Drive before public display is - if public display is done before media drive people will already know the features and engines on offer - media drive will be looked forward at only for ride and handling behavior.

In this order, they will make sure the buzz never dies down right from the day they start teasing till the launch. Also some or the other mags will come out with leaks and spy shots in between to keep up the buzz.

Now with Ford displaying the car to public, spy shots or leaks will make no sense. So the hype built has already died down sadly for Ford.

[swiftnfurious]

I think it is to do with the product this time. Ecosport was first of its kind & people were awestruck. It had an aura and desirability around. But Aspire is getting into a crowded segment & is one of the last players entering. Naturally there isn't a halo. 90% of the customers wouldn't go ga-ga about the 6 airbags which seem the USP for this car.

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by karthick_b

OT, I would have really liked Ford to have named the Aspire as 'Ford Ikon'. I mean whenever anyone brings up a topic of the Ford Ikon, people would generally have generous opinions of the car. The Ikon still has a snob value and reputation which can easily reach out to people. The Ikon badge can suit this sedan really well. I admired how Hyundai paid a small tribute to the discontinued Accent car (terrific car back in the day) by naming their compact sedan as the Xcent. I feel Ford could have used the Ikon badge here. May be I am wrong, but as a previous owner of the Ikon, this idea just struck me.

As an Ikon owner (last car), my humble submission- Let this monicker rest and preserve the fond memories associated.

Rebranding of iconic(pun intended) brands may eventually do more harm for the company. Take the case of Zen. It was a rocket and branding the still born Estilo a Zen was a catastrophic mistake and Maruti paid very dearly with the discontinuation of the car.

Ikon was a enthusiasts choice but had a no. of negative image perception- High cost of maintenance, very expensive labour bills, Low fuel efficiency and to some extent reliability issues for high mileage cars.

Ford would not want any of this associations with a new launch.
Though, honestly, I dont really value the "Aspire" name too.

BTW, like most of you correctly pointed out, the halo has already diminished and I just feel that the Aspire launch may just go the new "Fiesta" way!!

[raghav135]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I think it is to do with the product this time. Ecosport was first of its kind & people were awestruck. It had an aura and desirability around. But Aspire is getting into a crowded segment & is one of the last players entering. Naturally there isn't a halo. 90% of the customers wouldn't go ga-ga about the 6 airbags which seem the USP for this car.

I am thinking of buying one petrol sedan below 10 lakhs, and was checking the USPs of this car. I would like to add few more to the USPs for this car. Request you to kindly correct me if I am wrong (most of below are only available on petrol automatic variant):
1. Leather upholstery
2. Electronic Stability Program (biggest USP IMHO).
3. Hill Launch Assist
4. Traction Control
5. automatic variant is coming with 1.5L petrol , hence good power (approx 110 bhp) , waiting to see if bhp/tonne is segment best.
6. automatic climate control
7. side and curtain air bags
8. Ford my key (perfect way to set speed limit when giving car to someone).

[puchoo]

I think ford has a competent package on offer with the aspire. I would not call it exceptional but I believe that it is over the half way mark on a scale ranging from weak to strong. How much further the needle moves towards being strong Will depend of course on the final pricing strategy and I hope the rather long mall tour schedule is an indication that they are putting substantial thought into it and not a reflection of problems in production.

Will it see the 7000 a month mark as someone asked ? I doubt it. The point is not to have a couple of months of high numbers but being able to sustain it for say the next 18 months which I doubt. I think something in the range of 2000 - 2500 , if that , might be more realistic. At the very least it should be cutting significantly into the numbers of the likes of the Chevrolet sail sedan and brands at that level. I see this as a far more competent offering than the sail for example outright- subject to pricing.

I think the hill descent might be an overkill of a feature. Maybe should have saved money on that and in turn invested it on something slightly more visible across the trim levels. And I do not mean to imply that it is not a useful feature but simply that it might have been more "missable" in this segment than say better looking alloys or cup holders in the rear seat arm rest.

The dynamics are simply too early to comment on. There is simply speculation and no real hard reviews out yet to shed on how ford has setup the car. Legacy would suggest dynamics will be good but one never knows but at the same time I am sure ford knows that they have a cushion on that front as well to a degree which is that if it is a boat but a good looking feature high boat then suspension would be secondary to many.

Saw the car in person when it was on display in Gurgaon. Caught my attention when I saw the front head on as I walked to the display area. The rear is in my opinion is very un- Aspiring even in this category. Tyres looked small to me or rather that a size bigger might have added a fair amount of incremental appeal to the car visually.

Acc looked like a single din music system to me too At the first glance. Beige boot mat may mean one Will start looking after our luggage and suitcases a bit more perhaps which is not a bad thing either.

[raghav135]

Originally Posted by puchoo

I think the hill descent might be an overkill of a feature. Maybe should have saved money on that and in turn invested it on something slightly more visible across the trim levels. And I do not mean to imply that it is not a useful feature but simply that it might have been more "missable" in this segment than say better looking alloys or cup holders in the rear seat arm rest.

I believe ford gets many goodies like Electronic stability, traction control and hill assist along with the automatic gearbox.

[Bhodrolok]

It's really way ahead of all compeition in the under 10 lakhs category. Some of the features mentioned here dont even come in most of the next segment cars. I hope Ford price it well & it turns out to be a success like the Eco sport. We badly need good cars to sell, not tin foil contraptions.

Originally Posted by raghav135

1. Leather upholstery
2. Electronic Stability Program (biggest USP IMHO).
3. Hill Launch Assist
4. Traction Control
5. automatic variant is coming with 1.5L petrol , hence good power (approx 110 bhp) , waiting to see if bhp/tonne is segment best.
6. automatic climate control
7. side and curtain air bags
8. Ford my key (perfect way to set speed limit when giving car to someone).

[JD1]

Originally Posted by raghav135

I am thinking of buying one petrol sedan below 10 lakhs, and was checking the USPs of this car. I would like to add few more to the USPs for this car. Request you to kindly correct me if I am wrong (most of below are only available on petrol automatic variant):
5. automatic variant is coming with 1.5L petrol , hence good power (approx 110 bhp) , waiting to see if bhp/tonne is segment best.

Is it confirmed that Automatic variant is coming with 1.5L? That would increase the cost as it would move into the higher 24% excise slab.

[ashua]

Has a launch date been confirmed yet? Ford seems to have gone to sleep. With Hyundai and Honda announcing the launch dates of their upcoming products, shouldn't Ford be announcing one as well if the launch is expected in July/early August.

[tjacob]

Originally Posted by JD1

Is it confirmed that Automatic variant is coming with 1.5L? That would increase the cost as it would move into the higher 24% excise slab.

An automatic petrol variant is confirmed but its not clear if its going to be the 1.2 or 1.5 petrol.

I cannot find that picture but a Fiesta, not Aspire, test mule was spotted equipped with automatic transmission. As of now, the Fiesta only comes in diesel variants, there is a good chance Ford might launch a 1.5 liter AT petrol variant.

Other than the picture of the mule, as far as I know, there is no other info on the 1.5 AT. So the rumors might be stemming from the possibility of a launch but not sure if its going to be in the Aspire or the Fiesta.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by ashua

Has a launch date been confirmed yet? Ford seems to have gone to sleep. With Hyundai and Honda announcing the launch dates of their upcoming products, shouldn't Ford be announcing one as well if the launch is expected in July/early August.

Poor Ford. They used this marketing model for the EcoSport, of having a contest, and displaying the EcoSport at various cities to create buzz. And that car was wildly successful. Someone in Ford seems to have thought that it was this marketing model that triggered the EcoSport's success, and are repeating it for the Figo Aspire.

Boy, are they wrong. 2 years ago, there was a lot of frustration and impatience at the information trickling out from Ford about the EcoSport, and impatience over the lenghty interval between teasers and launch, but the excitement about the CUV segment and the baby-SUV looks overrode all that and made the EcoSport a success.

The Figo Aspire enters an existing segment, and while it might be a compelling package it is not a game-changer. And this lethargic marketing approach might just end up falling flat.

[tharian]

This article was in the paper few days back.

Being mid-year already, later in the year I feel would be Diwali time.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...it-indian.html

"Ford India on Saturday said the first of these three products — the Ford Figo Aspire — will hit Indian roads later this year. "