[fuelinmyveins]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

Fuelinmyveins, You have been given a handwritten assurance which was given to most of us as well. However, the committed date came and went and even a few months after the committed date there was no firm commitment as to how much longer Ford will take to deliver the car.

I hope that you do get the car as committed. However, if you do not, it will be sheer waste of your time not to mention tying up of your funds for the waiting period.

I totally agree with you.
Actually my other preferences were face lifted Ford Fiesta or face lifted Volkswagen Vento TSI. As the launch of both the cars was atleast three to four months away so I booked Ecosport. If Ford doesn't deliver my Ecosport as promised then I will cancel the booking and go for any one of the above.

[ToyotaFan]

Originally Posted by fuelinmyveins

Note: If any one in Delhi is facing any problems in booking their Ecosport , they can PM me and I will message the details of sales representative who booked my car and m sure he will help you out.

The waiting times are certainly a bit too much. I booked my TDCI TITANIUM on 22nd July 2013 with a promise of getting the car delivered before the end of the year. I also had in writing a waiting period of 5 months. Till today I have not got the car. I have gone to riddhi ford a couple of times and every time my SA says I will see the allotment and call you back still waiting for his call. 9 months have passed. I can't imagine how can ford expect everyone to wait this long.

[fuelinmyveins]

Originally Posted by ToyotaFan

The waiting times are certainly a bit too much. I booked my TDCI TITANIUM on 22nd July 2013 with a promise of getting the car delivered before the end of the year. I also had in writing a waiting period of 5 months. Till today I have not got the car. I have gone to riddhi ford a couple of times and every time my SA says I will see the allotment and call you back still waiting for his call. 9 months have passed. I can't imagine how can ford expect everyone to wait this long.

Hmm sad to hear that. My cousin booked his car at ridhi ford and he was promised that the car would be delivered in around 2.5 months. His friend works in bajaj capital who directed him to that perticular sales rep. over there.

I think some thing is fishy. I'm getting a feeling that those with contacts are getting their
cars earlier and salesmen are playing foul with bookings. I have also read some posts on this forum claiming that people were promised earlier delivery if they bought accessories worth Rs.1 lakh.

[nim_peter]

Intead of launching the New Fiesta, they should have launched the Mondeo around the 11-12L bracket. I rented a Mondeo 2.0 in UK once and I've never driven such a diesel car before. It was petrol like, super fast and returned a good mileage. Really enjoyed the 1000 odd miles. Mondeo can really give Cruze, Lauras, Jettas a good competition.

[djay99]

Originally Posted by fuelinmyveins

I think some thing is fishy. I'm getting a feeling that those with contacts are getting their
cars earlier and salesmen are playing foul with bookings. I have also read some posts on this forum claiming that people were promised earlier delivery if they bought accessories worth Rs.1 lakh.

I was interested in buying Ecosport AT 8 months back when i was in india and was offered one immediately if i pay an additional 1.5 Lakhs

Dealers are making good money this way. Even a Maruti dealer in bangalore offered me an immediate delivery of Swift VDI ABS if i pay extra 40K. This was like in 2008. I eventually bought a Getz Crdi.

Ecosport is a good car but now its overpriced IMO.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Has anyone read "American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to save Ford"?

Oh man, thanks for that recommendation. That's a gripping book, and I'm just a third of the way through!

[kiku007]

It's all about placing your bets on the fastest horse right?

Look at what Ford has in store for China,
http://www.businesswire.com/news/hom...e#.U2OEyvmSzkU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY_b1iktYYo

With the kind of volumes and growth China has, no wonder it's high on priority.

[RavenAvi]

Ford will make India it's export hub, according to outgoing Ford CEO Alan Mulally.

From it's two manufacturing Indian centers, one in Gujarat and the other near Chennai, Ford's steadily-growing exports to over 50 countries over the years have slowly wiped off almost all of their debts since 2006, when the company had reported a loss of almost $17 billion.

"It is because our (Ford India) operations are great, our quality is great and our efficiency is great. It's just that the location of India is great for us (to look for exports)," Mulally, who is set to retire from the company after eight years of service later this month, told reporters.

Asked whether Ford India met his expectations, he said: "Remember Ford was in trouble in September eight years ago. We had the worst report in 2006. I remind you there was $17 billion loss to the company. If you are in business, you are going to have brackets around your numbers (net losses). We grew decisively. Not only we survived but are also prospering now.

"As soon as we attained profitability, we turned our attention to Asia Pacific. Our investments have been tremendous in India and China. These are the fastest growing markets in the world," Mulally said.

On what difference he made in the company during his eight-year stint, he said the focus was on seven aspects, including making Ford serve all markets worldwide.

"Number two, we focused on the Ford brand. Third reason was our commitment to customers; fourth was on delivering better quality and fuel efficient vehicles; fifth to operate as one global company; sixth to always produce to the demand; seventh is financing plan... we have restructured our business and now have repaid all of $23.5 billion."

SOURCE (and complete details) - http://businesstoday.intoday.in/stor.../1/207188.html

[HYDRAVI]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Ford will make India it's export hub, according to outgoing Ford CEO Alan Mulally.

From it's two manufacturing Indian centers, one in Gujarat and the other near Chennai, Ford's steadily-growing exports to over 50 countries over the years have slowly wiped off almost all of their debts since 2006, when the company had reported a loss of almost $17 billion.



SOURCE (and complete details) - http://businesstoday.intoday.in/stor.../1/207188.html

Good pep talk probably to employees and investors. Since serving all the markets worldwide is his first focus point as per his speech, probably they could not meet the demand fully in India especially ecosport. Let us hope that the macro objectives are translated into sales numbers ultimately in India to have a steady market share. thanks for bringing the article to the forum.

[S2!!!]

Today, Ford India inaugurated its fourth parts distribution centre in India. After Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, now Kolkata gets a new regional parts warehouse, which is expected to enable faster distribution of spare parts.

The new 3,200 sq.m warehouse will enable a better turnaround time in delivery of parts and accessories to dealerships in eastern and north regions of India. The east zone is a rapidly growing market for Ford India and this new centre will serve 28 dealer locations in this region.

This strategic position of the parts distribution centre will not only minimize the lag between parts delivery but also ensure optimum inventory at dealership points, thus improving their customer service experience.


Link to news article

[RavenAvi]

Nigel Harris, president and MD of Ford India, promises that Ford will "never be a one-car company again" in the Indian market in the future.

Speaking to AutoCarPro, he also announced that the Figo hatchback will be coming before Diwali, detailed strategies to meet the Aspire sedan's future demand, and said that exports to 8 countries will start from Ford's Sanand plant from this week onwards.

"I defy anybody to drive the Figo Aspire and then say it is not 15-20 percent better in driving. It is actually a better car and you have to look at its technical specifications to understand. The Figo Aspire’s sales will depend on demand but again Ford’s new car is pitched in the heart of the market. The new-generation Figo will be coming before Diwali and is going to be stunning. The Endeavour SUV will come early next year.

India is not growing at the rate we think it should grow but having said that, India will be the third largest automotive market globally. Clearly, we need to get a stronger foothold in the market.

When you come into India and fight for market share, it is very difficult. Different things happened with Ford globally that put us back. However, what we are doing now is setting up a domestic market and dovetailing into a very strong export programme that really drives us. That means we can get the products that are right for India and can position it at the right price.

The compact EcoSport SUV has been going strong with sales of 4,000 units per month. We have not spent any discount money on it since its launch over two years ago now. Now when demand is not so robust, it brings supply down as well. So we eventually allowed it to come down to match supply to demand. From this month onwards, you will see substantial growth.

Everyone talks about Ford being one car company. The EcoSport was the first of the ‘One Ford Plan’ product while the existing Figo was developed just for India as was the Fiesta Classic was done just for India, so it is really hard to sustain a vehicle just for India. The Aspire, new Figo, Endeavour and EcoSport are global cars with global styles for India and for exports. So Ford India will never be a one-car company again.

It depends on which models you are selling in India; a model like the Figo Aspire needs high volumes to get economies of scale. Between the new Figo and the Aspire, the production capacity for domestic and exports is 240,000 units at Sanand and probably that is the scale to get the right piece price to drive the cost. For a product like the Endeavour, which is a more expensive vehicle, there is more margin sometimes so the scale is a bit different. The Aspire is a new car involving high investments so it will take some time to pay back.

Exports start this week to 8 countries so it will be pretty exciting. But the first part of the focus is India which is very important. The Ford Figo hatch in South America is doing sensationally well and is the same car that we will launch in a couple of months here. So I anticipate the export demand to be strong as well for it.

We are running 50 jobs per hour at Sanand and will be two shifts by the end of the year that can be further ramped up to three shifts, so it is pretty flexible in terms of what we can do. Initially we take more in exports of the Aspire and as we build through to the middle of next year it will be 50:50 but it will be skewed towards our customers."

AutoCarPro

[RavenAvi]

Ford India has inaugurated 4 new facilities in the Delhi National Capital Region.

The 2 new showrooms are located at Gurgaon in Sector 15, Chandan Nagar and Subhash Chowk, Sohna Road, while 2 new service centers have opened at Gurgaon-placed Tanish Ford's outlets at Wazirabad and Sector 37.

Also, Ford has expanded it's distribution of genuine spare parts in the Maharashtra & Goa region by appointing Autoji Ford Parts in Chinchwad, Pune.

The showrooms will display all the latest generation products like the new Figo hatchback, the Figo Aspire sedan, the EcoSport and the soon to be launched new Endeavour that is due for launch early next year.

The new service facilities of Tanish Ford on the other hand located in Wazirabad and Sector 37 will ensure all Ford customers receive world class after sales service. Tanish Ford will be offering a new service to the customers called as ‘Happy Pocket Service’ that will cost only Rs. 2,199/- for a scheduled service and will offer incredible value for money to the customer. The company will also be offerings its usual service facilities via Tanish Ford like pan-India Roadside Assistance, 90-minute quick service bay, Quick lane and mobile service vans.

ICB

[RavenAvi]

Ford India is expected to make a “significant and exciting global announcement, representing a major stride in our commitment to India, innovation, and One Ford” tomorrow, i.e., November 8th.

This was conveyed by William Clay Ford (Jr), executive chairman, Ford Motor Company, who will be present along with senior members of Ford’s leadership team in Chennai during the major announcement, which is said to take a fresh look at Ford's business plans and strategies in India for the future.

This will be radically different than the "One Ford" program adopted by Ford in the past - as they have announced that they will be pursuing the development of region-specific models from now on.

A clue to Ford’s realignment about its India operations lies in the presentation made at the Ford Investor Day in Dearborn on September 15, 2016. Among other highlights, the presentation said, “Ford is taking a new look at how to lead in select emerging markets. The company sees Russia and South America positioned for recovery, ASEAN remaining profitable and a path to profitable growth in Middle East and Africa. As it pushes for a path to profitability in all emerging markets, Ford is re-evaluating its strategy and business model for India.”

The ‘One Ford’ policy, under which the same basic models are sold in all regions around the world, “has peaked,” according to the company’s global design chief, Moray Callum. While the policy isn't being abandoned, future models will be tailored to suit the region they will be sold in.

Autocar Professional

[tortoise]

Ford exported more cars than they manufactured. If I have to bet on what the announcement will be, my money will be on manufacturing, efficiency or licensing rather than about Ford bringing in a new model or developing India specific models

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Ford India is expected to make a “significant and exciting global announcement, representing a major stride in our commitment to India, innovation, and One Ford” tomorrow, i.e., November 8th.

Chennai to be innovation and development hotbed for Ford globally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8x_kUDuHuQ

Ford Motor Co today announced plans to set up a state-of-the-art Global Technology and Business Centre in Chennai. The facility will serve as a hub for product development, mobility solutions and business services for India and other markets around the world

Expected to be completed by early 2019 (first phase), the Ford Global Technology and Business Centre in Chennai will become the automaker’s third global product development centre in Asia Pacific and part of Ford’s global product development network. The facility will employ Indian engineers, scientists and skilled workers. It will also house a wide range of laboratories and testing facilities for both full vehicles and components, enabling Ford to conduct extensive testing of future vehicles in India

Source