[RavenAvi]

The Ford "B500" sedan will be the new Fiesta globally, and will come with a 1.5L, 3-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine which will be based on the current 1.0L EcoBoost unit, according to a reveal by Autos Segredos. This new EcoBoost unit will replace the Sigma series of petrol engines currently used by Ford.

This engine platform and underpinnings of the "B500" is also expected to spawn a mid-size MPV as well.

Expect concepts based on these 2 new offerings to be unveiled in the coming months, while a full launch is on the cards by 2018.

Autos Segredos

[Mad Max]

The title says it all. By 2018, the world as Ford knows it will have changed in India. And then they will grumble that we are not a good customer base. Anyways, we can only hope they get their act together.

[volkman10]

With ever-changing regulations and customer preferences in the Indian market, companies re-draw their strategies.

Ford stalls its B500 platform

Ford, despite having a hit in the shape of the EcoSport, has dropped the much-talked-about B500 platform it was planning to develop at its upcoming R&D centre on the outskirts of Chennai to supplement the existing car portfolio.

Link

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Ford stalls its B500 platform

One of two things must have happened:

• Ford assessed the response to the Figo and Aspire twins and felt that the B500 was also going to enter an established segment dominated by the City, Verna and now Ciaz (unlike the EcoSport which only had the Duster/Terrano twins to compete against).
• Alternatively, the global HQ might have vetoed the expense associated with developing the B500 platform and decided to either leave that segment alone, or bring in a more global platform (maybe a Fiesta, or maybe something being developed elsewhere).

Ford must realize that it has products in its international portfolio that will not compete against Maruti, and which will appeal to Indians - I'm thinking of their Edge and Kuga. As SUVs, they will appeal to Indians, particularly seeing the response both the EcoSport and Endeavour received. They also have a good car line-up in the Focus and Fusion, but given the Fiesta's failure since 2011, they might be more apprehensive about putting their money behind their higher-end cars.

These will face competition from Hyundai's SUV portfolio (Tucson/Santa Fe) and from the VAG group's planned barrage of SUVs, but Ford can still hold its own ground if they treat the Edge and Kuga similar to how they did the Endeavour (good features, good price), rather than the cut price Figo/Aspire.

[RavenAvi]

Also, the new BS-VI norms are scheduled to kick in shortly after 2018, so it will add an extra burden to the heavy investment behind the R&D and production a mass-market car like the B500 will command.

Won't make sense if the B500 doesn't see stellar sales in the long run, and after the Fiesta's flop run, there won't be any guarantees either.

As things stand, apprehension about diesel sales, stricter emission norms and a market fast shifting away from C/D-segment sedans, and one can see why Ford would pull the plug on this ambitious project.

Ford birdies are tweeting that the top honchos are thinking of bringing in a couple of SUVs in the Creta/Tucson brackets to plug the big gap between the EcoSport and the Endeavour. A 7-seater EcoSport "XL" is also being considered upon right now, but that's just in the "ideas being thrown around" stage.

Ford has gone back to the drawing board and is considering at least 2 products which could be market bestsellers after the EcoSport - considering how the Figo/Aspire twins have fared till now.

Am a big fan of the Fiesta's DNA so this is disappointing. Let's hope whatever they bring forward in the future - hatch, sedan or SUV - retains most (if not all) of the Fiesta's wonderful package and gives the enthusiasts something to cheer about.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

...Ford has gone back to the drawing board and is considering at least 2 products which could be market bestsellers after the EcoSport - considering how the Figo/Aspire twins have fared till now.

Am a big fan of the Fiesta's DNA so this is disappointing. Let's hope whatever they bring forward in the future - hatch, sedan or SUV - retains most (if not all) of the Fiesta's wonderful package and gives the enthusiasts something to cheer about.

Yep - I hope this way too! Ford needs to retain that DNA and loyalists than trying to go mass market which doesn't help.

And if they are worried about the petrol / diesel ban, then nothing will help them, not even SUVs. What they need to do is to make products with little deviation from their international models so they have the scale of manufacturing.

Probably what they need to do with their models is to keep the variant features close to the competition, offer something more and keep the price slightly lower. With the Fiesta, they offered a lot more compared to the trims from competition and also charged relative which was lot more to the comparative variants (The entry level Fiesta Trend variant was close to the top end variants of some competitors in terms of features!!).

In India, price comes into picture first and then "whats offered". So they need to be aligned with the market on this front. I really hope they bring the new product to compete with City / Verna / Ciaz with a good engine and proper Ford DNA (and enough space too). Even a 1000 units in that segment will be a good achievement.

[PratikPatel]

So in hindsight (where everyone is Aristotle), I took the right decision by opting for one of the last few 2014 facelift Fiesta.

At another level its a bit disappointing that Ford is losing its focus (no pun intended). Was looking forward to more exciting models from Ford like the Fiesta, & Focus. But it looks like Ford is leaving its Indian customers to fend for themselves while concentrating on exports to recover its investments in India.

[i74js]

Ford needs India specific strategy not Opportunist Strategy; and that is where it lacks. The launch of Ecosport globally happened in 2012 while it was brought to India in 2013 and majority of production from Chennai plant was exported to other regions rather than selling in India. They did several rounds of price revisions (upward) and unrealistic waiting periods without any price protection followed by removal of features from Titanium trim resulting in requirements of change of booking by buyers those who wanted (say keyless entry et. al.) and the dealerships cunningly enough put them back in the booking queue for another 6 months or so and selling the cars allocated to these buyers to other people ready to pay premium or buy additional accessories.

Ford never bothered to put a check on the activities of their dealers.

Correction in Ecosport price immediately upon the launch of Brezza was again something that left a bitter taste among Ecosport owners as their cars were devalued by more than a lac overnight !

This is no strategy, rather an opportunist behavior by Ford which cannot be appreciated.

Let them suffer !

[RavenAvi]

Ford has decided to shelve the B500 project completely, and has sent a communique to it's suppliers regarding it's decision.

The B500 project, which was supposed to spawn a hatchback, a premium sedan and a SUV, was to cater mainly to the Indian and Chinese markets.

The company will now shift focus to it's Figo, Aspire and EcoSport models, and will re-design these 3 main offerings by 2020-2021. It will also develop more SUVs and crossovers for key markets such as ours, according to Ford's US sources.

Its more ambitious B500 programme, though, is on ice because of muted demand for some small and mid-sized hatchbacks and sedans in India and China, where SUVs and "crossovers" combining the hatchback and SUV have proved increasingly popular. The cost of upgrading plants to produce the new cars would also be prohibitively high, the first sources said.

That said, Ford has invested over $2 billion in India and plans to spend more to set up a global engineering centre in the southern city of Chennai that will help tweak products for the local market and more swiftly adapt to changing consumer trends. The carmaker is also ramping up exports, including to Europe, to maximise usage of its two plants in India.

"India is a key market for us in Asia Pacific," said the spokesman, adding that the carmaker is committed to introducing new products and technologies in the South Asian nation. But instead of the bigger plan for the key markets of India and China, Ford will focus on updating existing models and develop and build more SUVs and crossovers, moving away from sedans and hatchbacks, the US sources said. That would allow the carmaker to boost profit margins.

ET

[anurag.somani]

Ford Motor Co has shelved plans to produce a new compact car family designed mainly for emerging markets such as India and China, industry sources said, reflecting disappointing sales of mainstream models in the world's fastest growing car markets.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle9074876.ece

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by anurag.somani

Ford Motor Co has shelved plans to produce a new compact car family designed mainly for emerging markets

Thank you for this link. This topic has already discussed on a separate thread here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post4021431 (Ford's B500 Project - Honda City rival coming in 2018. EDIT: Plans shelved)

Originally Posted by volkman10

Ford stalls its B500 platform

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Ford has decided to shelve the B500 project completely, and has sent a communique to it's suppliers regarding it's decision.

The B500 project, which was supposed to spawn a hatchback, a premium sedan and a SUV, was to cater mainly to the Indian and Chinese markets.