[arun_josie]

Maruti and Hyundai increased the price across all their models. So may be Ford is trying to get a positive attention by bringing down the price.

If they had the buffer to reduce the price by 1L, then why not price it low and then increase the price based on demand?!

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

What is the justification behind not passing the same benefit to the AT variants?

Probably since the AT has a 1.5 petrol engine, it does not enjoy the same tax benefits as the 1.2 petrol and 1.5 diesel (in a sub-4m car). So Ford's margins may have been tighter and they've opted out of a price cut.

This might be speculation, but either low sales or high demand can be behind leaving the AT prices unchanged:

• Low sales: Maybe the AT constitutes a small percentage of their Figo/Aspire sales, so they don't really mind losing sales on it, provided other variants sell more.
• High demand: knowing there's demand for the AT they are exploiting the customers. I personally think this scenario is less likely. If the demand were really that high, we'd have seen it in the sales numbers and ownership comments.

However, this has resulted in the interesting position where the top-end Titanium+ diesel is actually cheaper than the slightly lower end Titanium petrol AT! Given the AT's underwhelming performance and the diesel's rocket-like performance, only someone who's desperate for an autobox from Ford will look at the AT.

Do we know if any features are being removed alongside this price cut?

[hareesh3395]

Ford India desperately wants to sell the Figo twins. Lets see how the market responds to this price cut, they both have an explosive diesel which puts the competition to shame and an auto gearbox despite having all this ,it didn't sell like ecosport. Hope they advertise this price cut and make people aware of its positives when compared with its rivals.

[theredliner]

Here are the official updated prices of Figo



and Aspire,




There doesn't appear to be any feature-cut looking at the brochure.

PS - No price cut for AT as can be seen from the list. The 2016 budget really hurts petrol cars with >1.2l engines even more than before.

Is this Ford's plan of extending GST benefits beforehand to boost sales?

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by DCEite

In today's maddening traffic on our roads, do you think many would care for "dynamics" or "handling" of a car?

Just look at the below picture and tell me how many of those commuters you see in this picture, long for a car with good driving dynamics and superb handling.
Attachment 1540087

I can only partly agree with what you have mentioned. If it were the case everywhere, you would see our roads filled only with the AMT avatars of Maruti Alto, Wagon-R and Celerio.

[Torquedo]

Looking at the Trend and Titanium price difference, talking Diesel here for both Figo and Aspire, with less than 20K separating the two, who in the right mind would buy Trend ? Alloys, ACC and notable additions that alone would be more than 20K. At the same time, I would throw a word of caution and check thoroughly for any omissions for the ones being rolled out from here on.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

It won't feel like family to the poor souls who bought these cars yesterday, Ford.

The new rates are just the exact 3 things that the Indian consumer wants - value, value and value. Ford tried firing all pistols and evidently that wasn't going to succeed since the Figo siblings have no USP at all so that brought out the Indian bazooka and blew up the current prices.

It feels like there is an assignment for Ford to up sales at any cost, or even any loss. Kalki Koechlin endorsing Ecosport is not going to do a single thing for sales (since Ecosport is pretty consistent in its segment anyway) but they're on the offensive and how. There will surely be a spike in Figo sales this month so let that not surprise anyone, this is a Flipkart/Amazon strategy and it'll show fruits for a few weeks, beyond that I'm not sure.

For those who took delivery of these 2 cars until today though, specially the ones this month, it'll feel like a horse kick to the stomach, Rs.90k.. WOW.

[Sherlocked]

To sustain in the Indian market which is dominated by the likes of Maruti and Hyundai, Ford has realized that they have to offer products which are not priced at par or more than the market leader. They have to price it competitively.

The first gen Figo sold well as it was well priced. Way less than the Swift diesel and the high waiting period for Swift worked in the favor of Ford. If Ford thinks that Figo sold well due to good built quality and handling then they are definitely wrong. I am talking about the majority of buyers here. It was the price which was the primary advantage and handling, built quality were all secondary.

The Ecosport price cut has again worked well for Ford for which the sales figure speak for themselves.

But I am a bit apprehensive about how much are they gonna gain with the price cut of Figo Twins.

Firstly there is no high waiting period for any car in the respective segment of Figo twins. If there was, customers would at least take another walk to Ford showroom which was the case with first gen Figo and now Ecosport (Brezza waiting period). Baleno may be an exception but then Ford has a not so impressive petrol motor on offer. And not to forget majority of Baleno sales is for the petrol variant.

Secondly when the market has shifted to petrol, their petrol motors lack the driveability, refinement and efficiency which its competitors offer.

The above is only my point of view. Let the sales numbers speak for themselves next month!

But anyone who is looking for a diesel hatchback or CS should rejoice!
Good time to pick up the Ford!

[Karthik Chandra]

The hottest hatch has become more afforable

Originally Posted by dark.knight

since the Figo siblings have no USP at all so that brought out the Indian bazooka and blew up the current prices.

No USP? No Are you sure?

What about

# 100 BHP and segment best 215 NM of torque
# Powerful AT in segment - 112 BHP
# Only dual clutch AT in segment
# 6 Airbags

Originally Posted by dark.knight

For those who took delivery of these 2 cars until today though, specially the ones this month, it'll feel like a horse kick to the stomach, Rs.90k.. WOW.

True

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

For those who took delivery of these 2 cars until today though, specially the ones this month, it'll feel like a horse kick to the stomach, Rs.90k.. WOW.

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

True

BHPian nikhil.neon took delivery of his Figo 1.5L Diesel Titanium only a week back, on 2nd August. (link (Ford Figo : Official Review))

Today, a week later, his particular chosen variant has seen it's price slashed by a whopping 50,000 bucks! (possibly more, since he's in Surat)

I sincerely hope he is somewhere out there right now, enjoying his car.

Tomorrow, he might be pulling his hair out when he comes across this news bit.

Will Ford India compensate such owners?

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Will Ford India compensate such owners?

I have read this argument many times on the forum! Why should any company do that? If they have to,till how backwards should they compensate? Till 1 month? Suddenly the person who bought the car one day prior to 1 month will feel bad!

Now what if the car price goes up? Do you feel that the one who bought the car earlier should reach out to the showroom and pay? What is the logic behind such fallacies? Do you take such logic when you buy all stuff? I have seen apartments being sold for prices which are 5 to 10 lakhs below the regular price. When you buy something you accept the possibility that the price can go up or down the next day. That's how markets work.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

What about
# 100 BHP and segment best 215 NM of torque
# Powerful AT in segment - 112 BHP
# Only dual clutch AT in segment
# 6 Airbags

Correct, and I agree that they are USPs when looked at technically and on paper. I had thought about these 2 vehicles before their launch and hence had a chance to test-drive them upon release, points 2 and 3 in my honest opinion.. that AT is simply not tuned very well nor does that double-clutch gearbox seamlessly shift the gears like a TSi, it holds the revs too long and I felt like pushing the invisible clutch every time to make it upshift.. that sports mode made things only worse. In real-world a TSi, VW's 1.6 auto or even a 4-speed auto felt more seamless for city traffic. I guess I had the petrol in mind when I spoke of performance, the diesel I agree given the power-to-weight and engine tuning that the Figo will be faster to the 100, but that factor is not considered by most of the buyers, specially given that there is only a marginal difference when compared to a 1.5 VW engine or a 1.4 Hyundai.

I had no problems with the EcoSport test drive, its built very well and even though people complain about the 1.5 petrol in it I found it more than good for basic city movement. The problem with the Aspire and Figo is that one would expect them to have the typical Ford interiors but here the door interior panels flex so much, even when using the power windows (found that one right here and tried it out).

Still I'm not complaining much, I'm sure they're both safe cars as has been evidenced by owners real life experiences and of course the 6-airbag options. The rate-cut has made these 2 the most VFM cars under 10 lakhs, beating even the likes of Alto, Kwid or Tiago. They've used the discount as the ace in the hole and sales are going to pick up just seconds after they place an official advert tomorrow.

[balajisv]

A very encouraging price cuts there by Ford. Maybe Ford is handing out the GST benefits to consumers?

On the other hand, I think Ford will impact the cab segment. All wannabe Ubers and Olas will now aggressively move towards Aspire. DZire Tour and XCent will be affected for sure.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

I have read this argument many times on the forum! Why should any company do that? If they have to,till how backwards should they compensate? Till 1 month? Suddenly the person who bought the car one day prior to 1 month will feel bad!

Now what if the car price goes up? Do you feel that the one who bought the car earlier should reach out to the showroom and pay? What is the logic behind such fallacies? Do you take such logic when you buy all stuff? I have seen apartments being sold for prices which are 5 to 10 lakhs below the regular price. When yiou buy something you accept the possibility that the price can go up or down the next day. That's how markets work.

As for compensation, Maruti did it earlier this year with the S-Cross buyers. (link (Maruti's goodwill gesture! Early S-Cross buyer gets a Rs. 90,000 refund and 2 year extended warranty)) No reason why Ford can't, if they are really serious about their "Feels like Family" tagline which they have embraced recently.

It could go a long way in keeping existing customers happy if they got something out of a very recent deal (an extended warranty, a maintenance package, some free accessories, etc.), which apparently leaves a sour taste in the mouths today. Word-of-mouth publicity plays a big role in purchases even today, in our market conditions.

But it's up to the company - if they want to keep the goodwill of existing customers, or incur their wrath and resentments.

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

that AT is simply not tuned very well nor does that double-clutch gearbox seamlessly shift the gears like a TSi, it holds the revs too long and I felt like pushing the invisible clutch every time to make it upshift.. that sports mode made things only worse. In real-world a TSi, VW's 1.6 auto or even a 4-speed auto felt more seamless for city traffic.

Is it because the TSi is turbo charged and the Ti-VCT is NA? Experts?

Originally Posted by dark.knight

there is only a marginal difference when compared to a 1.5 VW engine or a 1.4 Hyundai.

Agreed

Originally Posted by dark.knight

I had no problems with the EcoSport test drive, its built very well and even though people complain about the 1.5 petrol in it I found it more than good for basic city movement. The problem with the Aspire and Figo is that one would expect them to have the typical Ford interiors but here the door interior panels flex so much, even when using the power windows (found that one right here and tried it out).

So true

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Still I'm not complaining much, I'm sure they're both safe cars as has been evidenced by owners real life experiences and of course the 6-airbag options. The rate-cut has made these 2 the most VFM cars under 10 lakhs, beating even the likes of Alto, Kwid or Tiago. They've used the discount as the ace in the hole and sales are going to pick up just seconds after they place an official advert tomorrow.

VFM, Yes very much especially the TDCi

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

I have read this argument many times on the forum! Why should any company do that? If they have to,till how backwards should they compensate? Till 1 month? Suddenly the person who bought the car one day prior to 1 month will feel bad!

Now what if the car price goes up? Do you feel that the one who bought the car earlier should reach out to the showroom and pay? What is the logic behind such fallacies? Do you take such logic when you buy all stuff? I have seen apartments being sold for prices which are 5 to 10 lakhs below the regular price. When you buy something you accept the possibility that the price can go up or down the next day. That's how markets work.

When the market leader with such brand loyalty and market share can address the issue by giving something to the 1.6 owners for the trust they had when they bought an over priced car, then the market would definitely expect Ford to do the same.

Having said that IMO the Figo twins weren't over priced at all for what they offered to start with, this being an internal pricing strategy and its up to Ford to decide.

If they do something for customers who had bought then, it would have a positive vibe for the brand. Probably make use of that 200 Cr. here and gain trust and appreciation from existing customers which would increase positive word of mouth and thereby increasing footfalls leading to more secondary billings.

These are things that would build goodwill and trust worthiness of a brand and create loyalty.