[rangarx]

Not at all good.

I have this sinking feeling when I read this. Post GM's exit, the top brass of big MNCs in India may be finding it easy to justify the fledgling sales of their models and resort to our big 2 (or 3) mindset (Suzuki, Hyundai and Toyota/Honda) towards the cars.

This doesn't sound nice to me, especially since Fords are (or were) poor man's BMWs. Now they already axed a brilliant chassis (Fiesta) and selling minuscules of Figo and it's contraption. May be they are finding reasons to get out of here. How I wish I must be wrong!

[oblivion]

I don't see anything wrong in discontinuing few models. I always wished Ford to have similar features across variants like we have in Fortuner. 4x2/4x4 with MT/AT, hardly any difference in features.

High end SUV's like Fortuner and Endeavour should have almost same feature list across all models. It will save buyers from the differentiation and confusion we have in entry segments vehicles. eg lx,lxi,vx,vxi,zx,zxi,optional and so on.

I also tried checking for Trend model initially before finalizing my decision for 3.2 Titanium. I didn't find Trend models to be fully loaded and VFM since I was already landing near the 30L price bracket and couldn't ignore the brilliant features in top end variant.

[landcruiser123]

I'm okay with ford dropping MTs.
With those power figures, the 2.2 MT was really not going to be a joy to drive on the highway and they never offered an MT with the 3.2.

Maybe ford decided that they should focus on making more profit per car (for the 3.2 diesel) and hence decision to drop the 3.2 Trend 4x4.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by GTO

This just shows Ford's weakness in the sales, marketing & product planning areas. Even as an enthusiast, it's hard to keep track. Consistency shows stability - frequent price changes like a yo-yo, feature deletions, variants coming & going only confuse the customer.

The weak marketing department is also why cars like the Fiesta, new Figo etc. bombed in the market.

I think when the product planning team arrives at work every morning, they say "so what changes will we incorporate today - pick one - price, variants, features?" .

A. Vehicle
The Fortuner stands for peace of mind, toughness, reliability. The Ford is technically as good (I wont get into arguments re better or worse), but that positioning is difficult to wrest away. Also, the Fortuner's sister - Innova - has great market feedback, which influences Toyota MUV/SUV buyers. The Endeavour lacks such a reliable sibling.

The Ford - even if it has better specs, and better pricing, would have found it difficult it in the medium and long term to do as well as the Toyota.

In this forum, we have almost all the Fortuner owners (including me) happily enjoying their vehicle after 5-6 years. We don't get to hear of too many Endeavour owners who are doing the same. Yes, less owners to start with, but that also leads to less feedback in the market. And we know the shortcomings and have accepted and lived with them for long term benefits. And many 'Classic' Fortuner owners have upgraded to the latest Fortuner.

If one wants to change the vehicle after 3 years, yes, perhaps the Endeavour is a better bet. If one wants to keep the vehicle for 5+ years, then the Toyota is a better bet for various reasons.

And re 4x4: some practical feedback. Even Toyota India, with better training and wide ASC coverage, still doesn't do that good a job re catering to the unique needs of a 4x4. SOPs are geared towards 4x2 or less informed owners/ drivers who have taken the vehicle for servicing. I can only imagine that Ford (or Mitsubishi) would attract inferior talent, and most ASC folks would scratch their heads regarding any non standard procedure or diagnosis re a 4x4. It is a matter of 'least worst' 4x4 servicing and maintenance, in India, re 4x4. Unlike say in Australia or South Africa.

So if one is mallroading, or driving normally (highway or city) then it doesn't matter. But if one is using a 4x4 the way it is meant to be used, then one needs adequate ASC support. If one is a 4x4 guru then he/she can get things done anywhere. But for other folks, like me, who don't know the intricacies but still want to use the vehicle in tough situations (say a 4000 km roadtrip, which also involved a few hundred kms of offroading in forest or mountain tracks), one has to rely on an ASC to some extent for post-trip or excursion service.

B. Culture
American companies have a much shorter time horizon than Japanese companies. I have worked in US MNCs, and sometimes the decision making procedure is hilarious, just focusing on short term gain and management/shareholder KPIs.

Perhaps that is why Ford is juggling things so frequently. Re Ford, I have no clue about costs and manufacturing flexibility or CKD/imporrting dynamics, so won't even get into all that. But if some variants are selling less, and the fixed costs are similar to set up assembling or manufacturing those variants, for a shorter production run, then the costs can't be apportioned across enough units. So for better profitability, a company might decide to shut down some variants. Especially if danda comes from A-PAC or global bosses.

Anyway, in one sentence: it is a matter of long term GF vs Wife. Of course, a lucky few can afford both lol.

End of rambling.

[SHANKY11]

Also, if I am not wrong, Navigation has been added to the Endy.

[oblivion]

Originally Posted by SHANKY11

Also, if I am not wrong, Navigation has been added to the Endy.

Navigation feature has been added in May lot but Ford has silently removed headlamp washers from Endeavour. Rest features are same.

[ACM]

I feel it is probably a good move. This would be based on sales and if MT does not sell or sell less than 5% there is no point in keeping it in the price list.

I do like this move, but am not a fan of the pricing yo-yo that they have been going at. Find a good price point and stick to it for a year.

Keep going for aggressive marketing. Their marketing attempts are decent compared to the Toyota Fortuner but they need to do more and be different.

[vivekrvcse]

While we talk about the Endeavor and the Fortuner, I think the Hyundai twins (Santa Fe and Tucson) are solid competition. The service cost is at par with Toyota and the performance of the engines is quite brilliant. While Hyundai SUVs may not instinctively appeal to people given the short history, the SUVs are definitely worth a try. (am a Santa Fe owner)

[mxx]

I am not sure why people are over-reacting to this news. The reports always seemed to indicate that the automatic versions are more in demand, and also some trims had long wait times. If that is true, why would any manufacturer -let alone ford- keep the low volume manual variants? it is only logical that they will axe the manual variants and free up the lines for manufacturing more automatics, and bringing down the wait time for in demand variants.

[SHANKY11]

Originally Posted by oblivion

Navigation feature has been added in May lot but Ford has silently removed headlamp washers from Endeavour. Rest features are same.

This seems like a clever move by Ford to make it fair to people who bought it prior to May. Even though headlamp washer is a nice feature to have, I'll trade off in favour of Navigation anyday.

[Abhinav6683]

I really can't understand why Ford is going down. What I did read was that the Facelift Ford Endeavour was spotted test driving in Australia (Everest as they call it there). The new model had the Keyless entry and Enhanced Safety features. Maybe they are gearing up for same in India in the upcoming Auto Expo

The car sold like a bomb when it came out and despite the beauty and beast combo, the sales are on a declining trend. I personally love it better than the new Fortuner. All I know is that the Auto Expo venue is 3km from my house and I'll be visiting Ford there to see how right or wrong I am.

[ff1609]

Funnily enough I have not been able to get a test drive of the 2.2 engine Endeavour anywhere in NCR. Every dealer claims that 2.2s that they have sold, were sold without a test drive. Some even go on to say.. its the same car, you can test the 3.2 - there is no difference and I just give up on talking to a car salesman someone who needs to be told that 2.2 and 3.2 arent the same car.

[daretodream]

Originally Posted by ff1609

Funnily enough I have not been able to get a test drive of the 2.2 engine Endeavour anywhere in NCR. Every dealer claims that 2.2s that they have sold, were sold without a test drive. Some even go on to say.. its the same car, you can test the 3.2 - there is no difference and I just give up on talking to a car salesman someone who needs to be told that 2.2 and 3.2 arent the same car.

I enquired about 2.2 last week and was told 2.2 production is stopped and can be made to order if there are enough orders.
The salesman said that 3.2 is what is in regular production.

[ff1609]

Originally Posted by daretodream

I enquired about 2.2 last week and was told 2.2 production is stopped and can be made to order if there are enough orders.
The salesman said that 3.2 is what is in regular production.

Apparently the production of 2.2 is only on temporary hold till Jan 15 since they are adding a sunroof to the 2.2 Titanium.

[Abhinav6683]

In all actuality, the 3.2 suits the Endeavour build and status. The engine is just too peppy in 3.2. People may prefer the 2.2 on basis of fuel economy.