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Old 19th July 2021, 11:33   #136
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Re: Ford - Mahindra call off their engagement; no JV happening!

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Originally Posted by Apex1815 View Post
One of my know person had Daewoo Martiz in the Year 1999 (Daewoo left India some where in 2000..)

Then he purchased Chevrolet Beat (GM also left India)

Now he is having Ford Ecosport....

Once the company officially announces closure of the operations, the resale value of vehicle will prominently fall.
I am not sure about the company commitment or seriousness in after sales service after they shut down the sales operations.

Gradually, higher attrition will be seen in service centre staff (which also affects the consistency in service) and few service centres closing shortly as the service station owners/investors may not expect a good business in the long run.
Keep a tab on his buying trend and just stay away from the brand he chooses next. He has an excellent track record of picking companies that will pack up. Only if I was a betting man...
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Old 19th July 2021, 11:59   #137
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Re: Ford - Mahindra call off their engagement; no JV happening!

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Originally Posted by Apex1815 View Post
Gradually, higher attrition will be seen in service centre staff (which also affects the consistency in service) and few service centres closing shortly as the service station owners/investors may not expect a good business in the long run.
Very valid point which is usually overlooked. Everyone talks about the potentially catastrophic drop in resale BUT it is the service side which also gets hammered, as the more experienced/proficient technicians either leave or are poached by rival brands.

I personally observed this with Trident Chevrolet here in BLR - each time I went with my Cruze, one more familiar face would have left. Luckily, Trident absorbed a significant number of them into their Hyundai or Renault operations.
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Old 19th July 2021, 17:00   #138
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

Being the owner of first gen (TDCi) and second gen (DCT) Figos, I am perplexed with this piece of news. Despite shortcomings, people did buy Figo which is excellent VFM product. First gen Figo had mundane looks, bland interiors, less powerful engines, top trim lacked rear power windows, alloys, MID and other features available with the competition. But it was successful model and survived against Swift, i10. Brilliant chassis, tough build, super driveable 1.4 ltr diesel, great suspension, handling and perfectly calibrated steering. People saw the value and paid for it.

Second gen DCT, 1.5ltr engine viz a viz competition's 1.2 ltr, superior auto gearbox DCT at the similar price point. Again VFM. But it didn't taste first gen's success which Ford somewhat corrected by launching Freestyle (still no automatic though).

Ford's service is cheap and transparent. I want Ford to survive and as many pointed out, see new product launches from them. I was hoping to see Ford's version of XUV to be launched here. But alas!

Given a chance, I want to upgrade to a Ford. My first gen Figo is 9 yrs old. But there are no cars to upgrade to.
Ford's steering calibration, ride and handling is something I admire. No other OEM except FIAT comes close to when I think of these. They do have fan base here. Perhaps minority to which they don't want to cater. They lack intent.

Whatever it is Ford, clear up the smoke and let people move on. And if you stay back, do give us your new cars.
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Old 19th July 2021, 18:45   #139
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

Thanks to Kiran Kumar for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Quote:
I just observed that a lot of parts has been added in Boodmo which were never available. These parts include the one belonging to Ford Ka+. I have never seen these parts in Boodmo.

Below are few links of Ford Figo parts which are added recently within these 3 days. There are many other parts for example.

OEM Audio

OEM Reverse Camera

OEM Parking Sensors

These are just a few examples for your reference.

These parts were never available online except through dealers, am an avid DIY guy and have been hunting for OEM parts for my Figo D 2016 model for the past five years.

Ford might have already cleared its inventory to the private stockists who have, in turn, listed them on Boodmo.
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Old 19th July 2021, 19:57   #140
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

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I consider Ford as a brand which doesn't dilute its core values to bring down the price.
Nice post. But I disagree with just 1 aspect of it - the quoted part. So they would rather kill the brand than adopt? Penny wise pound foolish argument I feel.

Amazon has never undertaken COD anywhere else in the world. It was introduced for the first time (and probably the only country) with that option. Why? Because they wanted to succeed. They wanted a slice of the pie and were willing to adopt to what the Indian customers are used to. They did their homework. Thats their core value.

In a service industry, one must talk to their customers in a language they understand. Amazon did. Ford did initially. But toward the end, laggered off.

Ford, being ford, with the amount of knowledge, experience and resources they have at their disposal, should've been creative enough to evolve with the market. They sure started well. 1998 was it? Or 1999? I cant recollect. But I remember reading in an Autocar Issue that an enthusiastic Jacques Nasser driving a Ford Escort (Or Ikon was it) himself (avoiding cows and pedestrians) to their plant outside Chennai. But is that the same market today? It had a turqoise green cover and an Ikon 1.3l put to test.

Ikon? First gen Figo? Fiesta? Endeavour? Mondeo? Ecosport? Werent they great cars? Sure they were memorable cars. My most fav car amongst them was the Ecosport and the Mondeo (Even now!). Their New Edge design philosophy was a head turner wherever it went. They knew (and understood) what the customers wanted. They knew how to get the job done. Thats all.

Indian market of the 2021 is not what it was in 2015, is not what it was in 2005 and is not what it was in 1998. To think they can offer similar products without paying attention to their strengths (or what the competitors are offering) seems (to me) like arrogance and ignorance in their approach to be one of the sucessful brands in India.

Quote:
Originally Posted by amalji View Post
Just try and see the number of manufacturers making profit in India and you'll get to know what I'm talking about.
Competition mate. Thats all. Simple healthy old school competition.
Oh. And a lot of cliche statements like...

- Survival of the fittest.
- Hunt or be hunted.
- Adopt and Evolve or perish.

Last edited by VaidhiR : 19th July 2021 at 19:59.
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Old 19th July 2021, 20:59   #141
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

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Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj View Post
Thanks to Kiran Kumar for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!
Ford Ka+ parts on Boodmo? Must be this.

https://www.team-bhp.com/news/ford-l...ing-start-soon

So if they are launching a new car they can hardly be shutting down at the same time can they?
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Old 19th July 2021, 21:09   #142
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations


Source: AutoTrend TV
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Old 20th July 2021, 17:48   #143
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Re: Ford - Mahindra call off their engagement; no JV happening!

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Originally Posted by itwasntme View Post
Very valid point which is usually overlooked.
=====
Luckily, Trident absorbed a significant number of them into their Hyundai or Renault operations.
A friend of mine, who has a car workshop in Mumbai mentioned that Ford would be closing its sales by the end of the year and that the service part is getting taken up by Mahindra.

It does sound a bit incredible, but only time shall tell.
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Old 20th July 2021, 21:50   #144
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

I believe chances of Ford to stay in India are bleak. The signs on the wall are not too tough to read. By seeing their strategy in other markets where the prospect was not so good, indicates the same. And regarding the Ecosport facelift, if you remember, just before the exit of GM, we saw the face lifted version of Beat being tested in India which never got launched in India.
And I think even if they launch the Ecosport facelift, that would not take hell lot of effort or money to change just the indicator light & DRL in the existing model as seen from the spy shots. Rather they might use it to give some confidence to the prospective buyers to let them assume that Ford is not leaving & once the stocks are mostly cleared and other arrangements are done, they might drop the bomb by announcing the exit!
And I would say Ford is at fault of not understanding the mentality of a regular Indian customer. We, the members of Team BHP generally have a very high regard about the Ford cars, but we have to admit that we form a very minuscule portion of the millions of car buyers in India. And we cannot change their requirement or mentality. And I f one cannot change the environment, one has to either adapt as per the environment or has to perish there! Same applies for the auto manufacturers as well.
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Old 21st July 2021, 09:22   #145
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

And the ripple effects have started:

https://www.carblogindia.com/ford-ec...mpanys-future/
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Old 21st July 2021, 09:31   #146
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

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Originally Posted by cool_dube View Post
And the ripple effects have started:
These ripple effects are enough to cause significant sales losses. This will eventually force them to think about pulling out even if they are not contemplating that now. That is why it is so important for Ford to come with a strong statement to the media dispelling all doubts. The dealership communications are not enough. It needs to come from Ford. The fact that they are reluctant to do this is really concerning.
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Old 21st July 2021, 10:05   #147
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

^^ The reality as I see it is Ford India themselves don't know the future plan. They must be in the phase of preparing various recovery plans to present to the management in the US who will then take the final call on the next steps.

Post the Mahindra JV cancellation, an expert within Ford was brought into their International Markets Group (IMG) to decide on the future plan. This plan must be in preparation now and that is why Ford has said they will comment in the second half of the year - Link (Ford India's future plans | Will it stick around in India?)

The reports of searching for a contract manufacturing partner also sound to be on the same lines - they need to fill the plant capacity they have to reduce the fixed costs.

This is why in their social media posts the response is diplomatic that sales & service will continue into the future as well which will be the case even if they leave (sales of spares).

Till that final plan is approved or rejected and Ford come out with an official statement, all we can do is speculate over the many threads we have on this topic.

Last edited by fiat_tarun : 21st July 2021 at 10:07.
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Old 21st July 2021, 11:03   #148
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

Being an Ecosport owner, I really hope Ford continue their business here.

As rumours suggest, I think Ford might only sell/lease one of their manufacturing units to reduce the fixed cost.
The decades-old plant at Maraimalai Nagar, Chennai may not see good buyers, whereas the facility at Sanand is highly automated and the advanced plant will stand as good prospects for contract manufacturing/leasing options.
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Old 21st July 2021, 12:38   #149
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

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Originally Posted by volkman10 View Post
Ford looks to wrap up India factory ops soon ?

The American automaker has been in talks with various car companies for both contract manufacturing and/or sale of its Indian factories, the latest with Ola, which could use Ford’s factories to build electric.



Link to ET Article

GTO's earlier posts on the topic:

They already have 2 big sellers, Ecosport and Endeavour. Just a sharp redesign job on Figo siblings and Freestyle will make them considerable volume generators. These cars have great engines, a solid interior, and a pleasurable driving experience. Just that this time, the cover of the book needs to be changed. People do judge the book by it's cover
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Old 21st July 2021, 14:26   #150
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re: Ford to wrap up India operations

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Originally Posted by CarMaster_059 View Post
They already have 2 big sellers, Ecosport and Endeavour. Just a sharp redesign job on Figo siblings and Freestyle will make them considerable volume generators. These cars have great engines, a solid interior, and a pleasurable driving experience. Just that this time, the cover of the book needs to be changed. People do judge the book by it's cover
The cover needs to be changed as well as the name. The they need to bring back the Ikon and escort names, hopefully with better cards. Can't have a plump looking dzire rival named escort.
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