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Old 12th September 2021, 10:19   #316
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by anumod View Post
There are more than 1 million Ford cars in India .
More than 80% of these cars get serviced at Ford workshops today . The profit from servicing these cars Ford itself earning 2.8 billion rupees per year as of today . They are expecting it to continue in the same scale.
I disagree a little. There will be reduction in the ASCs. The following is my reasoning:
  • There will be no new cars getting added to the servicing pool. This means the business will not grow. ASCs can grow only by taking more of the same pie. Hopefully good ASCs survive and bad ones go out of business.
  • There will be a shift to FNGs. This shift happens even for cars that are still being sold. Typically, cars which are out of warranty tend to favor FNGs.
  • Service productivity will be hit due to increased lead times in procuring genuine spare parts.
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Old 12th September 2021, 10:45   #317
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

One of the few reasons why I feel why Hyundai- Kia has succeeded in India and Ford coudnt:

1. Perception of their cars, novelty factor, inducing the urge to buy the same car your neighbour has irrespective of actually having a personal opinion on it.

2. The Koreans convinced the Indian customers that the products offered are on par which they offer elsewhere. Their cars feel "foreign". For Ford I get a feeling that people in general view their products as substandard rejects of the international market (barring enthusiasts of course).

3. The attitude of Ford themselves. Even if India is a very cost conscious market, you need to show that it isn't and that comes with having product line up's at various price points so that the middle class feels that the brand caters to the upper middle class as well and has that aspirational factor. The Nano failed due to this. Indians love show off.
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Old 12th September 2021, 10:48   #318
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turbanator View Post

I have doubts about operating with just the CBU models though.
The PR release is carefully worded to reduce the shock and negative emotions. All they wanted to say was that HQ decided to shut shop in India and they don't want to spend any more money and time trying to build a profitable business here.

The CBU talk is just that, they obviously don't mean it. They added IT, R&D services details to add more positive spin. Everyone knows India is a fairly established place for automotive IT and R&D work.
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Old 12th September 2021, 11:01   #319
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

I have been thinking around on this news of Ford exiting India and couldn't resist these thoughts:

1. Will this not tarnish the image of other foreign Brands like - VW, Skoda, FCA, Nissan, Renault ? Things are different for Kia as they are doing pretty good, so they are going to stay for long.

2. Will this not force the price hikes by Indian Manufacturers like Tata, Maruti, M&M and even KIA/Hyundai?

I am not sure about the future of the Indian Automobile industry but surely things are looking way too dynamic at the moment. As a consumer, who enjoys driving - Options are getting thinner and thinner.

I am personally in the market to replace my Ecosport and couldn't got perfect answer yet.(Probably being too choosy). Heart says Either Thar or Jeep Compass and mind says dont you dare to spend such an amount on such a depreciating asset. Another thought is look out of used Jeep Compass but then again the limited Service options and availability of Spares creates confusion. I am sure there may be others feeling left out with choices they have as of now..
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Old 12th September 2021, 11:19   #320
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Ford's ignominious India exit

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Old 12th September 2021, 11:57   #321
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by karan561 View Post
Announcement;

On this auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi, earlier today I SOLD my Ford Ecosport 1.5L DCT & handed over the keys of my car to the new owners.
I too soldy Ford Aspire 1.5 TDCI Titanium plus on the very same day of Ganesh Chaturthi. I picked up something else in return.

The car was lovely.
That just put new battery.
Had 3 years out of 5 years warranty pending.
Had 1 full year zero Dep insurance pending.
Only exactly 2 years old diesel.

I had no doubt in ford being able to support it well.

But I didn't want to hand on for years with it so least I get absurd values later, I got a reasonable offer considering the news and sold it right away.

Stripped down the wrap for the sale.

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Last edited by aah78 : 14th September 2021 at 16:58. Reason: Pictures inserted in-line.
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Old 12th September 2021, 11:57   #322
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post

Ford, GM, Harley, Fiat (as a brand), MAN Trucks are all gone. VW totally reduced its India commitment, Nissan has been in the ICU till very recently, while Audi has taken Nissan's place in the ICU. We need a market where 10 players have 10% each & fight fiercely everyday, not 2 players having 70%.

A recent, relevant post:
With all respect, this was bound to happen and more players will exit the market, Toyota has been verbal about the issues they faced, I have no doubt the losses Ford incurred are somewhere along the same lines of reason.

Moving forward over the long term, I personally think we'll be going back to the old times (pre-liberalization) where there will be forced to choose between Indian manufacturers or paying through the nose for import's. Ford leaving is a big blow and sets the stage for more companies to consider this, the gamble is too big. Imagine having to spend billions on R&D and factories only to have niche players take over the market with products that aren't anywhere near as reliable or of comparable quality. If ever Toyota leaves, the Indian auto scene will be completely done for.
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Old 12th September 2021, 12:06   #323
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by QuentinTino View Post
Ford India to make an Exit from India…..

Look who just got competitor-free in the segment once again!



Attachment 2205423
The jeep commander will step into this segment. In a sad way, this may prolong jeeps life in India. Folks who are not fortuners fan, have nothing but the Jeep now
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Old 12th September 2021, 13:13   #324
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Ford invented cars. They know a thing or two about building good handling and sturdy cars. What ever they have given to indian market are sturdy long lasting cars. Who ever bought ford cars, tend to keep them for long.

I own a first gen Figo diesel. I feel sad that they are exiting. Not that I had any plans of buying Ecosport or Endeavour, but for the sole reason that a good competitor is gone from our market. They were setting benchmark for VFM cars in handling department. When the world is looking to enter China and India markets just for the potential it has, Ford should have stayed afloat.

Coming to 1st gen Figo, apart from the aneamic nature of 1.4 tdci engine till turbo kicks in, everything else is fantastic. Ride, handling, space on offer, adequate boot space and other nifty features truly gives the owner a sense of joy. Even the service costs are reasonable and milage with my driving style has been 17+ kmpl all these years of owning(10 yrs and counting).

Well, my elder daughter has made it clear that she will not allow me to sell this car as it was bought just before her birth. Looking at the abysmal offers I get for such a well kept car, I too have let go of the thought of selling it. Will keep it as long as possible. Or it will go to my friends hands.

Between, I have driven F150, Mustang, Flex, Edge, Escape, Explorer and Expedition models in USA. Each car for more than 2 months. Each have their own character and definitely carry the Ford DNA in all of them. I was hoping Ford-Mahindra JV to launch Ford Edge in india. It is one tough suv which was suitable for our roads. It remains a wish though 😔.

Wishing Ford good luck in their future plans and hope they will re enter india when time is right for them. Till then, Farewell dear friend.

10 years, still the blue oval logo shines like new.
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Ford stops manufacturing cars in India-20210911_232544.jpg  

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Old 12th September 2021, 13:27   #325
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Slightly

This episode makes a lot of sense now.
Went on a long drive on my Ecosport AT today, made me happy, sad and angry at the same time.

Last edited by dr_TJ : 12th September 2021 at 13:35.
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Old 12th September 2021, 13:29   #326
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by HTC View Post

Who ever bought ford cars, tend to keep them for long.
Have a Ford Fiesta petrol that I bought in 2007. Still love it every bit.

Fun to drive and Sturdy.

Had a VW Polo too. Frankly, Volkswagen and Skoda don't hold a candle to Ford either in Fun to drive or Sturdy build (agree that Ford diluted some of that in the new Figo and Aspire)

I was engaged in flood relief at my place a few years ago. Loading the Polo to more than 450 kgs would make it groan from head to toe. The suspension would sag, the engine would huff and puff, and the brakes would lose most of their bite. The Fiesta on the other hand could effortlessly carry 850 kgs of load - didn't try loading it more to find how far it could go.

Bidding goodbye to Ford with a heavy heart. Ford will be missed.

.

Last edited by PYSO : 12th September 2021 at 13:30.
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Old 12th September 2021, 14:11   #327
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

I own a 2016 Ecosport TDCi which has been driven around 80K at this moment. I anyway intend to keep it at least for 3-4 more years so not much worried about the resale value at this moment. Also the service support should also be just fine if not good for next few years considering the number of Ecosports on the road.

I had always thought of Ford Endeavour as possible upgrade from Ecosport. I could not literally think of any other car. The biggest worry for me is to think again from scratch which is not a simple task when it comes about cars.
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Old 12th September 2021, 18:24   #328
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

There is a lot of criticism of Ford not.moving fast enough after the launch of Ecosport to go after other market segments like mid-size SUVs. While much of this is well placed, there are quite a bit of complexities for an Indian arm of a western automobile multinational to develop and execute a country-specific strategy. Risk appetite is very low at HQ and it is hard for a country unit that brings in a low single digits of billions of dollars in revenue to have influence in the corporate boardroom of a company with 100s of billions of dollars in global revenue.

I was driving along today in the city and saw a beautiful red Jeep Compass pass me. It brought a scary thought - this is the only "Big 3" American automaker left on India, after Chevy and Ford's departure. Could Jeep be next? The issues are very similar - a very small product portfolio with only one breadwinner product (the Compass), very low sales volume, premium positioning only with no volume models, etc. I just hope that day also does not come.

Last edited by 84.monsoon : 12th September 2021 at 18:25.
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Old 12th September 2021, 18:39   #329
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

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Originally Posted by 84.monsoon View Post
Risk appetite is very low at HQ and it is hard for a country unit that brings in a low single digits of billions of dollars in revenue to have influence in the corporate boardroom of a company with 100s of billions of dollars in global revenue.
And even that low single digit revenue is not adding anything to the bottomline. There was some report being discussed on twitter (sorry I could not find it to share the link) which said that 95% of cars being sold in India are below 15L or about 20K USD. If you go to ford.com and search for the cheapest model, that is Ecosport and it starts at above 20K USD. So how are these companies going to make money in India? Either water-down their products which means the car will be a Ford in name only not in DNA or wait till market grows. I suspect these global car companies got taken in by the India hype hoping that India will become the next China but that dream seems lost at least in the near term.
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Old 12th September 2021, 19:03   #330
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re: Ford stops manufacturing cars in India

Having owned a Matiz earlier(16 years) with a Chevy Spark still running(very less though) with a relative I can say that the initial 3-4 years won't be an issue but 5 years or more the lack of spares will haunt. But the lack of good technicians will haunt earlier than that since they'll move to places with a better future.
The biggest issue was the feeling of what if something happens on the highway which effectively kept the car within city limits fearing the lack of major spares. Not a good feeling to live with for sure. Later on the lack of good mechanics sealed its fate. Ford has sold much more vehicles so it should be slightly better but not for long is my guess.

One more thing I would like to say(after reading many posts here) is that blaming Indian buyers for not buying Ford is ridiculous to even think of and neither right nor logical.
Personal examples, Daewoo had a good products and promising future but their financial mess up took them out.
GM had a lot going for them when they entered but they failed to understand the market or produce promising products and eventually went out, not unexpected at all. Just check their models history.
Ford was committed but was having issues best known to them and the JV with Mahindra(I was counting on this) was their last hope which fell through. After this it was only a matter of when and not if.

Liked their cars, Mondeo Duratec HE will remain a dream, sorry to see them go but it is what it is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 84.monsoon View Post
Risk appetite is very low at HQ and it is hard for a country unit that brings in a low single digits of billions of dollars in revenue to have influence in the corporate boardroom of a company with 100s of billions of dollars in global revenue.
Very well put. What we don't seem to get is that we aren't as important as we think we are.
The moment I heard the words "restructuring" or "focusing on profit making markets", sometime last year it was evident that its drawing to a close. Western markets carry more profits due to the various factors and that's where they would focus, perfectly fine.
Its a business in the end and profits are going to drive it, whoever brings in more profit has the bigger say.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 84.monsoon View Post
Could Jeep be next?
I think so too. Not sure how FCA India is staying afloat with those sales.


PS : For existing owners, an alternative could be to keep the car for its RC duration and then scrap it, hopefully the scrappage policy is fully implemented by then and also get some value out of the tax and new car concessions then.

Last edited by shancz : 12th September 2021 at 19:17. Reason: added ps
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