[kpkeerthi]

Ford has dug its own grave. I'm still surprised how they managed to stay on for this long with their ludicrous vision ans strategy. Calling 'bhedchaal customers' and blaming Indians for Ford's failure in this soil is utterly lame. Increasing TATA/Mahindra sales numbers proves otherwise. Who is at loss here? Only Ford.

[Asoon]

This is an end of an Era

Ford has given us multiple champion cars [ Ikon, Fiesta, Figo (1st gen), EcoSport, Endeavour]. IKON, Fiesta, Figo shaked up segment after launch, Ecosport created
a new segment & Endeavour was the only car which was able to take a stance against Fortuner.

They brought this to themselves, after so many great launches if they are not able to make this business viable then it is a planning/ strategy issue. Honda has been able to stay afloat only by City. TATA / Renault / Mahindra have not had 5 champion cars.

Sad to see them packup, in an alternate universe I would love them to leverage their successful products and keep on improving Indian auto space

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by srikanthmadhava

Indian market is less price sensitive now and more value sensitive.

I have been a very happy owner of the original EcoSport since 2012. No niggles, no problems, safe and with sharp handling. I will miss Ford.

They made some strategic mistakes, and never recovered. I still remember Ford India CEO's interview on video "our user clinics have shown demand curve is going UP, UP..." and then there was complete shortage for over an year since I understand Ford India management had no faith in their own projections and had prioritised exports. By the time the supply settled down, competition was knocking at their door....

Though I think India's absurdly high taxes play a big part in keeping aggregate demand down and good cars unaffordable- scaring away many manufacturers..... Citroen, are you next?

[volkman10]

As Ford exits India, FADA urges Centre for Franchisee Protection Act.

FADA has been urging the government of India to roll out the Franchisee Protection Act. Due to the law not being in place, automobile dealers are not adequately compensated like their counterparts in Mexico, Brazil, Russia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Italy, Australia, Sweden and many other countries, where this law exists

the Parliamentary Committee on Industry, in its report number 303 released in December 2020, had recommended Ministry of Heavy Industries that the government should enact the Franchise Protection Act for automobile dealers, so that it is a win-win for both, the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) as well as dealers, but will also be beneficial to customers in the long run.

Link

[SoupRaw]

Was planning to get a Freestyle, now back to square one. While fat discounts sound lucrative, the risk factor is off putting.

Ford was always synonymous with driving pleasure and my ikon was a testament to that. This is a sad day indeed.

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by poloman

Another big car manufacturer bites dust. Like in telecom segment it is going to be a total carnage in automotive sector in India. Ultimately 3-4 players may survive. Super touchy customers with herd mentality, Govt with 'kill the golden goose' kind of mentality are squarely responsible for the sad state of affairs. VW/Skoda and Nissan/Renault will be the next to exit.
In the long run customers only will suffer.

This is the status of most non Maruti/Hyundai manufacturers in India. Still most of Indian public including those on informed forums like TBHP feel that they are looting them. A look at Skoda Kushaq thread will prove this mindset. Why should manufacturers pile up losses if customers feel this way and not willing to experiment or to be patient.

I don't quite get the point as to how the govt. is responsible for this. Was it responsible for Chevy's exit too? Why should customers experiment and need to show patience? I am the one with money, I would buy what I want. Expecting customers to be patient and dole out huge Ls on products that have nothing new to offer (you don't have a launch in the last 10 years, keep badging old products as new and facelifts) is beyond imagination.

The terrible truth is, the big American brands took the Indian market for granted. I still remember when Kelloggs entered India, it said, it will change the way Indians eat breakfast. They introduced corn flakes, muesli and oats. What happens after a few years? They now offer 'ready to eat' Upma packets'. Same with Colgate. They laughed at Indians for brushing with salt and coal. Now they offer paste with salt and charcoal contents. Good for them, they course corrected and are staying afloat.

The problem with Ford/Chevy or any other brand is, they failed to check the pulse of the market. If they don't Indianize themselves, they are going to bite the dust. The global brands need to take the Indian markets more seriously. They need to stop manufacturing products that are not in line (read sub-standard) with their global product line and dump them in India. Same with VW, their notorious gearbox issues and poor after sales. If they continue the way they are operating, they will have to exit too. Blaming customers for a company failing cannot be justified. A company flops because it does not read the market. Ford did not read something properly, ends up shutting shop.

[ScorpioYadav]

3 Distinct thoughts on ‘Ford India does a Joe Biden’ :

1. I was never a Ford fanboy as I could never trust a Co. being so full of itself that it wouldn't tinker the wiper & turn indicator stalks as per local driving habits.
Needless to say that I wasn't happy when my father went for a Diesel EcoSport in 2014 shunning the 3rd Gen Honda City (as was the trend back then with preference for Diesel cars). But, over the past 2-3 years, as I've got to progressively drive it more & more, it has impressed me a lot with its manners, drivability & even the ASC experience (the turbo lag in the 2nd gear is still a put-off though).
So much so that I was planning to convince my father to get the RC transferred from NCR to Jaipur & get it renewed for another 5 years in 2024 as it is still as good as new with only 66K on the Odometer & the exterior & interior still in immaculate condition. But now I think that we'll wait for the scrappage policy to come into effect in 2023 and study its finer points & also see how the Ford Service Network performs in the coming years & then, take a decision based on these factors.
One friend of my father, who purchased his EcoSport an year after us, is already contemplating distress selling & evaluating purchase options since the news broke earlier today.

2. One less OEM & some others on ventilator or snoozing (to quote the phrases from comments above), is good news for the incumbent players doing good but bad for the customers as more the choices the customer has in the market, more it keeps the cos. on its toes, be it any industry. The senior members would recollect that Bajaj didn't even provide turn-indicators on its scooters till LML Vespa came along !! Some people have quoted the examples of mobile handsets brands above, come to think of it, today we are reduced to choose just between Apple, Samsung & the Chinese brands only with relaunched Nokia almost non-existent & HTC, Sony, LG & BlackBerry no longer available. Don't we feel frustrated sometimes due to lack of enough options in the market ??

With reduced competition, it becomes a seller's market & we would be forced to bear the OEM's high-handedness & choose from the brands churning out lemons or tin-cans or ones with issues in service.
This is where I would like to thank the last 2 Rajasthan govts. for habituating us to drive at 80 KMPH on highways which are good enough to land fighter jets !! Now I understand, you were conditioning us to drive the tin-cans at sedately at moderate speeds in the coming future (sic).

3. If I was an OEM looking to enter the Indian market, now would be the time to take the decision & plunge into it as a ready network of Ford India dealers & ASCs would be exploring their future options post the next 7 Quarters.

[OffRoadFun]

Mind boggling taxes on vehicle (both excise and road taxes), clueless regulators imposing outrageous emissions targets which make the vehicles too costly for the most and lack of Ford's expertise in smaller cars meant this was a writing on the wall. The new Creta and Kia models were last nail in the coffin.
I rented Ecosport and Figo both, great vehicles.
And with outrageous emissions rules, diesels, which accounted most of Ford sales in India, it was bound to happen.
Government policies are also to blame.
VW/Skoda are also struggling.
Audi is already half shut shop.
Take, for example, govt banned import of tires used in Audis because they are made in China (after Galwan). Audi, as with very maker, has a global supply chain so China is for tires. Now to sell Audi in India or spares, are they supposed to manufacture those tires in India? That just does not make any economic sense. And starting a manufacturing unit in India is nightmare. Even Kia threatened to move to TN from AP recently after I presume rent seeking by AP govt officials.

They pleaded with govt and as usual fell on deaf ears in clueless bureaucrats in North Block.
And then there were news of local goons around Chakan calling VW HR to hire their relatives and knowns (Econonomic Times news). They even conveyed this via German embassy to the govt.
No wonder business is tough in India and consumers suffer as they have to contend with sub standard products.

[ABHI_1512]

As a Ford car owner over the years, this news saddens me no end. While we already have pretty long discussion on this thread about the exit, it’s also true that I had hoped against the hope ever since the impending exit was speculated. I renewed my motor insurance yesterday and the SM of the Ford Dealership was still rationalising the allocated cars for the next quarter. This news has come as a jolt to most of the dealers.

Ford depended too heavily on Mahindra during the last three years for the JV to happen and that Jim Farlay and Pawan Goenka were head over heels of each other during the talks was a good indicator of good things. We will probably never know why the talks failed at such an advanced stage, since they announced that they will develop and bring not one but seven new products in the next few years !!

And during the talks, Ford didn’t develop even one car and continued to depend on the JV which never happened. What they could have done is bring a mid size SUV like a Territory or even a Kuga and fill the gap somehow. It didn’t help that global models like Fiesta flopped in India despite being such a nice driver’s car. Ford never walked the extra mile to accommodate some global models to the Indian market mix.

Also, building a second plant so majestically and not using it properly added to their woes. And now we will have no American Car Company in our country. Sad, since some of the finest driver’s car were made by them and I can’t even fathom the fact that I won’t be buying another Ford in near future.

Partly, I will blame the taxation policies as well which prevented the company from bringing their global products to India. A vehicle like the Fiesta Hatch never made it to India because of our unique sub 4 meter rule and some specific sedans lost for our love of SUV’s. All said and done, the Ford management should take the blame for not heeding to market which craved for their cars and yet failed to utilise the scope in consolidating after the success of Figo and Ecosport. The Endeavour continues to sell really well and still faced the plug.

All this talk of bringing global products is hogwash and everyone will see through the talk anyways. No body will wait for the Mustang, not after shutting down plants at least. I, for one will continue to enjoy my Ecosport for as long as I can, the joy it gives on the road is unparalleled even after so many years. Thanks for the memories Ford, will hope, sometime in future, a reboot happens.

[motorworks]

We all knew this for a while, didn’t we? I mean, when this news came out few months ago, I was quite sure that Ford is going to walk away. They have been strategically exiting certain markets like Brazil and now India. Their focus is clearly the North American continent. They know how to make the pick up trucks that the Americans love, and they have a few iconic nameplates such as the Mustang and the Ford Raptor which will sort of see them do well there.

Truth is, Ford has given up the aspiration of being a global auto conglomerate. They want to focus on profitability for the short term and long term without massive capital expenditures across the globe. I think this whole COVID scenario would have sort of reiterated this thinking.

Also, this whole picture that Ford would focus on premium offerings such as the Mustang etc is just hogwash, no company can run a business based on a few hundred units in a year, even if they are imported. Plus, the Mustangs are not even close to being mainstream like the Germans, it’s too niche. India would have more buyers for Bentleys and the likes than a Mustang.

What surprises me the most is actually how little Ford has done in India since their arrival sometime in 1996-1997. They launched the Escort, then the Mondeo. Then came the Ikon and the Endeavour. The ikon was their first mainstream success, followed by the 1st Gen Figo and the Fiesta classic.

After that, it was all downhill, except the Ecosport. The aspire twins were duds, and the 2nd Gen Fiesta was a non-starter from day one.

So in about 24-25 years, Ford has not really learnt about the Indian market inspite of having reasonably successful models like the ikon, Fiesta, Figo and the Ecosport. How can someone not learn from their success as well as their failures? GM was far worse, they did not have a single successful mainstream car. But Ford did during many instances in the last 25 years.

Diesel aficionados in the south swore by the ikon, fiesta and the Figo diesels. Ford had a strong recall in many remote towns due to these superb diesels.

It’s a case study in itself to understand why Ford did what they eventually did. To me, it’s just a case of taking the easier route, focusing on the market they know and not trying in the others.

[souvikjana83]

Originally Posted by anb

Ford used to provide such cars. Figo is cheaper than swift, even lesser maintenance and a very good reliability. The same goes for Ecosport as well.

While the 1st generation of Figo went on to become a top seller, the 2nd generation bites the dust. One of the primary reason for that is the reduction of bootspace by a huge margin. For a middle class family buying their first hatchback its a huge setback on a vehicle. So now Figo is the least selling hatchback in India for some years now.

Ecosport is good and it still sells in decent numbers but I can say the backseat is not wide enough for 3 adults on a long journey. Anyone spending 10 lakhs will expect 3 people to sit comfortably in the back seat and hence has a higher probability of picking Vitara Brezza over Ecosport this being primary reason and the assured reliability of Maruti.

[NevGin]

Ford never refreshed themselves in India. What a pity they are going to stop production. I have wonderful memories of the 2 Ikon's we owned. The first was bare bones - No power steering, manual windows. But my word, what car she was to drive. Post that was the 1.6 Nxt. Again what a brilliant car.

Some years back I bought my own Ford as an additional car in the family. The second generation Figo had such a brilliant suspension setup. Despite being a petrol, it was the ride quality that made it feel at least 2 segments higher. I can't mention on the forum what that car was capable of in terms of speed, but I have a picture of the speedo specially because I knew no one would believe me when I would tell them what this 1.2 motor was capable of doing.

I hope Ford finds it within themselves to offer something else here in the not so distant future. They are busy with their own market and doing well on their core products.

[sunnsood]

I was recently part of 15% layoff at my organization and it was the longest day in my life.

I feel sorry for the staff (both direct and indirect). I hope they find jobs sooner than later. Not sure who is hiring or who can absorb this huge workforce especially with chip shortage and looming third covid wave.

[mazealot]

It is very sad news to hear .My cousin sister is in the market for a comfortable CSUV for travelling back and forth from her workplace since her old estillo unfortunately had an accident a month back . She really loved the looks of the ecosport and was really convinced on pulling the trigger on it after test driving it , but as soon as told her this news , she's now rethinking the proposition of buying a car from a company who'se chances of staying in the market are looking very bleak . She might be going for the Scross now .

[BlackPearl]

Though a lot of rumours were floating around, I had not thought that Ford would actually wrap up its operations in India. It is a shocking news in-spite of the rumours. I was never a Ford fan and out of their line up in India, I only liked the Fiesta 1.6S in that stunning blue colour and the first generation Ford Endeavour before they messed with the cosmetic facial upgrades. The current generation Ford Endeavour looks stunning and is one of the best looking SUVs in the market, but I was not impressed with its lethargic response. I actually started hating them after seeing the movie Ford vs Ferrari and what Ford did to Ken Miles and though it might sound very childish to take decisions after seeing a movie, I had decided not to buy a Ford car ever. But all said and done, I still hoped that this news was not true