[Sebring]

As far I know even in Europe, Euro 6 came in 2019 (That was quite hard to achieve), and the very stringent Euro 7 is coming in now. That's just a two year window. I don't hear the Global manufacturers complaining there. And what about California laws! They're moving towards zero emissions where only electric vehicles are feasible. These are just selective bickerings. Fact of the matter is that the Ford management messed up, big time

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Among the reasons he has listed include the "ease of doing business in India" and our government's ambivalent stance on the auto industry with constant U turns. He lists the sudden ushering in of the BS VI norms and thereafter suddenly announcing a sudden cutoff date for compulsorily stopping manufacture of ICE vehicles and the start of the "clean" EV era, the flex-fuels era and so on.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Among the reasons he has listed include the "ease of doing business in India" and our government's ambivalent stance on the auto industry with constant U turns. He lists the sudden ushering in of the BS VI norms and thereafter suddenly announcing a sudden cutoff date for compulsorily stopping manufacture of ICE vehicles and the start of the "clean" EV era, the flex-fuels era and so on.

@Anjan, I read that article and while the summary is something we all know, I agree with bhpian Sebring's view

Ford's collapse in India is due to its own mismanagement. A company that loses USD 2 bio over 20 years of its existence means it never understood the market or its consumers. India can be a tough market but it should have been equally tough for Hyundai, Maruti and heck even Nissan and Peugeot.

It is very easy to point fingers at red tape and say oh we couldn't succeed. But I do not buy that. Ford failed in Japan. They tied up with Mazda and still could not survive. Japan is not India. The red tape there is minimal. But still they failed.

End of the day, the new CEO Jim Farley has to make an economic decision - continue to burn money or call it quits. He chose the latter.

Our emissions rules may have changed very fast but that is no excuse for companies to say sorry we can't.

[ramzsys]

Originally Posted by Sebring

I don't hear the Global manufacturers complaining there

They also stopped selling low displacement diesels in India for a reason. They simply can't stop clogging the DPF in our stop-go traffic. SCR systems are expensive and ford took a gamble with just the DPF for BS6 (they were exporting it to Europe though). M&M did it wisely: even the puny engines in commercial segment got the SCRs.

This forum discussed thoroughly all these aspects during the BS6 transition times and yet people with primary urban driving went ahead and bought these motors.

The least complaints are from Honda i-Dtec owners; the availability of decent lower end torque in that motor helps I guess.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Sebring

As far I know even in Europe, Euro 6 came in 2019

Euro 6 was implemented in 2015, not 2019.

[Lowflyer23]

Originally Posted by dr_TJ

Seriously? 8 lakhs for the old Ecosport Dry clutch DCT?
I am finding it hard to get a buyer for my Ecosport Titanium Plus Torque Convertor AT, 2020 Model. Even for slightly over 8 lakhs

Although it is not a panic sale after the announcement, I had it listed for sale like 3 months ago.

No, no I'm not talking about picking up an old (pre owned) one at 8 lakhs, I'm talking about getting a new one at that price if possible. It is evident that the discounts would be huge and the resale value would crash like anything.

[sidg]

I would like to post as a Chevy Cruze owner here. I have been driving cruze for over a decade now with almost 70K Kms clocked. Thankfully, my chevy has never demanded any major part replacement. Except for routine oil change, filter change, brake pad, no major work carried out/needed. This could be attributed to my driving style which is more sedate. All the above parts were easily available in Vadodara, GJ. The service was done in a local FNG after Chevy stopped operations in India.

Hence, Ford owners should not be worried about spare parts/service. number of ford vehicles are far more than chevy vehicles. Hardly any vehicle will be able to match driving dynamics of a ford. I am still enjoying every bit of my cruze even after 10 years. The only vehicle that could replace a cruze would be the Vw/Skoda diesel or Ford/Jeep diesel.

[apocalypse]

On a lighter note, since Ford is quitting India, we wish them the very best for all their future Endeavours!!

[dr_TJ]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

No, no I'm not talking about picking up an old (pre owned) one at 8 lakhs, I'm talking about getting a new one at that price if possible. It is evident that the discounts would be huge and the resale value would crash like anything.

The new Ecosport has a Torque Convertor autobox, not a DCT.
DCT was a bit problematic cause of the dry clutches

[Maverick Avi]

Not sure if its related to Ford's decision to shut its plants in India but during my last 2 visits to one of the most reputed and widespread Ford dealer/service center in Delhi I could observe quite a few cases where basic spare parts were not available and customers were being asked to wait for couple of weeks. Even in my car a blower motor resistor which regulates blower speed was not available. I was told to wait for maximum 2 weeks. Even after 3 weeks and repeated followups the part was not available. Then surprisingly a single email to customer care was all it took for the part arrive the same day.

I just hope Ford customer care also remains available during the time they support service. Otherwise it would be tough dealing with the whims and fancies of select few service centers.

[amitayu]

Bought a Ford Freestyle back in 2019. Now, everyone and their grannies are telling me "told you not to buy"!

To be honest, I still stand by me decision of buying the Freestyle as I still believe in the product. But obviously I am now bloody concerned about the future of maintaining the car.

I meticulously maintain my car with annual servicing from authorized SCs, periodic change of clutch pads etc. only to maintain my cars in proper and prime conditions. then there are software updates involved in modern age cars that are as critical as hardware maintenance.

The biggest question for me now is where will I get these services? I do not have the bandwidth to go searching for FNGs who can do decent work on my car! This is clearly not what I signed up for when I bought the car!

What happens to the dealer network is the biggest question for me now, as all SC are operated by them. Mere lip service in terms of verbal assurances from Ford mean nothing at this point of time! We need some concrete announcements from the company or its associates about how exactly they plan to continue giving us the 'family wala feeling' or whatever mumbo-jumbo they are promising!

[VW2010]

To be honest, I still stand by me decision of buying the Freestyle as I still believe in the product. But obviously, I am now bloody concerned about the future of maintaining the car.

Either you find your peace of mind selling it or live with it for few years, very well knowing it can go down south. The value of the car probably will give you company as the journey takes south.

At the end of the day, do not compromise on what gives you peace. I picked up a ford Endeavour one day after the announcement. I know what I am signing up for and I am sure I can find a way to procure parts when needed.

Your scenario is different and I may suggest that you have a proper conversation with your family and take a concrete decision either to live with fear or ride free knowing the risks. The service centres may still be profitable and Ford may run it for few years. Ford may reduce the number of centres and the wait time for parts may go up. It was the sales that caused this downfall.

Ford Fiesta, Endeavour, Eco sport are manufactured even outside India. Parts may take time but my take is, the parts network will be open for few years and post that we will have to find our way to procure and ship.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by Sebring

As far I know even in Europe, Euro 6 came in 2019 (That was quite hard to achieve), and the very stringent Euro 7 is coming in now.

The Euro VII norms are to be notified in 2021. The norms will be effective from sometime in 2025.

[Wheels]

I contemplated a month ago to go for Ecosport Petrol AT and did test drive. Liked the overall performance. However, was holding my progress to go ahead, thanks to the inputs from our community. That paid off Just In Time. Thanks a ton. Sad to see them go off and thinking of my neighbour who has Blue Petrol Manual Ecosport, 5 year old. Don't expect to see them to drive with peace of mind any more.

[funkykar]

Except for the massive hit on vehicle monetary value, owners of Ford cars don't need to worry at all.

We know enough of many discontinued brands where parts are available very much to date. We also know of the awful availability of parts for existing brands also.

Ford would provide all the spares needs for sure to keep its repute intact! Just enjoy your cars.

[vishwasvr]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Friends,

I am the fairly happy owner of a 2017 Apr Ford 1.5 AT (Ford Aspire: Excessive play in the driver's seat) that has generally been good for me.

I am worried after seeing posts like @ask_017 who got delivery of his car today at 1pm and was unaware of the circumstances. Imagine a car that lost 50% of its value in 3 hours!

I will happily run this car for as long as I can but I would want to stock up on any drivetrain parts since the AT barely sold. I am not worried about the regular plastic items or electrical but AT specific parts. Are there any parts (the equivalent of clutch plates for instance) i should buy? Just last month I began feeling a mild judder in reverse gear without accelerator, hence I was anyways wondering about impending expenses.

I wouldn't want it to become a garage queen waiting a month for parts to be imported from overseas.

For me it is no different from buying bike parts in advance of a Ladakh trip - investment in peace of mind.

Am I thinking about it right? How would you think about it?
- Would you chill about it right now and buy items only when they start going out of stock?
- Or do you trust local after market OEMs to step up for this large user base with replacement parts?

Please do not worry about maintaining the car for the next few years. Dealers will be able to procure parts albeit with enough lead time.

Perhaps you can stock up basic maintenance parts just to ensure your car is quickly back on the road after service.