FORD Plan for India !!!

Sowmya · 17th December 2008, 23:11

Shaking off US blues, Ford pads up for India.

http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/1622...-Ford-pad.html

Nitin · 17th December 2008, 23:14

I wouldn't be surprised if more and more car makers head to India in order to revamp their overall sales. The new Ford Focus is a pretty good contender to enter the Indian market.

aaggoswami · 18th December 2008, 00:14

Its not that easy. Just entering wont get them success.
Fusion is the best example.
Focus must be positioned starting from just below Civic. Against the mighty Honda and Toyota tags, Focus will need a great diesel to start with. And not to forget the basic A.S & S. Even if Ford India improves the A.S & S., they are bound to get more market share. Some people dont buy their products just because of A.S & S. Nothing that wrong with car.

So just bringing in a model is less than half the job done, specially the small volume players in under Rs. 15 lakh segment.

18th December 2008, 09:30

Well, they are trying all sorts of things to stay solvent. And India is certainly seen as a market with decent potential.

One thing Ford and GM are quite good at nowadays is internet marketing.

Of late you will notice that on most forums (not just team-bhp) someone will "ask" which car to buy and the answer (supplied promptly by another poster) is inevitably a Ford or GM product! These people are also effusive in their praise of Ford and GM products, as well as the management.

You could also see this kind of 'synthetic posts' when a new old product like Ikon was launched recently. This has been happening all over the internet and desi forums haven't been spared. It remains to be seen whether this strategy gets them enough consumers to prevent bankruptcy. But the USian automakers and their 'family members' (dealers, employees, etc.) are certainly trying new things to win sales.

Personally I find the contention that Indian operations are safe in case of US bankruptcy or 'Govt. sponsored restructuring' untruthful and misleading. Look at Daewoo. Safer to buy a Korean, Japanese or INDIAN product. JMT.

Joe M · 18th December 2008, 09:39

The focus, if priced properly, will sell in good numbers, I think. It is one of the best handling Front Wheel Drive cars.

mail4loys · 18th December 2008, 10:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe M

The focus, if priced properly, will sell in good numbers, I think. It is one of the best handling Front Wheel Drive cars.

Ford has a very bad reputation on A.S.S and if it wants to make some success in India, surely they have to improve much on it. Inspite of giving good drivers car they didnt sell much because of A.S.S and spare cost. It is high time they do something to it!

amit · 18th December 2008, 10:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe M

It is one of the best handling Front Wheel Drive cars.

Nobody here cares about that. Most of that segment cars are chauffer driven anyway. Add to that the fact, that Indians don't care about FTD factor while buying cars.

snaronikar · 18th December 2008, 10:55

Ford cannot afford to shut down operations in India. They are getting some margins here compared to otehr developed countries. It will be good to see if they bring in more variants with the correct pricing.

Sowmya · 18th December 2008, 13:25

SuperSyn. You are true that there is some internet marketing is going on in diff Forum.
But again In India we have very less option of choosing the car company as well as model. HONDA/TOYOTA does not sell the below 7L. So our option goes to GM/Maruthi/FORD/FIAT/TATA.
But FIAT-TATA many people does not like.

VINUMON · 18th December 2008, 13:32

OT: Hi Soumya, is that your photo on display at the top.

18th December 2008, 13:38

Sowmya saar you forgot Hyundai

Besides, Ford does not have anything decent below 6L either. GM though has some rebranded Daewoo products like Spark. But in that segment the margins are thin and competetion tough.

About Focus being good driver's car: this reputation is built on suspension tuned for EU roads. The same suspension setup cannot be offered in India because of our engineering excellence in road building. So Ford can't bet on sporty handling to attract enthusiasts.

And if you add 'too much' power, fuel economy goes down and people start crying. Sure, you'll sell a hundred cars (mostly to bhpian type enthusiasts) but then sales fall off a cliff. Running a profitable car business in India is like walking on a razor's edge.

Sowmya · 18th December 2008, 21:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by VINUMON

OT: Hi Soumya, is that your photo on display at the top.

Thats my car in India.

mjothi · 18th December 2008, 21:33

The first thing ford should is not introduce new models, but improve A.S.S. Majority of the car buyers buy cars of Maruti & Hyundai. Why? Its because of the peace fo mind they think they would get. Also, its the brand that comes to mind if we talk about small cars. All these because of the exhastive list of dealers and service center you see all over India. So, first and foremost, improve, increase the A.S.S centers.

redrage · 19th December 2008, 00:53

Had been to the Ford factory engine shop recently on a supplier visit. Ford exapnding in full steam ahead of their small car launch in 2010 . planning on 250,000 engines a year soon. Machines have come in. Ford Mantra now is DV4/DV6 variants. 2 small cars on the anvil. Watch this space soon.

17th December 2008, 23:11	#1
Sowmya BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 493 Thanked: 19 Times View My Garage	FORD Plan for India !!! Shaking off US blues, Ford pads up for India. http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/1622...-Ford-pad.html
	() Thanks

17th December 2008, 23:14	#2
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	I wouldn't be surprised if more and more car makers head to India in order to revamp their overall sales. The new Ford Focus is a pretty good contender to enter the Indian market.
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 00:14	#3
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,982 Thanked: 2,931 Times	Its not that easy. Just entering wont get them success. Fusion is the best example. Focus must be positioned starting from just below Civic. Against the mighty Honda and Toyota tags, Focus will need a great diesel to start with. And not to forget the basic A.S & S. Even if Ford India improves the A.S & S., they are bound to get more market share. Some people dont buy their products just because of A.S & S. Nothing that wrong with car. So just bringing in a model is less than half the job done, specially the small volume players in under Rs. 15 lakh segment.
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 09:30	#4
SuperSyn Posts: n/a	Well, they are trying all sorts of things to stay solvent. And India is certainly seen as a market with decent potential. One thing Ford and GM are quite good at nowadays is internet marketing. Of late you will notice that on most forums (not just team-bhp) someone will "ask" which car to buy and the answer (supplied promptly by another poster) is inevitably a Ford or GM product! These people are also effusive in their praise of Ford and GM products, as well as the management. You could also see this kind of 'synthetic posts' when a new old product like Ikon was launched recently. This has been happening all over the internet and desi forums haven't been spared. It remains to be seen whether this strategy gets them enough consumers to prevent bankruptcy. But the USian automakers and their 'family members' (dealers, employees, etc.) are certainly trying new things to win sales. Personally I find the contention that Indian operations are safe in case of US bankruptcy or 'Govt. sponsored restructuring' untruthful and misleading. Look at Daewoo. Safer to buy a Korean, Japanese or INDIAN product. JMT.
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 09:39	#5
Joe M BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sydney/Cochin Posts: 290 Thanked: 169 Times View My Garage	The focus, if priced properly, will sell in good numbers, I think. It is one of the best handling Front Wheel Drive cars.
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 10:55	#8
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	Ford cannot afford to shut down operations in India. They are getting some margins here compared to otehr developed countries. It will be good to see if they bring in more variants with the correct pricing.
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 13:25	#9
Sowmya BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 493 Thanked: 19 Times View My Garage	SuperSyn. You are true that there is some internet marketing is going on in diff Forum. But again In India we have very less option of choosing the car company as well as model. HONDA/TOYOTA does not sell the below 7L. So our option goes to GM/Maruthi/FORD/FIAT/TATA. But FIAT-TATA many people does not like.
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 13:32	#10
VINUMON BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Doha Posts: 139 Thanked: 2 Times	OT: Hi Soumya, is that your photo on display at the top.
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 13:38	#11
SuperSyn Posts: n/a	Sowmya saar you forgot Hyundai Besides, Ford does not have anything decent below 6L either. GM though has some rebranded Daewoo products like Spark. But in that segment the margins are thin and competetion tough. About Focus being good driver's car: this reputation is built on suspension tuned for EU roads. The same suspension setup cannot be offered in India because of our engineering excellence in road building. So Ford can't bet on sporty handling to attract enthusiasts. And if you add 'too much' power, fuel economy goes down and people start crying. Sure, you'll sell a hundred cars (mostly to bhpian type enthusiasts) but then sales fall off a cliff. Running a profitable car business in India is like walking on a razor's edge.
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 21:33	#13
mjothi Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,287 Thanked: 231 Times View My Garage	The first thing ford should is not introduce new models, but improve A.S.S. Majority of the car buyers buy cars of Maruti & Hyundai. Why? Its because of the peace fo mind they think they would get. Also, its the brand that comes to mind if we talk about small cars. All these because of the exhastive list of dealers and service center you see all over India. So, first and foremost, improve, increase the A.S.S centers.
	() Thanks

19th December 2008, 00:53	#14
redrage BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 553 Thanked: 106 Times	Had been to the Ford factory engine shop recently on a supplier visit. Ford exapnding in full steam ahead of their small car launch in 2010 . planning on 250,000 engines a year soon. Machines have come in. Ford Mantra now is DV4/DV6 variants. 2 small cars on the anvil. Watch this space soon.
	() Thanks