[Chrome6Boy]

Originally Posted by PYSO

How much of power would you use in the bumper-to-bumper city traffic of India?
Ford has done the right thing, I feel.. Traded in the extra unusable power for FE. (Remember the NHC - low on power, but high on FE.. and used to sell like hot cakes... the ANHC messed all that up...)

You're probably right about the power requirement for bumper to bumper traffic, but I guess the same logic also goes for high speed stability. Some of us luckily get to drive our cars on the highways too on a regular basis.

As for ANHC I don't think they messed it up at all. Until the Vento and the Verna came along they were really the king of the hill, if you ask me they might still rule the roost as far as Petrol Sedans go in this segment. The ANHC has great power with pretty decent mileage.

I'm glad you like the Fiesta, I hope it sells well. More cars in this segment will only benefit us consumers.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by PYSO

Never seen or driven this car. I went by the review on the first page of this thread.

What you say about the rear seat being meant for only 2 adults doesn't sound believable, however. What sort of adults? The super-super-size sort?

PYSO,

I am talking about 3 average adults and I am talking about elbow space, not leg room or head room. I am just 5'5" and am of average build, my friend who sat with me is 5'6" and is also of average build. We asked the SE to sit in the rear seat and closing the door was really tough. Once the door close, the SE had to twist to one side just to get some space. And the Se was not a fat guy either.

Check it for yourself. After my visit to the showroom i re-checked the review of Rehaan to see if he commented about the elbow space but there was no mention of it.

[optimist]

Originally Posted by motorworks

I checked out the Linea, the base active is about 9.15 lakhs OTR and it has no features absolutely. So my guess is that the Emotion variant of Linea would be at around 10.75 to 11 lakhs

I took a test drive of the emotion pack on saturday which officially stands at ~10.80. After a 10K discount it comes to 10.70 lakhs. Rear seat, leg space and boot was good but the overall package did not interest me very much. Looks like Vento is the only alternative but delivery period is not managable.

Time to look hard for a 2009 1.4TDCi SXI and invest the spare cash.

[MandarMax]

Got the price list for Pune from Planet ford today:

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by Mustang.101

An interesting fact:


PS - fiesta vs. Classic test drive report for both petrol and diesel cars coming soon from my side.

The non-classic SXI Diesel and petrol are still available with dealers here and there. I was planning on the new Fiesta but then left it out . Would the SXI continue to be there for a couple of years more? Can one confidently go for that, given that it is now existing side by side with the NFS? And what is going to happen in the huge price gap between the CLXI of the Classic and the SXI? Has any Classic SXI already been manufactured, and if so can you let us know if there is any change happening in it from the standard SXI?

Mods: if this is not an appropriate thread for this, please move it to the suitable one.

[gaurav911]

I have been closely watching this space right from the start. Like most enthusiasts, i was looking forward to the launch of the Fiesta, sure that it would be the ideal replacement for my 4.5 year old Fiesta (now the classic).
However, the prices have shattered this.
I think Ford has messed up the pricing strategy big time.
Aren't there any strategists at Ford ? Are the variants & prices simply rolled out randomly based on gut feel?

Well,i would suggest the following steps:

1. Firstly reduce the Classic range from 3 models to just 1. Ex-showroom price for the petrol should be 5.5-5.6 (include airbags & abs as standard if possible or make it optional at an additional price of 25-30K & earn a reputation for being a manufacture that cares + being a VFM provider. This would help the F.Classic eat into the sales of Accent + Indigo + to some extent Etios/Dzire)

2. No need to launch 4 variants of the new Fiesta. Restrict it to 2. Of course keep the ABS+Airbags as standard. Let the top end have all the bells and whistles. That way u can justify the price differential. This would also lead to operational cost reduction and easy demand predictability. Lots of people have already commented on the foolishness of introducing the Titanium+ variant having just 2 features in addition to the Titanium.

3. Price the base variant of the New Fiesta petrol @ 6.75-6.85 ex showroom (classic + 1.25 lacs) and the top end at 8-8.25(base + 1.25-1.5).

4. For the diesel, charge a premium of 1-1.2 Lakh, which would imply that the new fiesta would retail at around 8 for the base and around 9 for the top end.

I am sure at these prices the new Fiesta would be very well accepted and would be a serious threat to the competition, be it the Fluidic Verna or the Sophisticated Vento.

By doing this, Ford would have ensured 2 Aces in its pocket - Figo and the New Fiesta. It would also establish Ford as a VFM operator and a serious player in the competitive & growing Indian market.
Alas, things don't turn out as expected

[geeash]

I think ford has tried to compensate the loss incurred in pricing figo so well in the NFS. But sorry ford i expected a sub 10 lakh car. Dont think you are worth the price. i might go for the D segment if i pay a lakh more !!

[raul]

Ford is notorious for rebranding the same car with superficial addons and a new model number at frequent intervals, if the cars don't move at the current prices I am sure we will see stripped down versions with new sub model nos soon.

Ford's main usp at the moment is handling and a new model, a few enthusiasts may bite but am not sure that's enough to get it numbers. Space, size, presence are not its strengths and the rivals are not bad handlers or lookers.

There were at least 3 people in my office waiting for the new Fiesta expecting decent pricing, 1 pretty serious. Now with the prices they have slunk away. When one spends 9 plus and for 12 plus one definitely expects the car to have some presence; Verna Fluidic, ANHC, and Vento to an extent have that but the size of the new Fiesta makes it a compact sedan.

Most car manufactures have been needlessly pushing the prices up steadily and they have got flak for that, but Ford takes the cake. This kind of pricing seriously imbalances the market and devalues the value of our money.

[Poitive]

I see two issues here.

1. The pricing (of course)
2. How expectations were built for a VFM and cheaper than Verna pricing.

Had the build up been more towards a premium price, there may have been a lot better acceptance. Guess Ford didn't manage that too well. Or maybe this is happening mainly on the forum.

[rajivn]

Originally Posted by Poitive

I see two issues here.

1. The pricing (of course)
2. How expectations were built for a VFM and cheaper than Verna pricing.

Had the build up been more towards a premium price, there may have been a lot better acceptance. Guess Ford didn't manage that too well. Or maybe this is happening mainly on the forum.

True. People here expected VFM but the price is premium. I also find lot of people commenting without TDing or even looking at the car in person. I saw the car in person, its definitely an impressive machine. Two of my friends who also saw the car were quite impressed with whats on offer. One even Test drove the diesel and felt it was absolutely great to drive and is on the verge of booking one though its beyond his budget by a lakh.

In my opinion, for someone who wants a premium C-segment sedan, this is the car after Honda City moved towards a VFM pricing. While Ford may not have that premium brand image to boot right now, maybe it wants to establish one for future launches. With this pricing, Ford should obviously be aware of lesser numbers it might report compared to competition. With production issues, Ford should only be content with reasonable numbers. I also believe, once, the ownership reports start trickling in and positive word of mouth spreads Ford should be able to sustain the price. Who knows, with car prices steadily rising every year, Verna and Vento prices might also go up and in a year should probably match the Fiestas pricing while Ford may not have the luxury to further increase the price.

[sumathindra]

Originally Posted by geeash

I think ford has tried to compensate the loss incurred in pricing figo so well in the NFS. But sorry ford i expected a sub 10 lakh car. Dont think you are worth the price. i might go for the D segment if i pay a lakh more !!

Do you really think ford incurred losses in selling the FIGO? naaa.

[mdsaab]

Hey did someone mention discounts already?
i think i read that further down.
Looks like this has come even sooner than expected.

[Maanspeedo]

Twist in my car buying tale !
I had booked a Blue titanium + diesel NFS last month and was sure I shall get it by July end, but the way things are moving at Ford motors and arrogant pricing of almost 12Lakh OTR Mumbai for a 1.5 Engine with less than 100 hp has put me off..
Still hoping for a miraculous way to get early delivery as I dont mind the price so much .
And if that does not happen than I do not have any other diesel sedan available where I can fit in ( I am 6.3 and have tried all cars under 20Lakh OTR just for the front leg space ), and in such a bleak scenario when Laura( only car which I loved in this category ) seems out of budget at 17Lakh OTR , I am seriously getting tempted to go back to old horse ANHC , price cut make it worth considering at 9 Lakh OTR Thane for top End V MT and yeah , petrol engine may be expensive to run against a diesel sedan but then I change cars every 2 years so shall make sense to go for ANHC economically too . Just need suggestions here on how I can incorporate a CD player in ANHC and is Habanero red colour a good choice ( read some stories about it getting faded in few months !)
Test drove ANHV 4 times and hated the handling so was so much keen on a better handling American or European car but then this delivery time and pricing has left me disappointed..
I would have loved to be a Fordian this time , Alas !

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by MandarMax

Got the price list for Pune from Planet ford today:

Thanks for sharing MandarMax. Looking at the on road prices, Fiesta will be pushed down or out of the list for many. All other cars are cheaper than Fiesta in its segment. Damp squib!

[Reinhard]

Actually the pricing is not a big surprise. The day Mr. Siddharth Patankar had shown the new Fiesta (LHD version of course) on the Car & Bike show, it was evident that this car will tip the scales above 10L in Diesel. I never thought it to be a "cheap" car at all. What I'm satisfied about is, while keeping the price high, Ford have at least NOT chopped out the features in international versions. Its pretty well beefed up.

I may be wrong, but barring the Verna F, all other contenders in this segment are a bit dated. None are too fresh in their looks front. Vento is one, but at the end of the day its a more sort of "Made for India" and there are some spicy bits missing. The average mass doesn't care if there is a 1.6 or a 1.5 under the hood. Oh yes, I like the Vento more than the Fiesta any day. But forgetting about the brand given the feature list AN Fiesta weighs up well against the Vento and others. Especially compared to the LINEA, which is quite aged (though still classy) the Fiesta's pricing looks not too ugly to me. Perhaps this is Ford's try into the premium sedan (where it badly failed earlier with the MONDEO) and they want to sell the Fiesta Classic to the janata...