[KreativeGeek]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Disappointing to see the Figo/Aspire Twins numbers in November, ~2000+ units of each. I hope it is due to the November flood in Chennai which impacted production and deliveries. Otherwise it is sad to see such good cars struggling just a couple of months after launch.

Where did u get these sales numbers from? I did not see Nov sales thread going live on the forum yet, and even if these numbers are true I feel Ford could manage a month hardly with launch hype and it has being a downhill journey after that.

There is no way they can pull back customers from Maruti, Hyundai and Honda at this stage & even Mahindra TUV300 is registering impressive growth, initial safety differentiator in the form of ABS and Airbag features was quickly matched by competition and poor marketing effort still continues

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by KreativeGeek

Where did u get these sales numbers from? I did not see Nov sales thread going live on the forum yet, and even if these numbers are true I feel Ford could manage a month hardly with launch hype and it has being a downhill journey after that.

From the Management Punditz Site

This is the same data source for the detailed Team Bhp analysis. So is definitely accurate. Initially thought it was the Chennai flood impact slowing dispatches, but mod Viddy6639 clarified that the Aspire twins are made in Gujarat.

Hence pretty surprising.

[KreativeGeek]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

From the Management Punditz Site

This is the same data source for the detailed Team Bhp analysis. So is definitely accurate. Initially thought it was the Chennai flood impact slowing dispatches, but mod Viddy6639 clarified that the Aspire twins are made in Gujarat.

Hence pretty surprising.

I think after Baleno launch sale has zoomed to 9K which has also dealt a sweet blow to Aspire and Figo.
So November festive discount and finance offers failed to make any difference. Going by the overall response from Ford I think they are happy with whatever sales they are achieving for now, showing no interest improving positioning of Aspire

[theredliner]

I personally feel that the lack of a good petrol engine in the Figo has also hit them.
When the previous gen Figo was launched, the market was heavily diesel biased (so much so that even a person with 500km/month running bought a diesel) and Swift diesel was like the hottest thing in the market. The Figo diesel's good drivability, VFM pricing and the huge waiting period for Swift VDI made many opt for the Figo. The fact that they could buy the top Titanium trim for mid VDI's money also made many consider the Figo.

The current Figo has been launched at a time when the petrol has fought back to take up half of the market share.
The petrol Figo does not even get consideration from many buyers due to the history of poor performance and poor fuel efficiency figures (1.6 Duratec).

Diesel Figo is too expensive for someone who does not need it. The Baleno hit the Figo very hard due to its stellar pricing and feature list. The Zeta Baleno petrol is cheaper than a Figo Titanium diesel and packs way more features. The K12 is a peppy and fuel efficient engine. The light weight of the Baleno adds to the above. Even the base Sigma Baleno offers good feature list and safety (on paper, structure is an entirely different debate). Ford made a mistake by offering ABS only from Titanium.

Maruti has been able to advertise their engines as high performance ones even though they have been dumbed down considerably from their initial avatars. Ford failed to advertise the performance of that explosive 1.5 TDCi. Even now people think that the TDCi is an average performer.
Ford should stop worrying about the internal cannibalization and should start offering the Ecoboost at least from Titanium trim on the Figo.
Even with Tata - known as a diesel car manufacturer, 4 out of 5 Zests I see are Revotrons. In spite of the poor performance of the Ti-VCT, I still see some people considering it. If Ford had a decent petrol engine, they would have seen many more people opting for it.

All said, it is their terrible marketing which is the biggest reason. The Figo Titanium/Titanium+ TDCi is a superb VFM all rounder. I hardly see any ads of the new Figo/Aspire in newspapers/TV/billboards. They had the advantage of 'Fastest Diesel hatch/compact sedan' and 'Only car in the segment to offer 6 airbags' to market. They failed to do so and they had it coming.

[Chillout]

Originally Posted by sameer sultan

Attaching some pictures of my Figo Aspire 1.2L Trend. Upgraded the tires to Continental Contact 5 185/60R15 with Neo Alloys.I have noticed the ground clearance has increased after fixing higher profile tires.Have driven about 40kms since taking delivery day before, the engine is really smooth. The drive is comfortable. Was not able to drive much due to the Chennai Rains.

Sameer those alloys and wheels definitely enhance the vehicle, take care of the car, especially during the current rains as most of the roads are battered.

BTW did you pick it up from Arumbakkam office and do you stay in Chetpet.

[rajneeesh]

Originally Posted by theredliner

I personally feel that the lack of a good petrol engine in the Figo has also hit them.
When the previous gen Figo was launched, the market was heavily diesel biased (so much so that even a person with 500km/month running bought a diesel) and Swift diesel was like the hottest thing in the market. The Figo diesel's good drivability, VFM pricing and the huge waiting period for Swift VDI made many opt for the Figo. The fact that they could buy the top Titanium trim for mid VDI's money also made many consider the Figo.

The current Figo has been launched at a time when the petrol has fought back to take up half of the market share.
The petrol Figo does not even get consideration from many buyers due to the history of poor performance and poor fuel efficiency figures (1.6 Duratec).

Diesel Figo is too expensive for someone who does not need it. The Baleno hit the Figo very hard due to its stellar pricing and feature list. The Zeta Baleno petrol is cheaper than a Figo Titanium diesel and packs way more features. The K12 is a peppy and fuel efficient engine. The light weight of the Baleno adds to the above. Even the base Sigma Baleno offers good feature list and safety (on paper, structure is an entirely different debate). Ford made a mistake by offering ABS only from Titanium.

Maruti has been able to advertise their engines as high performance ones even though they have been dumbed down considerably from their initial avatars. Ford failed to advertise the performance of that explosive 1.5 TDCi. Even now people think that the TDCi is an average performer.
Ford should stop worrying about the internal cannibalization and should start offering the Ecoboost at least from Titanium trim on the Figo.
Even with Tata - known as a diesel car manufacturer, 4 out of 5 Zests I see are Revotrons. In spite of the poor performance of the Ti-VCT, I still see some people considering it. If Ford had a decent petrol engine, they would have seen many more people opting for it.

All said, it is their terrible marketing which is the biggest reason. The Figo Titanium/Titanium+ TDCi is a superb VFM all rounder. I hardly see any ads of the new Figo/Aspire in newspapers/TV/billboards. They had the advantage of 'Fastest Diesel hatch/compact sedan' and 'Only car in the segment to offer 6 airbags' to market. They failed to do so and they had it coming.

The problem with the Ford Figo twins is the poor Ford Service. People who had put their money on the FIgo, the Ecosport etc are disappointed by the pathetic service, high maintenance cost and the "Highway robber" attitude of the Service centers. This was one reason I got rid of my Figo ( Diesel) even though it was less than 5 years old and decided to keep a more than 7 year old (petrol) SX4 . I feared every visit to the service centre as I would be presented with huge estimates and bills. The vehicle was also not as trouble free as we expect a modern day car to be. People are willing to pay a hgher price if they get a good product that is backed by good service ( Toyota Innova & Fortuner, Hyundai I20 and Creta ) are some examples where high priced products are best sellers.

[sameer sultan]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Congrats Sameer on Aspire. Looks like we both have similar car buying backgrounds with Cruze as our previous car ( Do you still own the Cruze?)



Btw, why did you chose a 1.2 petrol mill especially after coming from the Cruze lineage?

Hi Avi yes I had noticed as well that our buying patterns are similar with one difference is that I went for the 1.2L Aspire since this car is primarily for city runs. I still own the Cruze it's done 93K in exactly 6 years.(Dec 3 2009) I m so happy with my Cruze ownership that I am waiting for the all new Cruze!

Originally Posted by Chillout

Sameer those alloys and wheels definitely enhance the vehicle, take care of the car, especially during the current rains as most of the roads are battered.



BTW did you pick it up from Arumbakkam office and do you stay in Chetpet.

Thanks Chillout. Not driving around too much in the rains. Yes I picked up the car from Arumbakkam branch. I stay this side of the railway tracks in Egmore. If I cross the railway tracks its Chetpet!!!

[The Rationalist]

The sales figures of Ford Figo and Aspire are a dampener. The real reason is not them being bad products, but they aren't anything great. They aren't game changers. Yesterday I saw a Renault Kwid head on and I was stunned, that didn't look like an entry level car, if they get some fancy DRL and stuff, it could feel at home with cars from two segments higher. Ford needs a game changer like Kwid, that's the only hope to wash away deeply entrenched bias against Ford. But the commoner should not be blamed for bias, because the reason lies in the way Ford was being managed prior to Old generation Figo. They had garnered the reputation of high service costs, reliability issues of products. My Dad uses a Figo and the service bills are reasonable and it doesn't squeak after 50000 kms and 5 years. I have a friend whose Figo was a mini rattle snake at 40000 kms in 2 years. If you treat any car like dirt, it can be broken, so the problem of rattling and stuff is upto how one up keeps the car, not down to cars per se. Yesterday I had my service check up and the service experience was good, but was it exceptional? Nope it was just like Maruti. In today's age the customer is looking for a difference in everything, if you dole out ordinary experience, what you can expect is an ordinary result. Ford should have come out with DRL's and all fancy stuff rather than wait for a facelift. Now the plot is lost forever.

[dragonov007]

I think the 'mighty' Baleno launch has stolen the thunder from the Figo twins completely.Just one look at the Baleno thread in Team BHP gives one an idea the buzz this car has generated- it is 116 pages and growing explosively.Maruti with addition of safety features from the base variants has negated the advantages Ford had.Smaller displacement petrols of Maruti appeal to a broader segment as they enjoy the reputation of being peppy and efficient,whereas Ford has not made sincere efforts to capture this segment. 1.5L DCT is in a different price bracket and appeals to a limited set of customers. Ford is holding the edge in the powerful diesels and six airbags in the top trims,however Maruti has time and time again proved that they have no difficulty in selling their 1.3L DDiS even in the 75 ps tune.

Baleno Alpha trim has everything from DRLs,HID projectors,LED back lights,Push button start,reversing camera,touch screen ICE,16 inch wheels and fancy looking meter console.I was also briefly confused and was thinking whether I should cancel the Aspire booking and go with the Baleno,but the tractable diesel,the amazing power delivery and 6 airbags made me stick with the Ford.I didn't want to look back later and think 'Oh I miss the lovely diesel in the Aspire' when the novelty of features like DRLs wear out in course of time.However for others the features,the Maruti A.S.S. & peace of mind and better resale may trump any negatives of an anaemic diesel.

IMO if Ford now sells the Figo twins at around 5k/month then it is a decent number for them.Ford must be thinking '6 airbags,100 bhp diesels,DCTs...now what else we can do to counter the market leaders?' I will say super aggressive marketing,efficient and humble A.S.S. should be their priority. Maruti and Hyundai have got to the top for some good reasons indeed,Ford can not expect market perceptions to change suddenly- they will need sustained efforts to do so.

As for me,I will be happy to see the roads not swarming with Aspires(like the Dzire),and if some bit of uniqueness is preserved.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by dragonov007

IMO if Ford now sells the Figo twins at around 5k/month then it is a decent number for them.

unfortunately for them both put together they are in the 5k range.

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The Figo's are made in Sanand Gujarat and not in Chennai. Only the Ecosport is impacted due to Chennai flooding.

Yes, but apparently the entire sales and marketing team has been affected. "Ford is underwater in Chennai" - my dealer's words.

Originally Posted by KreativeGeek

I think after Baleno launch sale has zoomed to 9K which has also dealt a sweet blow to Aspire and Figo.

Going by the overall response from Ford I think they are happy with whatever sales they are achieving for now, showing no interest improving positioning of Aspire

I feel Baleno has impacted the Aspire more than the Figo. Anybody with the budget for an Aspire will first consider the Baleno, it being a Maruti with all its perceived benefits (but I have feeling that Baleno will be expensive to maintain, considering its sold under Nexa). What I have noticed is that current Ford owners will always opt for another Ford - despite all the complaints about maintenance cost. So, brand loyalty is one good thing they have going for them.

Originally Posted by theredliner

I personally feel that the lack of a good petrol engine in the Figo has also hit them.

The petrol Figo does not even get consideration from many buyers due to the history of poor performance and poor fuel efficiency figures (1.6 Duratec).

Ford failed to advertise the performance of that explosive 1.5 TDCi. Even now people think that the TDCi is an average performer.

If Ford had a decent petrol engine, they would have seen many more people opting for it.

All said, it is their terrible marketing which is the biggest reason.

The petrol engine is lackluster but it gives good mileage - and this is what matters to the common man. (Mine gives me the same mileage in-city as my Alto).

But this would help sales only if people knew the car existed. If people knew more about this amazing diesel engine they would definitely consider it.

It all boils down to poor marketing. Period. Ford does not know / does not want to sell, what should be the 'Car of the Year'. I hardly see any newspaper ads or TVCs nowadays. They have to think big to sell big. Suggestion - sponsor the upcoming T20 World Cup and see the sales soar.

Even the dealer could do a lot more to sell in neighbouring towns. In a town like Udupi (which does not have a Ford dealership) every dealer (including Maruti) organizes road shows at strategic places as a marketing ploy - not Ford.

I'll say it again - if people know about the car, they will buy it.

[samaspire]

Has anybody here set up an OBD scanner to work with their Android phone?

[teemus]

Originally Posted by samaspire

But this would help sales only if people knew the car existed. If people knew more about this amazing diesel engine they would definitely consider it.

It all boils down to poor marketing. Period. Ford does not know / does not want to sell, what should be the 'Car of the Year'. I hardly see any newspaper ads or TVCs nowadays. They have to think big to sell big. Suggestion - sponsor the upcoming T20 World Cup and see the sales soar.

I'll say it again - if people know about the car, they will buy it.

Very aptly put!

I have the same grouse, it hurts to see such a competent product, capable of devouring the competition, being reduced to an also-ran.

Just 1 full page ad on launch day of car will not make people flock the Ford showrooms. Maruti advertises it's stupid Alto urbano-edition more than all of Figo, Aspire and Ecosport combined.

As said in the Figo thread, now I am hearing some ads from Ford but they are not good enough and do not market what is truly the USP of the car. For our economy crazy country the ad do not even bother stating the mileage of Figo or Apsire! Isn't that preposterous?

Ford's marketing team is getting so much good ideas here, either your idea of sponsoring T20 world cup or mine of having ABD as Brand ambassador!

If Ford can get it linked to something related to cricket, it will do wonders to the brand and/or product awareness and eventually the sales.

[KreativeGeek]

I think we have to also take into account sales figures for Dzire, Xcent and Amaze include sales for units registered for commercial cab business I see lot of white color variants of these compact sedans as with tourist vehicle logo and license plates, since resale value of the brands is always going to be higher it seems futile to hope Aspire would be able to match them in numbers

[dragonov007]

Originally Posted by samaspire

The petrol engine is lackluster but it gives good mileage - and this is what matters to the common man. (Mine gives me the same mileage in-city as my Alto).

Now those are the golden words the people will like to hear!A petrol Ford giving good mileage is unheard of to most of people--thanks to Ford's own lackluster attitude regarding promoting them.

Btw,we brought our Diesel Titanium+ home yesterday.Took delivery in the evening and had to drive about 11 kms in maddening post office-hour traffic.The drive was not as stressful as I thought it would be, due to the car's superbly tractable engine and good visibility(I had earlier posted this same observation after my initial TD, which was partly through dense traffic).I found the gearbox quite slick and fortunately I did not face a single miss-shift and found the gates comfortably.

Attaching a couple of pics of the car below-



36Km on the ODO during delivery.(The car had 5km on the ODO when I did my pre-registration PDI.)


I noticed that the 'transp' mode was on during delivery.Each time I shut the engine down in the 3 min long signals,the ICE would switch off also.Brought the car home and followed the procedure of disabling it as mentioned in Focusfanatics.com -

1.Turn ignition to On
2.Press brake pedal 5 times
3.Press Hazard switch 4 times
4.Turn ignition to Off

Steps 2 & 3 were to be done quickly within 10 secs.
It worked in the first time and the 'transp' mode got disabled.