Reference Auto

The roll out of the new Ford Figo has been overshadowed by the launch of the New Alto 800 and this may not auger well for Ford India.

But one judicious thing that Ford has done is that it has kept the price of the new Figo the same while bringing in certain modifications in the new model.

So far as the engine goes, the automaker has brought in improved engine calibration for better pick-up and a gear shifter mechanism.

Power and torque figures are 71 PS/102 Nm and 69 PS/160 Nm for the petrol and diesel engines, which are the same as the phased out models. So, there’s not much in store here for the car’s buyers.

Ford India president and managing director Michael Boneham sounded a bit wary on the current market, saying, “It is a competitive market here. Owing to the high inflation, consumers don’t seem bullish. We hope a turnaround takes place during the festive season.”

With the new Figo launch (which carries a price tag of Rs 3.85 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 4.81 lakh for the diesel model), Ford will stop making the old model.

In the interior, the changes include new upholstery and seat design. The music system has been upgraded, and now, there are steering mounted audio controls as well.

The new Figo comes with a redesigned bumper as well as fresh headlamps. There are new alloy wheels and new tail lamps. But design wise, the layman would not find too many changes on the exterior.

The new Figo comes in two new colours: Bright Yellow and Kinetic Blue.

Although the Figo’s sales have been growing by 10 per cent, total sales of Ford went down by 8.3 per cent last month.

The India unit of the American auto giant, while unveiling the new variant of its popular Figo, said it expects the new Figo to give sales and revenues a fillip during the ensuing boom season.

Ford has sold around 2.35 lakh cars of the Figo (that is currently in the market) since its launch, which is phenomenal, considering Ford’s sluggish sales in the country.

Also, a litany of launches, including that of the new Chevrolet Spark (Spark does not fall in Figo’s category, though) could hamper sales of the new Figo.

The American car giant is offering a two-year or one lakh km warranty on the new Figo (whichever is earlier). Ford has also ramped up dealership network by a mind blowing 40 per cent to give a boost to the new Figo’s sales. Ford has 230 sales and services outlets across the country now.

But with Maruti Alto casting a shadow on the new Figo launch, it would be an arduous task for Ford to scale up the sales ladder substantially (that is, see a phenomenal rise in sales in the near to medium term).