Ford Open New Unit in India to boost market share

US car maker Ford is planning to expand its operations in India as it attempts to capture a greater share of the country's car market.

The US carmaker says it plans to invest $1bn (£612m) in building a new factory in the western state of Gujarat, its second production line in India.

The announcement comes as Ford is looking to increase its global sales by 50% over the next four years.

India is one of the fastest-growing car markets in the world.

"These new state-of-the-art facilities will help us reach the goal of increasing worldwide sales by nearly 50% by mid-decade to about 8 million vehicles per year," said Michael Boneham, president and managing director of Ford India

'Growth potential'

India's rapid economic expansion has seen demand for higher-value items such as cars increase substantially.

Car sales in the country grew by almost 30% in 2010, making it one of the most attractive markets for manufacturers.

On Wednesday, Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, said it planned to invest $220m to nearly double its production capacity in India by 2013.

Ford, which has been manufacturing cars in India for more than 10 years, has also been looking to increase its market share.

The launch of new models has led to robust sales growth in the first six months of year. The company said it was looking to exploit the market even further.

"We are aggressively expanding in markets around the world that have the most growth potential," said Mr Boneham.

He added that the company planned to offer more "fuel-efficient, high-quality vehicles from our global portfolio that customers in markets like India want and value".

New Ford Fiesta Features

The all New Ford Fiesta is speculated to be launched on July 14th. The new car is full integrated with superb interior and exterior design. Various automobile manufacturing company are rocking the Indian auto market and this time the renovated version of the Ford Fiesta will also participate in the rocking event on the Indian roads. The New Ford Fiesta price in India is expected be around Rs. 7.99 lakh. The renewed version of the car is a very superb model which has enhanced look and design.



The New Ford Fiesta features are very exciting. The car is provided with glossy exterior look and design. The car thriller look will definitely make the Indian car lovers fall on their knees. The interior design of the car is also superb. The dashboard is having lots of options along with good and comfortable seats. This car was the most awaited sedan of this year. The car headlamps and tail lamps are the major attraction. The engine of the car is also superb.



The New Ford Fiesta specifications are unique in the Indian auto market. The all New Ford Fiesta will be powered by 1.5 liter diesel and petrol engine along with 5 speed transmissions systems. The diesel version of the car provides maximum power of 90Bhp and a maximum torque of 204Nm. Mileage that will be provided by the car will be 23.5kmpl. The petrol version of the car also produces maximum power of 108Bhp and a maximum torque of 140Nm. The mileage that will be providing by the petrol version is 17Kmpl. The car suspension system is very nice and which enhances the comfort level of the car. There are options for charging mobile and iPods. The New Ford Fiesta reviews are already uploaded on the internet and can be grabbed from there.

New SUV Force One to launch in India by July

Recently, a brand new logo of Force Motors is unveiled. This brand new logo by Ford India is for the Personal Vehicles division. Ford India is looking to enter this arena with a brand new SUV named as Ford One. Ford Motors is already a big giant in manufacturing three wheeler vehicles, multi-utility and cross country vehicles, light commercial vehicles, tractors, and buses. Now Ford Motors is all set to make an entry in the personal vehicle arena. In this segment the needs and aspirations of the consumers are very different.

The existing corporate logo will remains for the commercial vehicles, company unveiled the new logo in order to differentiate the commercial vehicle unit from the Personal Vehicle Division. The new logo intends to create an independent identity that resonates with the desires of the non-commercial vehicle buyer. Hence this new symbol signifies the commencement of a new era for Force Motors.

New Force One is one of the most awaited vehicles in the Indian market as it is being launched by Force Motors, a company well known for its brands like Trax, Traveller, Trump and Gurkha. The new SUV Force One will powered by a 2200cc diesel engine and generates maximum power of around 140 Bhp with maximum torque of 310 Nm. It is expected that new SUV Force One will compete with the likes of high-end variants of Tata Safari and Mahindra Scorpio and base variants of Chevrolet Captiva and Ford Endeavour. Speculations are there that Force Motors is going to tag the Force One price very competitively and it will be around Rs. 12 lakhs for the base variant and 15 lakh rupees for the top end variant which will come with all the safety, comfort and convenience features.

Ford Sedan and Fiesta Available in India

Ford India had started working on the production of Ford's most popular sedan car four door Fiesta at the manufacturing unit in Maraimalai Nagar, near Chennai. This Chennai based facility is spread over 172,175 square metre and its the sixth Ford facility in the world along with the facility at Nanjing, China; Cologne, Germany; Valencia, Spain; Cuautitlán, Mexico; and Rayong, Thailand. Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India commented that company is very enthusiastic to roll-out latest premium sedan Ford Fiesta from its Chennai facility, and will emerge as India's regional manufacturing hub. He also added that Ford is looking to bring new products to India within coming years.

Furthermore, Boneham commented that Ford Fiesta set a standard in the sedan segment as it features with a world class fuel efficient technology and have a very great design. It is assumed that this new Ford Fiesta will deliver a excitement and individuality for which Indian customers are looking for in their sedan car. With respect to enhance the sales and export growth plans in India Ford had recently made an investment of USD 72 million at the facility at the Maraimalai Nagar plant. This enhancement programme is supposed to be ended in mid-2012 and after that the production capacity will increase from 250,000 to 330,000 units per year.

All new For Fiesta features a fully integrated stamping line, body shop, trim and final process area and composed of an advanced 1.5L Ti-VCT petrol and Duratorq TDCi diesel engines. With the use of this petrol engine Ford achieve a fuel economy of 17Kmpl and 23.5 Kmpl with its diesel engine. The entry of new sedan Ford Fiesta strike as an subsequent to a series of global introduction that started in Europe and moved around the world. Ford Fiesta reached a sale of over one million globally since after its launch. Fiesta features a world class safety standards, a cruise control, connectivity that includes voice control communications with Bluetooth, and automatic climate control. Ford Fiesta price is yet to be disclosed. Yet it is assumed that this all new Ford Fiesta will be available by the end of this year.

Ford launch C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi Electric Cars

Ford launch C-Max Hybrid and Ford is planning to grab a large piece of the electric vehicle market pie. The U.S. automaker today announced plans to triple production of its electrifying platforms.

In a press conference on Livestream, Jim Farley, group vice president of marketing, sales and service said the company will triple production capacity of electrified vehicles in the U.S. by 2013. Ford plans to invest more in the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid vehicles, but will not be bringing the C-Max mini van to production.

"Customers have come to expect fuel efficiency with every new vehicle Ford delivers today, and now we are further differentiating our electrified vehicle lineup with something else people truly value--choice," said Farley. "Whether people want a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid or full battery electric vehicle, we have a family of vehicles for them to consider, providing a range of options to best meet their needs and support their driving habits and lifestyles."

Ford currently sells about 35,000 electrified vehicles a year--including the Fusion Hybrid and Escape Hybrid. With the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, Ford will bring its electrified vehicle production capacity to more than 100,000 annually by 2013.

Ford uses lithium ion battery packs for C-Max Hybrid, and larger lithium ion battery packs for C-Max Energi, but the vehicles still have room for five passengers--opposed to the Chevy Volt's seating for four.

The battery packs are up to 50 percent lighter and 25 percent smaller than current nickel-metal-hydride batteries and increase the amount of energy available to extend the vehicle's driving distance and boost fuel economy.

Farley did not say how long of a range the car will travel in "electric-only" mode, but said total

range would be about 500 miles. He also said the vehicle is rated at 41 mpg on the highway.

As for home charging the C-Max Energi, Farley said, the home charging stations will be available at a lower cost than those of competitors. And, he said, Ford is working with Microsoft on a new Web-based interface designed to ensure the vehicle charges only when electricity rates are lowest.

Ford will also invest $135 million and add more than 220 "green technology" jobs in Michigan, and 50 new electrified-vehicle engineers. The Michigan assembly plant will also be retooled to build the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi.

The C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi will be available in 2012. No price has been announced yet.