Ford to bring a small-car in India

Not too long back were there cars like the previous generation Accords and Camrys that were making merry in the D-segment. So Ford thought why to let only the Japs cash in on the party, and they launched a car too. A brilliant one at that - Mondeo.

Brilliant it was in a way that proved too much for our country as not many got sold! And this prompted Ford to get back to the thinking pad and do some.. er.. thinking. Then, after much thought, they removed the xenon headlamps and replaced them with clear lens eyes and did some subtle alterations. This surely brought down the price by a some margin, but it was already too late for Ford to make an impact. And a potent car was burried in silence.
Did Ford learn a lesson? It seems they did! And it shows. It shows in the shape of a brawny, pretty old-school SUV, the Endeavour and how they managed to market and sell it so well . The Fiesta too has been doing well in the Indian car market. Okay, Fusion is not really the thing to talk about, but well.. who the hell cares if their main offerings are doing well!

Now, small car segment, we all know is where most of the rich action is. Maruti has had a stronghold. Guys all the way from Korea have made a mark with a name that has a strange pronounciation - Hyundai. Rival American giant GM is a member of the party too with the Chevy badge doing business here. So how long would it be that the ‘Blue Oval’ stays away? Not too long by the looks of it!

Ford already has the ‘Ka’ in its stable, ready to launch into the Indian market. Or is it? The Ka is a bit too strange a design for our land and it will just not fit well if launched in it current guise. If not this, then what, you ask. The B402 is the answer.

Ford has been working towards the development of an entirely new small-car to cater to the Indians, and the B402 is the codename that it is famous by. An entirely new car, as Ford claims, it may be, but it will share its platform with Ford’s old-horse - the Ikon. That’s a good thing actually. The Ikon’s platform has stood the test of our country’s terrain and has proved to be a delight too. What this will also result in is high level of localisation which will help to attain competetive pricing for the ’small-car’ from the American major.

There were talks about Ford and Fiat sharing synergies and develop a B segment car. According to the pundits, the Fiat Panda might just be the car that Ford will be eyeing at with interest, to base their model on. And this adds to confusion. Will it be the Fiat Panda platform then, on which the Ford’s small car will be based? No, it would not make much sense for Ford to take this route. An Ikon platform is apt.

Moving away from the ‘tall-boy’ structures, the ‘Kinetic’ design philosophy that Ford swears by will be evident in its compact offering as well. A 3-D design of the shape reveals high sill line and prominent wheel arches that compliment the big diamond-shaped headlamps. The rear too should be equally visually arresting. The large wrap around tail lamps accentuate the tailgate that makes the rear pretty attractive.

Expect a good diesel motor (they already have the 1.4TDCi) to go on offer along with a 1L petrol engine (currently powering the Ford Ka in some markets). To take the ‘performace’ fight to the Swift, Ford might also contemplate about bringing in a smaller 1.2L petrol engine that will basically be based on the 1.3L motor currently found in the Ikon.

The prices will hover around 3.5 lakh to 5 lakh rupees and this squarely puts it in the SWIFT-Getz-UVA territory. All this sounds pretty exciting. So when is Ford planning to bring this car to our shores? We hope soon. We hope it comes before it is already too late.