Update: Ford Figo is launched now!
Ford India has just announced and given the world at large a preview of the upcoming Ford Figo which should be launched early next year. The Figo is part of Fords 'One Vision' and 'One Team' and 'One World' project.
The Figo is based on Ford's Global-B platform and promises to offer, economy, safety, driving dynamics, value for money and hopes to establish new benchmarks as the vehicle goes on sale next year. The Figo - roughly Polo sized - will be powered by a 1.2 litre petrol and a 1.5 litre diesel engine.
The Figo follows Ford's kinetic design theme with the front end getting more of the family face. The sides are rather Fusion-like but much smaller and the rear is also Fusion-esqe. The light catchers on the side and the waistline and Ford's new 'bullet' - this time as a side indicator light - makes the Figo look sporty. The car is currently shod with 175/65 R14 tyres and there should be sporty alloys on offer - considering that the car is meant to have a sporty and youthful appeal with a little bit of maturity in the overall design and packaging.
With Ford's 500 million USD investment into India and the Figo's announcement today, Ford is quite serious about grabbing a chunk of small car sales for itself in India. Transformed with a production capacity of 200,000 units, the integrated Chennai manufacturing facility is now positioned as a Ford regional centre. Ford Figo models will be produced at the plant for export to international markets. The plant is also being groomed to produce diesel and petrol engines for local vehicle production and export within Ford’s Asia Pacific and Africa region. “Our exciting new Ford Figo shows how serious we are about India,†Mulally said. “It reflects our commitment to compete with great products in all segments of this car market. We are confident the Ford Figo will be a product that Indian consumers really want and value.â€
