Ford India launched its first compact car in the country, the Ford Figo, this week. Priced at Rs 3.49 – Rs 4.42 lakh for the petrol version, and Rs 4.47 – Rs 5.29 lakh for the diesel version, the Figo will compete with a host of other cars in the segment including the Chevrolet Beat, the Maruti Ritz, and the Hyundai i10. The car offers a number of Read More...

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• Filed Under: Ford

American car companies, General Motors and Ford, may be able to win over a good share of erstwhile Toyota loyalists if they continue to focus on quality. Until its recent spate of car recalls, Toyota was considered the most reliable of all auto companies in the US. However, customers are now seriously considering switching to GM or Ford, which Read More...

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• Filed Under: Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota

A number of auto companies in the country have hiked car prices following the announcement of Budget 2010-11 last week, which increased the excise duty on all non-oil products from 8 percent to 10 percent. The excise duty on bigger cars, which stood at 20 percent earlier, has also gone up to 22 percent. The companies that have announced definitive Read More...

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• Filed Under: Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Tata

Ford India is planning to discontinue the sale of its hatchback model, the Fusion, after the launch of the Figo. The production of the Figo, designed specifically for the Indian market, began at Ford’s Chennai plant on February 5, 2010. The car will be launched in March. Ford India President and Managing Director, Mr Michael Boneham, told media Read More...

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Auto company Ford Motor will be launching a new small car in the US under its Mercury brand in 2011. Ford’s President in the Americas, Mark Fields, said that the company was responding to the current trend towards fuel-efficient cars with its new small-car lineup. The new Mercury car will be one the ten vehicles that Ford is planning to launch Read More...

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Ford India will launch its much-awaited small car, the Ford Figo, in March 2010. The car’s production was flagged off last week at Ford’s Maraimalainagar plant near Chennai, by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. Mr Michael Boneham, Ford India President and CEO, said that the car would compete with Hyundai’s i10 and Maruti’s Swift, but did Read More...

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Ford India will start the commercial production of its small car, Figo, at its Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai on February 05, 2010. The company had earlier signed an MoU with the Government of Tamil Nadu to invest Rs 1,500 crore in the expansion of the Sriperumbudur plant and use the additional capacity to produce the Figo, along with new Read More...

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Ford India launched a new variant of its entry level sedan, the Ford Ikon, last week. The ‘Ford Ikon Plus’ comes with extra security features and is available with both petrol and diesel engine options. The car’s price ranges from Rs 5.17 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the petrol version and Rs 5.77 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the diesel version. Read More...

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Ford India will hike the prices of its cars by up to Rs 40,000 from January 1, 2010. The company said in a press statement this week that all its cars would see price hikes ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 40,000, owing to increased input costs and exchange rate fluctuations. It currently sells the Ford Ikon, the Ford Fusion, the Ford Endeavour and the Read More...

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After concentrating on developing special seats and other safety features in cars for infants and children, automakers in the US are now working on making car travel safer for pregnant women. The Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences in Blacksburg, Virginia, recently concluded a research project on the Read More...

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• Filed Under: Ford

US-based Ford Motor Company is likely to complete the sale of its Volvo Car Corp. to China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co by the second quarter of 2010. The two companies announced in press statements this week that Ford has agreed to most terms of the sale, and an official agreement may be signed in the first three months of 2010. On October Read More...

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• Filed Under: Ford, Volvo

Ford India launched the special edition Fiesta 1.6 ZXI last week. Priced at Rs 6.44 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the car comes with leather seats, medium stone interiors, a premium cubic finish on the fascia and metallic trims. While there are no changes in the car’s engine, Ford has added additional safety features to it including an anti-lock Read More...

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• Filed Under: Ford

In marked contrast to last month’s Tokyo Motor Show, the Delhi Auto Expo to be held in January 2010 is attracting automakers from all over the world. Media reports say that though there are still two months left for the Expo, the venue – Pragathi Maidan - is already fully booked. The Auto Expo will begin on January 5, and will go on for a week. Read More...

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• Filed Under: Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra, Mahindra Renault, Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Tata, Toyota

Ford Motor Company posted a positive cash flow of $1.3 billion in the third quarter of 2009, leading the company’s shares to shoot up. The July-September 2009 period has been Ford’s first positive quarter since the second quarter of 2007. In the first half of 2009, the company burned through $4.7 billion of cash. Following its surprising financial Read More...

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Ford Motor Company has decided to shut down an assembly plant at Oakville, Ontario due to a shortage in component supplies from Rico Auto Industries. The Oakville plant will remain closed from October 26 to October 30, 2009. Gurgaon based Rico Auto has been facing labour unrest since September 21, 2009, when 16 of the company’s employees were Read More...

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Ford Motor has decided to recall 4.5 million of its vehicles in the US following an 18-month federal investigation on vehicle fire incidents caused by faulty switches. The company has taken the step after avoiding it for years, in spite of pressure from safety organizations. It now says that the switch may leak internally, overheat and even burn Read More...

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Ford India finally unveiled its much-awaited small car in New Delhi this week. The car, known as the ‘Figo’ (meaning ‘cool’ in Italian), will be launched with both petrol and diesel engine options, in 2010. Developed especially for the Indian market, the Figo has been built on a brand new platform. It will contain up to 85 per cent localised Read More...

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Ford India introduced a new version of its SUV, the Ford Endeavour, this week. The vehicle sports a new, contemporary look and is available in two variants. The 3.0 L, 4X4, automatic transmission variant is priced at Rs 17.99 lakh, while the 2.5 L, 4X2, manual transmission variant is priced at Rs 15.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Endeavour’s new Read More...

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Ford India has expanded its manufacturing plant at Maraimalai Nagar near Chennai and is in the process of adding several modern facilities to it. After the expansion and upgradation process is complete, the plant’s production capacity will go up to 34 units per hour. Among the new facilities being added are a new, more environment-friendly paint Read More...

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Car company Ford India will be launching a new, advanced version of its SUV, the Ford Endeavour, this month. Speaking to media persons at the sidelines of the annual convention of SIAM last week, Mr Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director of Ford India, said that the company would launch a new version of the Endeavour within two weeks, Read More...

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Ford India is all set to redouble its expansion efforts in the country. The President and Managing Director of Ford India, Michael Boneham, told media persons that the company would bring in new models to the country every year. Followed by the launch of its small car in 2010, there will be another new launch in 2011. However, Mr. Boneham gave no Read More...

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Car company Ford Motor launched a new variant of its entry level sedan, the Ford Ikon, in India this week. Known as the Ikon iKool, the new variant will be available at Ford India’s dealerships across the country from the 12th of August, 2009. The car has two engine options - Duratorq TDCi 1.4 diesel and ROCAM 1.3 petrol engines, both of which are Read More...

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Ford India launched a new version of its mid-sized sedan, the Ford Fiesta, this week. Priced between Rs 6.99 lakh and Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the new Fiesta SXI will be available with two engine options - 1.6 Duratec (petrol) and 1.4 Duratorq (common-rail, turbo diesel). It will come with a 2 year / 100,000 km warranty and also an Read More...

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• Filed Under: Ford

Ford India is planning to launch more hatchback models in the country in the coming few years. The company will also start making sub 1.2 litre petrol and sub 1.4 litre diesel engines at its Maraimalainagar plant near Chennai. Ford plans to make India a strategic hub for low-displacement powertrains for its facilities in Africa and the Read More...

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Ford India is planning to invest Rs.2,000 crore in the auto corridor in Tamil Nadu. The company is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government in a month. Ford will set up a new plant in the 350-acre premises allotted to it, which will add 1 lakh cars and 2.50 engines to its production capacity. Industry analysts Read More...

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• Filed Under: Ford