New Ford Figo Launched in India

Ford India is launched the much-awaited new Ford Figo 2015 in India.  The American carmaker Ford rolled out the car at a starting price of Rs. 4.29 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The new Figo is lot more spacious, feature rich and premium than the previous generation model.

Sharing most of its design elements, features, and engine options with the Aspire, the new-gen Figo definitely looks more upmarket than before. With the first-in-class 6 airbags, dual-clutch automatic transmission, and the most powerful engine lineup, the Figo is also the most feature-loaded car in its league. Like the Ford Figo Aspire compact sedan, the new Figo will be manufactured at the company's Sanand, Gujarat facility. 

The new Ford Figo directly rival against the likes of the Hyundai Grand i10, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Honda Brio and Chevrolet Beat. 

The new Figo is available in three engine options- 1.2-litre Ti-VCT petrol, 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol and a 1.5-litre TDCi diesel. While the entry-level petrol engine is good for 88 PS of power and 112Nm of torque, the 1.5L Ti-VCT motor is capable of producing 112 PS of power. The oil burner is good for 100 PS of power at 4,000rpm and 215Nm of torque. Transmission options include a five-speed manual gearbox and a six-speed DSG automatic gearbox (Petrol). 

The new Ford Figo gets segment first six airbags (driver and co-passenger airbags, side and curtain airbags), Perimeter Alarm, Hill Launch Assist, ESP (Electronic Stability Program), ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic BrakeForce Distribution), reverse parking sensors and engine immobilizer. 

The new Figo is available in three trim levels- Ambiente, Trend and Titanium. Dual airbags come as standard on all variants. The base model is equipped with rear fog lamps, fabric upholstery, guid-me-home-lamps, tilt adjustable steering wheel, front power windows with one-touch up-down driver window, electric boot release and remote locking. The mid-level Trend variant gets all the features that are accessible in base trim. Adding to it, this variant gets front fog lamps, rear centre armrest, boot lamp, steering-mounted controls, electrically adjustable wing mirrors, all power windows, AM/FM Radio with AUX input, USB and Bluetooth. 

The range-topping variant gets rear defogger, driver seat height adjustment, climate control, ABS with EBD, ESP, alloy wheels, 4.2 MFD screen for the infotainment system, Ford MyKey and Emergency Assistance, SYNC with voice control and AppLink system, leather upholstered seats and 6 airbags (dual front, side and curtain).

The new Ford Figo hatchback comes in six exterior paint jobs- Orange/Gold, White, Grey, Black, Blue and Red.

New Ford Figo 2015 Segment First features include- six airbags (driver and co-driver airbags, side and curtain airbags), Hill Launch Assist, ESP (Electronic Stability Program), SYNC with Voice Control and AppLink system, leather upholstery for seats, 4.2 MFD screen for the infotainment system, Ford MyKey and Emergency Assistance.

The new Figo shares the engine lineup with the Figo Aspire compact sedan. While the diesel version of the hatchback is expected to return about 25.83kmpl, the petrol engine could deliver about 18kmpl. The powerful 1.5L Ti-VCT motor offers about 17kmpl of fuel efficiency.

Top Car Launches in 2010

2010 has been a remarkable year for not just carmakers but car buyers too. With a flood of launches, Indian buyers had more than what they could take, in terms of new cars. Nevertheless, car manufacturers kept bringing new and advanced looks and technology in the cars to lure the Indian buyers towards them.
Lets have a look at what the car industry brought in, what was a memorable year, 2010

Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen, the premium automobile company truly understands the sentiments attached with wedding season in India. The German auto manufacturer has rightly catered the marriage season in India by launching an ad campaign and woven Volkswagen Beetle beautifully in it.

Chevrolet Beat
The beautiful car from world’s largest auto manufacturer, General Motors, spiced up the year 2010 with its beauty performance and excellence. The Chevrolet Beat was launched on 4th Jan 2010 and was priced between Rs 3,49,994 - Rs 4,15,486 with availability in three exciting petrol variants. The choice of colors makes the model more interesting on road. The premium hatchback offers mileage of 14.5kmpl in city and 18.6kmpl on highway.

Nissan Micra
Nissan took a big move in Indian automobile hatchback segment by bringing its all exciting Nissan Micra on 14th July 2010. The company introduced its diesel version on 10th December. Nissan Micra was the first car from Japanese auto makers to be brought to India and was well received in the market due to its look, easy maneuverability. The selling features of Nissan Micra are its turning radius (4.65), Push start and Intelligent key system. The mill of the compact four-wheeler offers mileage of around 14 kmpl in city and 18.06 kmpl on highways.

Volkswagen Vento
The car priced between Rs 7,17,470 - Rs 9,47,170 was launched on 12th August 2010. The all new Volkswagen Vento comes with the same engine as is available in Volkswagen Polo i.e. 1.6 L petrol and diesel engines. The beautiful compact car gives a mileage of 20.54 kmpl on highway and 15.8 kmpl in city. Volkswagen Vento is designed to give direct competition to the market leader Honda City.

Skoda Yeti
The stunning SUV from Skoda was launched on 15th Nov 2010. Skoda Yeti was awarded the SUV of the year and comes with a price tag of Rs 15,40,324* - Rs 16,62,721. The new Skoda vehicle comes in two variants i.e. Ambiente and Elegance. the crossover delivers 17.67 kmpl of mileage. The major competitors for this new car in Indian market are Mahindra Scorpio, Tata Safari, Tata Aria, Maruti Grand Vitara, Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Outlander.

Mahindra Thar
The powerful gypsy made its way on Indian roads on 21st December 2010 with a price tag of Rs 5,99,000 - Rs 5,99,000. Mahindra Thar assures a safe and powerful drive on worst road conditions. The powerful engine offers zipper acceleration and crosses a 100 kms easily in just 13.5 seconds. It offers a top speed of 150 kmph. The contemporary gypsy is given an edgy look with least of curves and delicate lines rather the crease on body are so prominent and bold that it depicts great power.

Toyota Etios
The sizzling luxury made its way in Indian market on 1st December 2010. Toyota Etios sedan is the least priced (Rs 4,96,000 - Rs 6,86,500) model in Toyota’s portfolio. Hugely popular car registered over 12000 bookings within 15 days of launch, making a record. It gives a mileage of 17.6 kmpl on highway and 12 kmpl in city. This makes it a fuel efficient car without compromising on the performance and luxury.

Hyundai to launch one new car model in India every year

Hyundai Motor India plans to launch a new model every year for the next few years as it seeks to hold its own in a fiercely competitive car market in the country. Besides, it will give a facelift to an existing model every year and also make minor modifications for a model year change.

(Auto makers refresh their line-up with small changes for the new calendar year, which they refer to as model year change.)

Over a buffet dinner at an Indian restaurant in Seoul's shopping district of Itaewon, Mr Han-Woo Park, Managing Director & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, told a group of visiting Indian journalists last week that this will be the company's strategy to meet competition, from the likes of Ford Figo, Chevrolet Beat, Volkswagen Polo and the new WagonR from Maruti Suzuki, besides the spate of new launches planned.

“I will launch minimum three models a year,” he told the journalists, on a visit sponsored by Hyundai Motor India to some of its parent company's facilities in South Korea.

“I feel that competition will be tough this year,” he said, and added that even in the face of the new launches by competitors so far this year, Hyundai Motor India's market share did not drop. This, he attributed to strong marketing and sales and the product line-up. Last year, the company's average market share was 20.6 per cent. In the January-April 2010 period, this increased to 20.7 per cent.

Hyundai Motor India sells the i10, Santro, i20 (all compact cars), Accent and Verna (sedans), and Sonata, a luxury sedan. It plans to launch the Santa Fe sports utility vehicle later this year.

The recently launched Ford Figo compact car has been reporting good sales numbers, especially the diesel option, which accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the car's sales.

Will he look at a diesel engine option for the i10? Mr Park replied that the company had not thought of this option till now, but might consider it for the new i10, whenever it was launched.

Hyundai Motor India gets 1.1-litre diesel engines from Hyundai Motor Company for the export model i10.

Mr Park was confident of the automobile industry's prospects for this year, with sales expected to grow 10-12 per cent over last year. Hyundai Motor India expected to do slightly better than the industry average.

The company, according to him, will have a stronger rural focus in the coming years. Rural sales accounted for more than a fourth of the company's total sales. From January to April this year, the rural market had grown 27 per cent, with Hyundai's sales growing at about 40 per cent. The company's strategy was to have sales branches in the rural areas to push sales.

When would the company think of expanding capacity? “We will think of it when the domestic sales account for 70-80 per cent of total sales,” said Mr Park. Last year, the domestic and export sales were equally split, with domestic sales growing to 57 per cent this year.

Mr Park was firm in stating that the company would not yield any more ground to a section of the workers which is threatening an agitation.

Last year, he said, the company took back 20 of the dismissed 87 employees. But some of them had agitated against the management, even when they were still serving their probation period. There was demand to take back some more of the dismissed workers.

Mr Park said “we will take a firm stand this time. We will not reinstate even one person.” On humanitarian grounds, the company was trying for an out-of-court settlement. “We have reached a settlement with four persons and are negotiating with a few more,” he said.

The industrial relations scenario was a major issue for the company, he said, and added that it would not be possible to run a large organisation if the company had to repeatedly compromise its stand. Moreover, it would affect the other industrial units in Sriperumbudur area, where Hyundai Motor India's plant is located.

“I don't think reinstatement is the only option for a settlement on humanitarian grounds. An out-of-court settlement is also an option,” said Mr Park.

GM launches new mini car Beat

GM launches new mini car Beat, expects 40% sales surge this year

With the launch of its global mini car, the ‘Chevrolet Beat’, General Motors India sees its total sales crossing 100,000 in 2010 from 70,000 units in 2009.

The 1.2 litre petrol car will be available in three variants — PS, LS and LT. The price will range from Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the PS variant, Rs 3.54 lakh for the LS and Rs 3.94 lakh for the high-end LT variant.

“With its best-in-segment design, performance and safety, the Beat is destined to become an industry benchmark and a winner among consumers in India,” GM India President and Managing Director Karl Slym told reporters at the launch of the car in Delhi.

On how the price was kept so low, Ankush Arora, vice-president (sales, marketing and after sales), said: “This has been achieved by 60 per cent localisation of parts.”

“We will start exporting the car only by December-end and will export 20 per cent of the units produced,” Slym said. The company is looking at Europe and the Asia-Pacific. Slym added that the company would launch the Beat’s diesel version later this year.

Beat is the second car from GM’s 300 series platform, following last year’s the launch of its utility vehicle, Chevrolet Cruze. The company took 27 months to develop it. The car will be launched across 150 countries in the coming months. As of now, Beat has been launched in Korea, Europe and West Asia. It sells 5,000 units a month in Korea.

The US auto major is also working on designing a small car at its Bangalore centre. “We are developing vehicles for India at the Bangalore centre and the focus is more on small cars, as India is a small car market,” said General Motors’ Vice-President (Global Design) Edward T Welburn. The Bangalore design centre, with around 60 engineers, is one of the 10 such centres of General Motors worldwide.