As the youngest member of the kinetically-designed Ford family, the Figo is creating ripples among car enthusiasts. So we got Design Director for Ford Asia Pacific and Africa — Scott Strong himself, to explain the exterior design of the car. According to Mr Strong, the car is snug and just right for its class. The graphic elements, shape, proportion and lines make it look very dynamic. The most significant kinetic design element is the comet tail-like gesture that runs through the body of the car.

For more such insights into the Figo’s design, check out the video below and tell us what you think of the car’s kinetic elements.

What do you do when you want to spread the message of peace all over the country? Why, you drive through it, of course!

Dilpreet Singh Bindra, director of catering sales at the Taj Palace Delhi, drove across India in a 13,000-km journey in his Ford Fusion, connecting with Taj employees and the people of India in the spirit of unity and harmony. The journey ended at the Taj hotel in Mumbai, where the devastating terrorist attacks in November 2008 occurred.

And why the Ford, we asked Bindra. “I bought my Ford Fusion in 2008 and I just love it. I have a sense of safety and security when I’m behind the wheel of a Ford,” he replied. Hear, hear! Here’s to peace and to Ford!

Read more about Bindra’s journey here.

Ford India and Ford Figo continue to bask in the media spotlight. Here are some snippets from last fortnight’s press coverage.

Economic Times reported that Ford will launch a new model in India every 12 to 18 months, while Wheels Unplugged mentioned the growing number of Ford dealerships in the country, breaching the 150-mark by end-2009.

The Figo got more mileage in the Financial Express and Business Standard with Michael Boneham’s statement that the Figo’s pricing would be “extremely competitive”. The latter story also highlighted that Ford would ensure that the cost of ownership of the car will be substantially low.

Meanwhile, our Chennai plant has begun to garner media space as well, with Mint reporting that the factory would cater to the Asia Pacific and Africa region and the installed capacity for vehicle production has doubled from one lakh to two lakh units. Keep reading this blog for more on the plant and its transformation.

The Ford Figo, which we unveiled last month, garnered much attention in India and around the world. From the common man to the world’s leading news publications — everyone is talking about it. For this fabulous new car, we have a fabulous factory — our rejuvenated integrated manufacturing plant in Maraimalai Nagar, Chennai.

The plant has undergone a comprehensive transformation in the past 21 months. This makeover is part of a $500 million investment, and has shaped the factory into an expanded and state-of-the-art automobile manufacturing facility. And why not? After all, the plant is readying for volume production of the Ford Figo. What’s more, the new facility is poised to become a strategic production hub for the Ford Motor Company.

The plant was originally set up in 1999 with a manufacturing capacity of 100,000 vehicles a year.  Post-expansion, the capacity has doubled to 200,000 units. The manufacturing footprint will also house a new engine manufacturing facility to make Ford India a production hub for low-displacement engines, coming up to an installed capacity 250,000 units, due next year. We have enlarged the plant complex from 250 to 353 acres, with 60 percent of built-up area. The remaining acreage comprises lawns and a green belt.

Here’s what else has changed at our plant:

• We move from manual assembly to 30 percent automated assembly, thanks to a flexible body shop that can produce different types of car bodies on one line
• There’s a new paint line featuring the high-tech three-wet high-solids finishing process
• We now have a dedicated testing facility with a 3.2-kilometre quality testing circuit, a squeak-and-rattle testing track for finished vehicles and dynamic water wading test-bed
• New stamping press line with automated crossbar technology
• Extension of the trim and chassis assembly line for flexible assembly of different models.
• New lean manufacturing techniques that are enabled by multiple computer systems, especially useful for build-to-order production of parts and components from the adjacent 35-acre supplier park.

Over the next few posts, we will take you through some of the best features of our plant. Stay tuned!

John Parker, executive vice president, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa made an impassioned speech as he went down memory lane to the time he started Ford in India 12 years ago . He spoke of the significance of the Figo in India and worldwide. “Figo is the foundation stone for the right products that are going to drive our India business forward. So next time we come back, there will be 10,000 people sitting in this room.” And then he challenged us: “When the car rolls out, I want your friends and neighbours who buy it to say, what a great car it is, not just to look at, but what a great car to drive!”

Enjoy the video!

President and CEO Alan Mulally thrilled us when he said, “When you walk into a Ford showroom, you will be able to get every vehicle from there you can dream of,” at the Chennai town hall. “We are going to be best-in-class for every vehicle we make,” he added as 5000 of us from Ford operations in India hung on to every word. And the loud applause resonated with his inspiring assertion, “We are creating a viable Ford together.”

We hope you enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed hearing Mr. Mulally speak!

Alan Mulally and the Ford Figo got a hearty welcome from more than 5,000 Ford employees at our town hall meeting in Chennai last week. We think this was a record audience for a Mulally town hall meeting anywhere in the world!

“Ford India rocks!” were Mr Mulally’s first words, and we responded with thunderous applause and shouts of approval.

Recounting the Ford Figo unveiling to the press a day earlier, Mr Mulally said, “What we shared with the press was that we were developing a new small car and we’re doing it right here in India as part of the Ford team… So what were we really announcing yesterday? That Ford of India was leading the entire Ford Motor Company to bring the latest new Ford product.”

The who’s who of Ford India was at the town hall — Michael Boneham, Ford India president and managing director, John Parker, executive vice president, Ford Motor Company Asia Pacific and Africa, and Joginder Singh, executive director, Global Business Services (GBS).

Mr Boneham told us that Figo will “give us muscle in the heart of the Indian market.” On the other hand, Mr Parker confessed having a tough time controlling his emotions and said the Figo was a dream come true. “I struggled all the years I was here in India to get into this area of the market so this is the culmination of 12 years of dreams for myself as well as for all of you.”

Mr Mulally inspired us when he shared our founder’s dream. “Henry Ford’s vision was that the Ford Motor Company would operate in every country in which they sold vehicles,”  he said. “Because his dream was that not only would you get the finest vehicles in the world but you’d get a chance to work for the Ford Motor Company at the same time.”

We all got a chance to see the newest member of the Ford family at the end of the meeting. As the covers came off the Figo, Mr Mulally said, “Take a deep breath and you’ve just got to enjoy this. This is a very special moment. We’re busy, we’re working hard and we’re going to go right back to work and work hard again, but just take a deep breath and just appreciate everything you have done to get to the place where we’re launching for the world the finest small car.”

Yes — the finest small car — that’s what the Figo will be!