The monsoons are here! It’s time to pack your bags, get into your car and venture into uncharted territory. Enjoy the lush greenery, picturesque views and enchanting cascades as you drive to your favourite monsoon getaway. But driving in the rains calls for caution and care. The Ford Service team in India recommends some tips to help you drive safely this monsoon.

• Check your car’s condition. The brakes, steering system, tyre pressures, tyre tread depth and defroster operation should be checked regularly so that you’re ready to deal with a downpour.

• Every car should have a good emergency kit. Breakdowns can be stressful. Taking a few steps in advance can save you time, emergency service costs and a headache. Have an emergency kit ready for many different situations. The kit should meet your individual needs and be equipped with items ranging from spares, torch, fuses, tyre inflators, to safety kits and other items to attract or provide help.

• Make sure that your wipers are in good condition and functioning properly. If the blades are brittle or damaged, replace them before the rains begin. Allow sufficient wetting of the windscreen prior to using the wipers to avoid scratching of the windscreen owing to dry wipe.

• Use the windshield washer fluid as recommended by the manufacturer. Using a blend of water and washer fluid will clean the windscreen more effectively than washing with plain water.

• Tyre pressures: Maintain correct cold tyre pressures as recommended in the owner’s manual for different loads. This is even more critical for monsoon conditions since the traction is paramount for vehicle stability.

• Windscreen fogging. Use the de-frost mode with AC ON, in fresh air mode to clear the windscreen of condensation whenever the windscreen gets fogged up. Also use the rear heated window option, if present, since rear visibility improves. Refer to the owner’s manual for usage.

• Drive carefully! Pay attention to your speed and check your tyres. At high speeds, the rains create a fine sheet of water between the tyre and the road surface, which can cause the driver to lose control. This phenomenon is known as ‘aqua-planing’ and is aggravated by excessively worn tyres. Check the tyre tread depth (in the TWI area) and confirm that the depth is within the minimum allowance. The tyre tread helps in throwing out excessive water between the tyre and road ensuring adequate grip.

• Keep the headlights on. When driving in rain, switch the headlights on at a low beam. It will increase your visibility and allow other drivers to notice you from a distance.

• Avoid abrupt braking. Brake smoothly. If you push the brake pedal to the limit, the car will probably slip. It is preferable to come to a lower speed before coming to a complete halt.

• Drive cautiously and maintain a good distance from the vehicle ahead of you. Do not follow large buses or trucks too closely. The spray from their rear wheels will block vision. It also takes longer for a vehicle to stop on wet/ slippery surfaces.

• Avoid deep pools of water. You never know what is under water. Besides, if you drive into a pool at full speed there is a possibility of serious damage to the bumper or radiator. Moreover, a wave of water may hit the engine, causing it to stop.

• Braking after wading through deep pools of water. When driving through water logged sections, water adheres to the brake discs/drums and tends to act as a lubricant, hence increasing stopping distance. After negotiating a water logged patch, apply the brakes gently a couple of times when the vehicle is in motion to dry the brakes out and restore full functionality of the brakes.

• Always be alert for stop signs and things blocking the road. Never drive through flooded and unfamiliar places, turn around and look for another route.

• Avoid driving through standing water- Where water has flooded on the road, drive very slowly. Do not drive through moving water if you cannot see the ground through it. Stop the car before entering the flooded area and check the water level ahead. Generally, if the water is deeper than the bottom of your doors or the bottom third of your wheels, do not drive through it.

• When stuck in mud or slush, shift to first or second gear and accelerate slowly. Don’t spin the wheels. The vehicle could get embedded deeper in the sludge.

Want this list to be more handy? Download our monsoon tips here. Save the file, print it and share it with friends! Drive safely this monsoon. Tell us what you think of these tips in our comments box below.

It wasn’t an ordinary ride. And it wasn’t an ordinary car. When Michael Boneham drove off in a brand new Fiesta from our Chennai factory on May 5, 2010, he was driving away in a very special car. It was the 100,000th Fiesta to come off the line in our Chennai manufacturing facility.

Boneham was justifiably proud of the achievement. “The event marks a new milestone for us,” he said. “Ford Fiesta continues to make us feel proud and is a significant product in our portfolio. The popularity of the Fiesta testifies that more and more customers have been reassured by its quality, features and performance.”

Title: Michael Boneham; Sandip, Exec. Director, Operations; Nigel Wark, Exec. Director, Marketing, Sales & Service and Ram Ramanathan, GM-Vehicle Quality with the 100,0000 Fiesta.

The Fiesta is a significant car for Ford in India in many ways. “The Fiesta has helped to positively shift consumer and dealer perception of Ford cars and added emotional appeal to its rationale strengths,” says Vinothkumar. “It has helped Ford create a strong imagery in the premium B segment and will continue to grab attention among the target consumers for many years.”

Title: Michael Boneham president and managing director, Ford India and Ford India employees give the 100,000th Fiesta a big thumbs up.

The six-figure mark is just another milestone in Fiesta’s successful run on the India roads since its launch. The premium sedan has won rave reviews and coveted awards during its 5-year journey. The special edition Fiesta 1.6 S was adjudged the Best Drivers’ Car amongst top 10 cars by Formula-1 driver Narain Karthikeyan in 2008. Fiesta was ranked No. 1 in ‘Total Customer Satisfaction in the Diesel Midsize Segment’ in the TNS Automotive 2009-TCS Study.

Title: 100,000th Ford Fiesta

While these awards mean a lot to us, what truly motivates us is the appreciation and support of those who drive and ride in the Fiesta. People like Anoop Jain. Here’s what he had to say: “Ford Fiesta has been an excellent experience for me and my family in terms of the driving dynamics. There is no comparison with Ford Fiesta when it comes to safety and experiencing the delight of driving. I have booked the new Figo as well, as my experience with Ford cars has been an amazing one.”

Title: Employees celebrating 100,000th Fiesta roll-out.

Or someone like Sandeep Gulati, whose favourite weekend companion, apart from his family, is the Fiesta. “Ford Fiesta has always been an amazing driving experience to the hill stations like Nainital where the roads are rough and bumpy. Fiesta makes the overall drive experience a very smooth and pleasant one,” he says.

Such words are a constant source of inspiration to all of us at Ford. Go Fiesta!

After our double celebrations barely a fortnight ago, today has been another exciting day for us. For today, Ford India opened not one or two or a dozen, but a whopping 28 new authorised Ford dealer facilities across 24 cities in India! Opening these facilities at the same time in across 28 locations – that’s a first of its kind news in the history of Ford globally.

This significant step makes it easier for people to see, touch, test drive, buy and service Ford cars, including the Ford Figo that will be on dealership floors shortly.

“Growing our dealership base, building strong business fundamentals and getting closer to our customers are areas of high priority as we gear up to launch our new Figo and enter this high volume segment in 2010,’’ said Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India at a dealership launch in New Delhi.

Title: Michael Boneham with the Harpreet Ford team in New Delhi

Our expanding dealership base is part of our aggressive growth strategy, particularly in Tier II and Tier III cities. ”Tier II and III cities are significant for Ford. We have opened new facilities in 13 Tier III cities today, and more than 40 percent of Ford service outlets are now located in secondary markets,” added Boneham.

With the new stores, we now have 164 facilities located in 97 cities across India. Half of the 28 new outlets offer what we call full 3S (Showroom, Sales and Service) facilities, while seven are service workshops, and the remaining are sales showrooms.

Title: Nigel Wark, executive director (marketing, sales and service), inaugurates the new Chennai dealership

Michael also spoke about our efforts at lowering cost of ownership for Ford vehicles. “Ford India has been working hard and has been aggressive to lower cost of ownership experience across its product range,” said Boneham

Our success with the cost of ownership initiative has been a result of several strategies, such as:

• Adopting the ‘One Ford’ philosophy across product development and manufacturing processes to develop high-quality products of global standards. Our consistent advances in quality indicators like JD Power’s Dependability and Quality surveys are evidence of our efforts.

• Our growing dealer base and getting closer to our consumers. Covenience is all that matters – an example of a new showroom in the East Delhi metro rail station, the first Ford showroom in a metro rail station in the Asia Pacific. (If you’re in Delhi and travelling by metro rail, do drop in to check out Ford cars displayed at the East Delhi metro rail station soon!)

• World class facilities and innovative sales and service experience, like the Quick Service bays that perform routine service in less than 90 minutes, now across 45 dealer outlets.

• Offering best in class warranty packages and host of competitive maintenance and service plans for a stress free vehicle ownership and motoring experience—from 24-hour roadside assistance to scheduled service plans and extended warranty packages.

We’re looking forward to seeing our “game changer” in the dealerships soon! Are you?

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.