February 5, 2010 was an exciting and memorable day for everybody at Ford India. It was a day when we achieved not one, but two milestones – a day of double celebrations!

Firstly, it was a proud moment as our Figo’s first production model was driven off the assembly line at the Maraimalai Nagar plant in Chennai. What made it all the more special was the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Dr. M Karunanidhi and Deputy Chief Minister Dr. M K Stalin. Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India; Raj Nair, vice president of operations, Asia Pacific and Africa; Sandip Sanyal, executive director of operations, Ford India and nearly three thousand employees of the newly expanded Chennai facilities were all on hand to join in the Job 1 ceremony.

“Michael Boneham (Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India), Raj Nair (VP, operations- Ford APA), sitting in white CM Dr. M Karunanidhi, standing in white is Deputy CM Dr. M K Stalin.”

“Figo is a great example of the role Ford will play in the future of India,” Dr. Karunanidhi said during the ceremony.

Michael restated the vision for Ford in India, saying, “Less than six months ago, Ford Motor Company reaffirmed its commitment to transform the plant located here outside Chennai into a regional manufacturing centre of excellence.”

“It’s a great honour to have you with us as our projects and investments are turning to reality and the completion of our first Ford Figo off this assembly line,” he told our special guests.

Secondly, the Job 1 ceremony was followed by the inauguration of the new engine facility that manufactures the exclusive 1.2L petrol engine for Figo. Dr. M K Stalin congratulated the Ford India team for the new engine plant facility and wished us all the best for the Figo launch.

“Left to right: Dr M.K Stalin (standing in white) Deputy Chief Minister; Sandip Sanyal President & MD, Ford India Ltd,; Tom Chackalackal, VP, Vehicle operation, Ford; Michael Boneham, President & MD, Ford India Ltd; Raj Nair-VP, Operations-APAC, Ford Motor Company”

It was difficult to contain our joy at seeing years of hard work coming to fruition. “It’s exciting to see the first Figo coming to life,” Raj said. “We’re confident that the Figo will be extremely attractive to Indian buyers,” he added.

New Engine Plant

Our new engine plant, with a capacity of 250,000 engines a year, will lead the way in transforming Chennai into a major hub for diesel and petrol engine exports in the coming decade. The plant will quadruple production capacity of the engine manufacturing facility.

Explaining the story behind the plant, Michael stated, “This engine plant was created with a ‘best of the best’ approach. We benchmarked against other competitive facilities globally, as well as the current volume manufacturers in India for quality and production efficiency.”

Initially, the plant will focus on the assembly of both the common rail 1.4L diesel engine and the new 1.2L petrol engine—both to be fitted in the Figo. What’s more, the new line is completely flexible and will have the ability to handle both diesel and petrol engines simultaneously.

With this red-letter day behind us, we’re looking forward to the Figo launch! Stay tuned.

The much-awaited Ford Figo is almost ready. So we put together a video for all Ford fans who are dying to see the car inside-out! Here’s a never-seen-before look into the car, the roomy interiors, mobile connectivity and so much more. Watch the video and tell us what you think of the car!

What makes the Figo such a ‘cool’-looking and dynamic car? Who better to tell us than the design team itself, led by Scott Strong, APA design director.

We had a chat with Scott Strong (SS), Scott Ferrier (SF), design manager, and Emily Lai (EL), Colours & Materials design manager, recently. They spoke candidly about the Figo’s kinetic design elements, its aesthetics and the small car’s big personality.

In Scott Ferrier’s words, here’s the 10-cent tour of the car. Enjoy!

What was the starting point of the Figo?

SS: We got a phone call in September 2007, and they asked us, “How would you guys like to help us design a small car for India?” That was the starting point, and with a spectacular outcome!

The design team responded enthusiastically to this project?

SS: Absolutely! We love to design cars.  If we don’t get a white piece of paper we try to make one!

How did you get from the initial thoughts to the final outcome ?

SS: It was quite a journey for us, really. But as the doors opened, the opportunities became apparent that we thought, gosh, we can make an affordable entry-level car that we’ll be proud of.

EL: What was interesting was the India marketing team saying they wanted more from the car, and we said, yeah, we want more too. So we worked together to create this ‘more’ factor.

On to the Figo itself. First impressions?

SF: It’s a very cohesive piece of design. Everything has a function and aesthetically every element works in harmony with the others.

There are a lot of lines and graphics on this car that help the eye move around. In the front there’s the crease on the hood, which runs down the front around the lower portion of the upper grille and then back up the hood again. So all the time your eye is actually being guided around the car.

So that’s what makes the car kinetic?

SS: Yes. Besides, this car has several other kinetic design elements, including the little fender feature, plus the lower grille opening and the upper grille with the little ‘cat whisker’.

What inspired you while designing the Figo?

SF: We really wanted to give the car a personality. It’s a very dynamic shape and it just adds that touch of speed and agility to the personality of the vehicle.

What is the car’s personality?

SF: I think it’s a cheeky looking car— a car that could get you into mischief.

SS: The Figo combines a certain youthful spirit, but it does so in a mature, smart way.

EL: To me, it feels like it’s a fun thing to play with as well.

The Figo seems to have its own space within the small car segment.

SS: It’s very spirited, and has a somewhat cheeky personality.

SF: See the basic architecture as well – with wheels at each corner and pronounced arches over the rear wheels reinforce Figo’s well planted footprint. It looks like it’s planted securely on the road—very solid.

EL: And the solidness makes people feel safe and feel like they’re driving a car rather than a toy.

What makes the Figo a versatile car?

SS: I think the Figo has the ability to play in two different worlds—you can take it to dinner or to a grocery store.  It strikes a balance between youthfulness and being grown up, almost ageless. You could see both young and older people in it.

The badge seems a bit different than other Ford cars.

SF: It’s in line with the car’s personality.

The setting is important to tell the car’s story. How would you portray the Figo’s bold personality?

SF: You stick this car in the middle of a beautiful field with hills in the background – and it looks out of context.  You stick it a badly lit street corner and it starts to make sense. Or maybe a market place. This car is like your safety beacon. It’s gonna look after you, and it’s waiting.

SS: Maybe the car making its way through an Indian city, with a lot of colour, vibrancy and hustle bustle.

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!