Sometime in the first quarter of 2010, a young man called Sandeep will walk into a Ford dealership with his parents and wife, and drive out in the Figo. Later that evening, he’ll text his buddy: “Hey Akash, I just bought the Figo! Coming for a drive?”

We’re not Nostradamus, but our marketing team’s little “prediction” might well turn out to be true. After all, the team has met not one, not two, but dozens of “Sandeeps” over the past few months. Our Sandeeps are in their mid-twenties, and are quintessential middle class youth. They are recently married and have earned a promotion and recognition at work. As the marketing guys put it, “Sandeep is Figo’s ideal target customer”.

Engaging these ideal customers was no mean task – the marketing team approached several Sandeeps to learn not only what they looked for in a car, but also what made them tick. They met their families, went shopping and even clubbing with them, and asked them a long list of questions. And their thorough work paid off – we now know their favourite movies (Sholay, DDLJ, Ghajini), gadgets (Apple iPod) and music (A.R. Rahman), what they do online (banking and Orkuting) and just about everything else in their lives (some want to buy a car, others a plasma TV).

What have we achieved from this exercise? For starters, we learned that the Figo’s customer, Sandeep is a complex person indeed: we figure that Sandeep is ambitious while being rooted to family values and traditions. Ford India brand manager Rahul Gautam says, “Sandeep wants to give attention to his family, spend time with his wife, and aspires to do well in his job. Interestingly, he has kept his bachelor mindset. So all this leads to some stress and tension because he feels pulled in different directions and is short of time.”

Rahul also explained the Sandeep-Figo connection to us recently. “Sandeep lives in a joint family with his parents. The Figo will be Sandeep’s exclusive space. He can use it for himself, on his way to work. He can take his wife out safely in the night, occasionally pick up relatives or friends from the airport, and take his family for weekend trips.”

Illustrating our commitment towards understanding the core customer, we invited some of the Sandeeps to New Delhi on September 23, where they met Ford Motor Company’s President and CEO Alan Mulally. Alan was quite excited to meet them just before Figo’s reveal to the world. “Thanks a lot for doing this,” he told the Sandeeps. “It’s such a big deal for Ford to compete in the centre of the Indian market and you helped.”

We just can’t wait for the Figo to hit the roads next year; nor can the Sandeeps!

Do you know a Sandeep or want to know more about him? Tell us what you think!

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!

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!

The Figo reveal has created ripples in the Indian auto industry and the news media. We bring you snippets from the press coverage.

Economic Times leads the way with the headline “India will build Ford’s Figo”, while The Hindu Business Line declares that “Everything about it [Figo] says it is a Ford”. Mint features an in-depth interview with president and CEO Alan Mulally.

Indian news channels covered the unveiling event and interviewed Mr. Mulally. NDTV interviewed Mr. Mulally; so did CNBC TV 18.  Mr. Mulally spoke about the small car strategy, his plans for India and Ford being the right vehicle for the Indian customer. ET Now has an on-ground interview with Mr. Mulally on Ford’s multiple global platforms and the role of small cars in our family of vehicles.

The Figo also made it to the international press, with Business Week dubbing the Figo a small car “made in – and for – India”. We couldn’t agree more.

- By the Ford Figo team

Here are the best moments of our unveiling event yesterday. Watch the Ford Figo drive out for the first time and what president and CEO Alan Mulally had to say about Ford and the new car.

What do you think of the Figo? Let us know.

It’s anything but small- it’s substantial. It’s a Ford. And it’s finally revealed!

Say hello to the newest member of the Ford carline in India– the Ford Figo!

Figo is colloquial Italian for “cool”, and our new car personifies the vibrant spirit and youthful character of its name, plus the quality and substance car buyers expect from a Ford.

Our president and CEO Alan Mulally introduced Figo to the foreign and Indian media at a press conference in Delhi a short while ago. It was a fascinating sneak peek at our future in India.

“We know the high importance Indian consumers place on value for money. We know you want quality, fuel efficiency, technology, and safety. And Ford is going to give it to you,” Mr. Mulally said at the conference.

We like Figo’s kinetic design, which shares key elements with the Focus, Mondeo and Fiesta.  Its contemporary touches include expressive headlamps and grille, and sculpted bonnet. Also check out a host of other design details, such as:

• Chiseled front fenders and strong shoulders
• ‘Comet tail’ undercut in the door
• Chamfered window shape at the rear
• Light-catching sculpting in the lower bodyside
• Sporty integrated spoiler
• Contemporary singular side window graphic, a strong graphic via the use of a blacked-out centre pillar

Generous proportions are evident in the Figo design. And being a Ford, we ensured the Figo has a solid stance with a spacious interior.  The car’s profile and bold graphic large side window shape strongly hint at the comfort and spaciousness of the car.

We’ve made the Figo nimble and agile, another core Ford characteristic. The pronounced wheel arches signal both agility and solidity, and the body shape has minimal overhang with a wheels-at-the-corners look.

Our team has leveraged Ford’s small-car platform architecture to create the Figo. It shares underlying technology with the Ford Fiesta, already familiar to Indian drivers.

We have designed the Figo for driving on congested city roads, fully geared to take on the competition in India’s small car segment. As Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India, said at the conference: “We’re confident that the new Ford Figo will be extremely attractive to Indian car buyers. It’s going to be very competitive with the current market leaders and offer a tremendous value story for our consumers.”

The car will be produced at our Chennai plant, which has undergone a $500 million transformation to become a regional centre of excellence for Ford small car production.  The Figo will be exported to international markets as well. Volume production is scheduled to begin in early 2010.

Keep track of our blog for more information about the car and Ford in India. Meanwhile, we leave you with first glimpses of the car. Enjoy the pictures, and do let us know what you think of Figo.

-By the Ford Figo Team

It was an historic moment for Ford today as president and CEO Alan Mulally unveiled our new car in India – the Figo – at a press conference in Delhi. The Figo is Ford’s substantial offering to Indian car buyers, and is scheduled for launch in early 2010.

The excitement among our team grew as journalists from around the world poured into the conference hall. The theme – One Ford, One Vision, One Team, One Moment – became apparent as the events unfolded.

Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India, kicked off the press conference with an insightful introduction to Ford’s $500 million investment in India. “This strategic investment is transforming our India business – into a volume manufacturing and export hub…and a regional center of excellence for Ford small car development and production.”

Mr Boneham called the Figo a game-changer for the India operations. “It will give us competitive muscle in the heart of the India market. And it marks the beginning of a series of new products for customers here,” he envisioned.

Taking over the stage from Mr Boneham, president and CEO Alan Mulally explained the One Ford strategy to the transfixed audience. “The centre of our One Ford plan is developing a full line-up of Ford vehicles across all global markets, in all segments- small, medium and large; cars, utilities and trucks, each of them best-in-class for fuel efficiency, quality, safety and value. Around the world and, particularly here in India, our plan includes accelerating development of fuel efficient, small cars,” he said.

“We know the high importance Indian consumers place on value for money. We know you want quality, fuel efficiency, technology, and safety. And Ford is going to give it to you,” Mr Mulally stated emphatically.

As the new Ford Figo rolled on to stage, Mr Mulally highlighted its important features: “It combines Ford's kinetic design, class-leading interior space, several technology firsts and modern comforts and conveniences that make this car a game-changer.”

Mr Mulally invited senior executives on stage for a photo op with the new Ford Figo- Michael Boneham, John Parker, Sandip Sayal, Tom Chakalakal and Nigel Wark.

As the media steps forward to get a better view of the car, we’d like you to take a closer look as well. Keep reading this blog to get all the dope on the newest member of the Ford family in India- the Ford Figo.

-By the Ford Figo team