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.

This is the second part of an earlier blog post.

After visiting the Ford India Engine Plant, the bloggers were showcased the company’s efforts to reduce the cost of owning Ford cars through its selection of child parts. These child parts reduce the cost of repairing or replacing spare parts by eliminating the need to replace large sections of the car. This is done by simplifying major assemblies into component-level parts. For example, a starter motor, which was previously replaced as a complete unit, has now been classified into several component-level parts such as the arm assembly, housing assembly, bushing, drive assembly and solenoid assembly. Similar child parts are also developed for engine components and transmission systems, to name a few.

“Ford has taken an awesome initiative to reduce costs at both the manufacturing as well as maintenance level. Owners of the Figo will experience very reasonable prices of spares. Add to that, the company has ensured that you don’t need to change the complete part should anything go wrong with a part being made of sub-parts and thus making it cheap to replace,” Faisal of Motorbeam wrote on his blog.

The last stop for the bloggers was the delivery yard, where the cars are stored when they are ready for delivery hundreds of Ford Figos stood waiting to be delivered to dealers. For the car-loving bloggers, it was a fascinating experience to watch the journey of a Ford car from bare metal to the finished product. It gave them all a glimpse into cutting-edge car manufacturing technology. Ford India is a 6-Sigma company, and every process and step is planned to perfection.

More people die in road accidents in India than anywhere else in the world, according to the Global Status Report on Road Safety by the World Health Organization. Each of us can reduce the likelihood of an accident by driving safely and cultivating good driving habits.

Ford conducts the Driving Skills for Life programme that helps new and old drivers stay safe behind the wheel. Here are a few of our best tips:

Tip 1: Use seat belts all the time

-A seat belt can significantly reduce the chance of a serious injury or death
-Fasten your seat belt before you turn on the engine
-Insist that all your passengers use their seat belts

Tip 2: Adjust rear view and side mirrors

-Before you turn on the engine, adjust your rear and side view mirrors to the appropriate angles to maximise your field of vision
-Your views from the back window and along the sides of the vehicle should be clear and unobstructed

Tip 3: Drive relaxed by anticipating traffic situations

-Avoid constant accelerating-braking sequences
-Change lanes early when approaching obstacles – always use left/ right turn signals
-Smoothly equalise speed differences
-Allow other vehicles to proceed before you – be courteous to other drivers

Tip 4: Avoid distractions while driving

-Driving demands your full attention and distractions can increase the risk of a crash
-Distractions include adjusting the radio, talking on mobile phones or with other passengers, sending text messages… which can take your attention away from the road, and increase driving risk

Tip 5: Maintain a safe three-second distance between vehicles

-Keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you, to prevent crashing into it if it stops abruptly
-Use the three-second rule – as safe distances change with different speeds
-Pick a stationary point on the road; when the car in front of you passes it, you should be able to count to 3 before you pass the same object
-If the weather is bad and visibility is low – i.e. if there is heavy rain or fog – increase he time interval to 6 seconds

Tip 6: Use your gears effectively

-You should shift to the next highest gear when engine speeds reach 2,000-2,500 rpm
-Maintain uniform driving at engine speed of 2,000 rpm and below.

Target Gear      Speed

1st Gear                Start up
2nd Gear              After 1 car length
3rd Gear               at 30 km/h
4th Gear               at 40 km/h
5th Gear               at 50 km/h
6th Gear               possible above 50 km/h

Tip 7: Use the vehicle’s momentum and built-up energy

Take the foot off the accelerator pedal early and roll with the traffic when:

-Approaching a red light
-Before changing direction
-In stop-and-go traffic
-At a “give-way” or “yield” traffic sign
-Approaching a “Stop” traffic sign

Tip 8: Switch off the engine selectively

If you expect to stop your vehicle and remain idle for more than 20 seconds, you can save fuel by switching off the engine. An engine idling for three minutes is equivalent to driving one kilometre at 50 km per hour. Typical situations include:

-While loading and unloading
-At traffic lights
-In traffic jams
-At closed gates (railway crossing).

Note: Switching the engine on off frequently does not damage the starter switch or decrease its life

Tip 9: Ensure adequate tyre pressure

-Check your tyres regularly and adjust it to appropriate pressure (see car manual). It saves fuel and increases safety!
-Correct tyre pressure can improve fuel economy by up to 1%-3%
-Tyre pressure that is 0.3 BAR below the optimum can increase the rolling resistance by up to 10%
-A tyre can lose up to half of its air pressure without appearing flat

Tip 10: Remove weight and unused racks

-An additional weight of 20 kg can increase fuel consumption by approximately 1%
-Remove unnecessary weight from the trunk (boot)
-Take off racks (roof and rear) when they’re not being used
-Use lower speeds while transporting goods with roof or rear racks for better fuel economy and safety

We would like to hear how you practise safe driving. Please leave a comment with your own driving tips.

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!

We already told you how the new Ford Figo helped resolve the Smart and Smarter debate between men and women. Here’s your chance to watch the debates see why the Figo is both smart and smarter! Watch the videos below and tell us what you think!

Who is smart and who is smarter? Men or women?

There’s never been an end to this raging debate between men and women, so we decided to settle the matter by bringing to life the concept of “smart and smarter” at the launch of the new Ford Figo in Delhi and Mumbai.

For this, we did the daring thing—we got a newly-married couple to slog it out in a live debate in front of the television, print and web media. The couple was Sandeep and Priya, who were smart and smarter, played by the vivacious Gul Panag and the witty Gaurav Kapur.

In this fun and engaging debate, the husband-wife duo took to the stage with India’s favourite quiz master Derek O’Brien. So while Priya said “smart” was great music, cool comfort, and vibrant colours in a car, Sandeep said “smarter” was phonebook and friends, excellent boot space, and enough leg room for his tall frame. As the couple battled on, Derek offered a solution—the Ford Figo with its smart and smarter features!

As we tweeted about the debate, Gul replied: “[I] loved it:) @gauravkapur was the perfect ‘husband’.”

After the debate, Derek asked Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India what he thought “smart” was. Michael responded: “Smart is cost of ownership!” To which Nigel Wark, executive director, marketing, sales and service added, “Smarter is the great pricing!”

We couldn’t agree more.

Soon after the Ford Figo rolled on to the stage, we asked Rahul Gautam, Ford Figo’s brand manager, about the idea behind this unique creative execution. “There are so many little nuggets in this car. The smart and smarter debate was a nice hook between the Figo and connect with consumers,” he said. Like in a relationship, Rahul explained, “It is not about one being better than the other, but how each can compliment the other to make a great couple.”

This debate was designed specially for the Figo’s launch, bringing the car’s features to life. “It drove home the first message about the smart and smarter features of the Figo,” Rahul said.

All those who saw the debate and experienced the Figo later said that the debate was an excellent out-of-the-box idea, and agreed that the car is a great buy. And they’re right—the Ford Figo is indeed a very cool car!

The country is in the throes of excitement over the new IPL season, and so are we! This time, the IPL’s going to be different, we promise. It’s not just because it’s a brand-new season, but also because we’re bringing IPL matches to a theatre near you!

Yes, it’s true! Ford Figo presents UFO T20 Hungama, guaranteed to be a favourite among all cricket lovers!

The best part about the T20 Hungama is that you can enjoy all the cricketing action on the big screen with friends and family! It’s like being in the stadium, but more up, close and personal with the cricketers.

What’s more, there will also be a chance to check out the brand new Ford Figo and a chance to win exciting prizes, including the Figo itself.

Let the games begin!