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?

After an evening of great insights into the Figo and a good look at the car, the bloggers were eager to drive the Ford Figo.

So, the next morning, we handed over four Figos to a group of automotive bloggers for their test drive (both petrol and diesel versions), with Michael Boneham flagging them off. The Squeeze and Sea Grey Figos lit up the 21.8-kilometre scenic drive from Cansaulim to Cavelossim in Goa as they zipped by. The “Figo twins” negotiated the winding streets, narrow paths and the sharp turns with ease, even over the trickier bits.

While the bloggers tested the car, Ford’s engineering and management teams were on their toes, ready to answer questions, and listen to the bloggers’ first drive impression about the car.

The drive went off without a hitch, and the bloggers loved the car. Shrawan Raja of Indian Autos Blog said he just loved that the car was completely driver-centric. Kartik Ganesh of CarWale.com agreed. “The Figo’s got the traditional Ford DNA —great handling, decent ride quality and stability through corners.” Motorbeam.com’s Faisal Ali Khan didn’t hesitate to say, “The Figo handles like a big car!”

The love for the Figo was echoed by other bloggers as well. Subhash Kamath from Mumbai enthusiastically said, “Figo’s a great car. And it’s not a B-car at all, because it has a premium hatchback feel.” Karthik of Vicky.in summed it up well when he said, “Nice car. Now I’m looking for a killer price.”

Ahh, the price. Watch this space for more!

Coming soon: A woman drives the Figo

Early last week, the streets of sleepy Goa came alive as four brand new cars zipped across the beach state. For the lucky few who saw the cars, it was the first public glimpse of the new Ford Figo.

It all began when automotive journalists and bloggers from across India arrived to see, feel and drive the Figo. They got to mix with the who’s who at Ford—Michael Boneham (president and managing director, Ford India), Nigel Wark (executive director, marketing, sales and service), Anthony Hall(B-car vehicle engineering manager), Scott Strong (APA design director), Emily Lai (colour & materials design manager)and Sundar Sundarrajan (chief program engineer).

Just before dinner, it was time to get down to business. But it was Goa, after all, not the most business-like place. So Nigel gave us the reason for choosing Goa as the drive destination. He shared a video showcasing several Sandeeps, the Figo’s target customer. On being asked their favourite holiday destination, most of the young men had replied, “Goa!”

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason—for the Figo exploration had just begun. Anthony narrated behind-the-scenes Figo stories, replete with impossible cross-border shipping schedules and trans-national teamwork. He even showed a photograph of the Figo in an Australian plant—a “potentially sackable offence”, he said tongue-in-cheek.

Scott elaborated on the Figo’s fluid ‘tear drop’ silhouette and the kinetic design cues. The graphics he used to explain the car’s lines and curves made us realize that the photos could never completely convey the extreme ‘coolness’ of the cars.

Next, we discovered the philosophy behind the interiors, as Emily explained the four trim levels and what they indicated; like the red dot matrix seats meant precision and technological sophistication. And the brand-new Figo colours couldn’t be more creatively named—Colorado Red, Sea Grey, Chill and Squeeze!

In the final moment of truth that warm evening, Michael unveiled the Figo’s interiors. We sat in the Figo, checked out the seats, boot, dashboard, tyres and everything else. Only one thing was missing in the car—the key to drive it away, but that was for another day.

Coming soon: Driving the Figo

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.

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