[JonSnow]

Originally Posted by raghav135

Looks like bookings for Ford Figo Aspire have started with 50k or 1lakh (not sure which one is correct).

It also looks like the dual clutch automatic transmission would come with 1.2L petrol option (not 1.5L petrol).

http://www.motorbeam.com/2015/06/car...ings-commence/

http://auto.ndtv.com/news/bookings-f...e-begin-767726

I don't understand. Didn't their VP confirm that 1.5L Petrol engine will be offered in the below posted interview? I thought that made it more or less official. Why is there still confusion over whether 1.5L Petrol engine will be offered or not?

Originally Posted by shyampsunder

Hey guys, Powerdrift has a video on YouTube interviewing a Ford VP about the Aspire, he confirms 3 engine options. 1.2l and 1.5l petrol engines and 1.5l diesel engine. He also rules out bringing in the ecoboost engine to this car.

Note to mod: If this information has already been announced please feel free to delete this past

[adimicra]

Well, the opinions in this thread are very optimistic to say the least. The same was the case with the Tata Zest but we know the market response was quite the opposite.

Ford doesn't enjoy the brand equity of a Maruti, Hyundai or Honda. So, they need something extraordinary to make the product a success. The Ecosport was the first of it's kind and was launched at an extremely competitive price. The Figo came with an outstanding value proposition - B+ segment size with B segment price couple with decent and proven diesel engine (though it couldn't sustain the sales momentum for long due to it's dated design and overall lack of quality and finesse).

Now, this brings me back to the Aspire. What is the extraordinary factor here? Yes, 6 airbags is a great offering for the safety conscious people ..but, what % of the buyers in this segment care about 6 airbags (most don't even care about any airbags)? The design is decent..not offensive but not alluring at the same time. The space and interiors seem par for the course for this segment. The only way it can be a success is to undercut the Dzire/Amaze by a significant margin. Else, I just don't see this taking off.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by adimicra

The design is decent..not offensive but not alluring at the same time.The only way it can be a success is to undercut the Dzire/Amaze by a significant margin. Else, I just don't see this taking off.

Aspire looks better than most sub 4 metre sedans. I don't think that Ford has dreams of selling more Aspires than Dzire, even if they desire! They will be happy with 5000-7000 a month, which I think is achievable. Ford may not have the might of Honda, but after owning a Figo(dad's) we are happy with the experience. I think the case is same with most who own Ecosport.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Now, this brings me back to the Aspire. What is the extraordinary factor here? Yes, 6 airbags is a great offering for the safety conscious people ..but, what % of the buyers in this segment care about 6 airbags (most don't even care about any airbags)? The design is decent..not offensive but not alluring at the same time. The space and interiors seem par for the course for this segment. The only way it can be a success is to undercut the Dzire/Amaze by a significant margin. Else, I just don't see this taking off.

I'm no fan of the Aspire or any of the Compact Sedans for that matter. When you say the Aspire needs to undercut the Dzire and Amaze by a significant margin, what exactly do you mean? The Amaze is an pathetic looking, cheaply built, electronically speed limited (God knows for what) contraption under 4M that sells well as a sedan in India because it has a boot, a diesel engine and 'H' on the bonnet. I dread to think to what abyss Ford has to fall to significantly undercut the Amaze.

[anish5225]

Originally Posted by kiku007

I'm no fan of the Aspire or any of the Compact Sedans for that matter. When you say the Aspire needs to undercut the Dzire and Amaze by a significant margin, what exactly do you mean? The Amaze is an pathetic looking, cheaply built, electronically speed limited (God knows for what) contraption under 4M that sells well as a sedan in India because it has a boot, a diesel engine and 'H' on the bonnet. I dread to think to what abyss Ford has to fall to significantly undercut the Amaze.

Well said! Lucky that the govt did not come up with a 3M rule. Else our roads would've been already filled with sub 3M sedans and SUVs.

[raghav135]

Originally Posted by JonSnow

I don't understand. Didn't their VP confirm that 1.5L Petrol engine will be offered in the below posted interview? I thought that made it more or less official. Why is there still confusion over whether 1.5L Petrol engine will be offered or not?

Thanks , I had not seen the video before. I wonder why it is not mentioned in yesterday's news links!

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Aspire looks better than most sub 4 metre sedans. I don't think that Ford has dreams of selling more Aspires than Dzire, even if they desire! They will be happy with 5000-7000 a month, which I think is achievable. Ford may not have the might of Honda, but after owning a Figo(dad's) we are happy with the experience. I think the case is same with most who own Ecosport.

Originally Posted by kiku007

I'm no fan of the Aspire or any of the Compact Sedans for that matter. When you say the Aspire needs to undercut the Dzire and Amaze by a significant margin, what exactly do you mean? The Amaze is an pathetic looking, cheaply built, electronically speed limited (God knows for what) contraption under 4M that sells well as a sedan in India because it has a boot, a diesel engine and 'H' on the bonnet. I dread to think to what abyss Ford has to fall to significantly undercut the Amaze.

Well, I am not saying Amaze or Dzire is a better car..I am not a fan of sub-4M compact sedans.. I am just speculating on the success or failure of the model and you know very well that it's not only the product that sells.. there are many other factors in play. Otherwise, the Zest should have been a best seller.
I am not going to argue with people who love a particular brand ... we will see the outcome in a few months. 5000-7000 per month is a very optimistic target for the Aspire.
Looks are very subjective and I don't think the Aspire looks any better than an Amaze. And I think Ford needs to price the Aspire at 30-40K less than Amaze/Dzire for matching features or provide more features at the same price if they have any desire of selling 5000-7000 cars per month.

[jayded]

Originally Posted by adimicra

I am not going to argue with people who love a particular brand
[SNIP]
Looks are very subjective and I don't think the Aspire looks any better than an Amaze. And I think Ford needs to price the Aspire at 30-40K less than Amaze/Dzire for matching features or provide more features at the same price if they have any desire of selling 5000-7000 cars per month.

I would rather Ford not sell the Aspire well than stoop to the levels of quality and looks of the Amaze. Amaze has one of the most hideous interiors I've ever seen in something tagged as a family sedan, in recent times.

I would say the Aspire would be well kitted unlike the tin can Amaze and Dzire (which i've started to respect more after seeing the Amaze Interiors). But alas, we know quality products don't always sell due to something called "perception". But that doesn't make the Nano, Zest or the Aspire, bad products.

[utsav1303]

Originally Posted by adimicra

And I think Ford needs to price the Aspire at 30-40K less than Amaze/Dzire for matching features or provide more features at the same price if they have any desire of selling 5000-7000 cars per month.

Zest starts at a ex-showroom (Delhi) price of INR 4,88,513 for XE Revotron 90PS Petrol (WHITE). And, that is the least among the popular competition in sub-4m (Compact) Sedan segment. But it did not set the sales on fire, in spite of being a good product.

Of course, the factors are numerous like failing to meet deliveries for AMT, shattered brand image of TATA Motors, resemblance of 3/4 silhouette with predecessor models of Tata and others.

The marketing of Amaze, IMO, tried to hit the right spot of a car which has enough space, low maintenance and high fuel efficiency; though it was let down by interiors and NVH of the car.

If we look at Xcent and Dzire, the marketing is being targeted with focus on fuel efficiency, low maintenance and reliability, getting MORE for LESS (features, space).

So, Ford has to make sure that along with pricing, it hits right spot in marketing and word of mouth publicity of product which is more important than getting brand ambassador Farhan Akhtar on-board & naming the car 'Aspire'.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Well, I am not saying Amaze or Dzire is a better car.. And I think Ford needs to price the Aspire at 30-40K less than Amaze/Dzire for matching features or provide more features at the same price if they have any desire of selling 5000-7000 cars per month.

That's the point of view I'm not sure of, mate. Without knowing which is a better car or not, is it right to expect the Aspire to be priced lower (30-40K) or speced higher than corresponding Dzire or Amaze variants to sell 5000+ cars?

In the quest for market share, some companies are diluting the core strengths of their brand . Hope nothing like that happens with Ford.

[Vitalstatistiks]

Originally Posted by kiku007

The Amaze is an pathetic looking, cheaply built, electronically speed limited (God knows for what) contraption under 4M that sells well as a sedan in India because it has a boot, a diesel engine and 'H' on the bonnet.

Originally Posted by jayded

I would rather Ford not sell the Aspire well than stoop to the levels of quality and looks of the Amaze. Amaze has one of the most hideous interiors I've ever seen in something tagged as a family sedan, in recent times.

I would say the Aspire would be well kitted unlike the tin can Amaze and Dzire (which i've started to respect more after seeing the Amaze Interiors).

Care to objectively explain your points like "pathetic looking" and "hideous interiors" ? I am no Amaze owner, or even a fan, but I don't subscribe to these adjectives. IMO, it is a better looking "tin can" (as are all the other cars in this segment) than its competition. What is the counter to that ? I would suggest a little more civility in choice of words, even if you wish to criticize a product or a brand. There are 100s of owners right here on this forum, who will not appreciate the choice of words.

[turboturtle]

Originally Posted by jayded

I would rather Ford not sell the Aspire well than stoop to the levels of quality and looks of the Amaze. Amaze has one of the most hideous interiors I've ever seen in something tagged as a family sedan, in recent times.

Well put! Indeed, I personally found Amaze having dated interiors along with poor NVH. Agree this is one of the top cars in terms of fuel efficiency, but there is only so much that you can compromise for FE's sake.

Originally Posted by jayded

I would say the Aspire would be well kitted unlike the tin can Amaze and Dzire (which i've started to respect more after seeing the Amaze Interiors). But alas, we know quality products don't always sell due to something called "perception". But that doesn't make the Nano, Zest or the Aspire, bad products.

Respect Dzire compared to Amaze..Hmm. In retrospect, I have to say I agree with you. Viewed stand-alone, Dzire doesn't look enticing, but compared to Amaze, yes I have to agree it looks 'Dzire'able and 'Amaze'ing

On the other part regarding the 'perception', I guess there have been enough arguments and counter arguments. Enough said and I will not rake this up again.

All in all, this is one car amongst 4 (others being iX25, Jazz and S-Cross) that I am looking forward for a lunch of. In my opinion, Aspire will turn out to be the one with the most safety kit in place (Jazz is almost confirmed with only 2 airbags; I don't expect Maruti to start offering 6 airbags; iX25 is the only one that I have hopes on since the erstwhile i20 came with 6 balloons).

Others might find this paranoid but I am really particular about the 6 airbags since a majority of my family rides in the back seat - can't do without them (both the family and the airbags!)

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by kiku007

The Amaze is an pathetic looking, cheaply built, electronically speed limited (God knows for what) contraption under 4M

Sir, I would agree to the fact that Amaze is built to a cost and it is clearly visible. However, not many would agree that it is pathetic looking (might be your personal opinion - but your statement makes it sound like it is a fact). Amaze is more proportional looking than most other compact sedans in market today. Again, the interiors might be dated, plain and too simple but I felt the parts and plastic to be of adequate quality and pretty well put together.

I definitely agree that Aspire is very good looking too, and IMO will pose serious questions to Amaze in overall feature-set, build quality and interior design.

Coming to the speed limit, why should we be so concerned about that? The limited speed is well above the legal limits of our road - so I dont think it is as big an issue as it is projected to be.

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Aspire looks better than most sub 4 metre sedans. I don't think that Ford has dreams of selling more Aspires than Dzire, even if they desire! They will be happy with 5000-7000 a month, which I think is achievable.

Well Rationalist, I feel the 5000-7000 figure is very optimistic, considering the fact that Ford has managed to exceed the 7k mark only twice in the last 12 months (that too by just). I am sure they will sell ~3-4k per month - Not more. Ford does not have the number of dealers to sell that many cars especially in Tier 2 and 3 towns. Moreover, we see how Tata (with Bolt and Zest) with much more reach failed to sell consistently good numbers. Ford should first price the car sensibly and try to sell consistent numbers first and then constantly aim to increase the sales by good word-of-mouth. Very importantly they should not be greedy by constantly increasing the prices like they did for Ecosport.

Originally Posted by turboturtle

Others might find this paranoid but I am really particular about the 6 airbags since a majority of my family rides in the back seat - can't do without them (both the family and the airbags!)

Well, I would also love to have 6 air-bags in the car I buy, but unfortunately the mass market is not with us. People want "visible" features and not invisible safety features. How else would you explain the majority of Swifts / Dzires seen on road being the VXi / VDi. Low demand, I am sure, is the only reason why Hyundai is not offering the 6 airbags option in i20 now. Good that Ford is offering these in Ecosport and Aspire - would be really great if others follow the example set.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Sir, I would agree to the fact that Amaze is built to a cost and it is clearly visible. However, not many would agree that it is pathetic looking (might be your personal opinion - but your statement makes it sound like it is a fact). Amaze is more proportional looking than most other compact sedans in market today. Again, the interiors might be dated, plain and too simple but I felt the parts and plastic to be of adequate quality and pretty well put together.

Of course many wouldn't agree to calling the Amaze looks pathetic After all looks are subjective. The interior quality may be adequate for some but I clearly miss the quality of the previous gen Hondas. Those front seat backs can't get any thinner for example.

Originally Posted by Vigkey

Coming to the speed limit, why should we be so concerned about that? The limited speed is well above the legal limits of our road - so I dont think it is as big an issue as it is projected to be.

That shows the level of confidence (or fear) a company has in it's product. When a similar engine is not speed limited in the City, what logical reason could you think of it being limited in the Amaze?


This isn't a Amaze Vs Aspire discussion. It started when a post wanted the Aspire to be priced significantly lesser or speced higher than an Amaze. All I'm saying is, Honda has stooped to a new low with the Amaze and I really don't want Ford to be going any further down for the sake of sales.

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by kiku007

The interior quality may be adequate for some but I clearly miss the quality of the previous gen Hondas. Those front seat backs can't get any thinner for example.

Agree to that sir. It is not up to the quality levels of previous generation Hondas. My simple point was, the current levels are not as bad as they are portrayed to be. The seats are thin for sure but I didnt feel any sort of discomfort after driving the car 575 kms on a same day round trip.

Originally Posted by kiku007

That shows the level of confidence (or fear) a company has in it's product. When a similar engine is not speed limited in the City, what logical reason could you think of it being limited in the Amaze?

Probably Honda believed the car might not be too stable in 150 kmph with the slim tires. Mobilio build on the same platform does not have any speed limiting - and it has wider tires - So probably it has something to do with the tires.

I guess we are going way and should stop before Mods come in to warn us. Probably we can have a discussion in the Amaze thread or a private discussion.

Originally Posted by kiku007

This isn't a Amaze Vs Aspire discussion. It started when a post wanted the Aspire to be priced significantly lesser or speced higher than an Amaze. All I'm saying is, Honda has stooped to a new low with the Amaze and I really don't want Ford to be going any further down for the sake of sales.

Yes, I do not think Ford should try to undercut Amaze by giving poor quality - but definitely when it comes to pricing, there will be a comparison of Amaze vs Aspire and if Aspire is expensive by more than 20k, people will not be looking at Aspire. This is the segment for middle class family men and will have lot of buyers from Tier 2 and 3 cities and hence making it a very very price sensitive segment. Pricing it lower than Amaze will definitely help.