[bharanidharang]

Did Ford read this thread and decided to hold back their Chennai plant from being sold

Our market is slowly moving away from mileage based vehicle selection to other parameters. I hope ford and fiat figure way to come back.

[Nithesh_M]

Voted Mitsubishi. I've always said Nissan should either give up this market for Mitsubishi or learn to co exist with them by sharing dealership and service network to operate with less resources. Mitsubishi as a name has much bigger brand pull in India over both Renault and Nissan combined.

If Mitsubishi brought the 2014 Lancer GT and launched it as a 2024 model (with some modern interior) I am sure all the Evo fanboys(myself included) would happily splurge on it for nostalgia sakes before EVs become the new normal.

Nissan should let Mitsubishi run the Indian arm so they can rebadge or do what Kia does to differentiate the same product across 2 brands. Keeps manufacturing costs down but also gives both brands some volume compared to either brand going solo.

This Renault partnership isn't working out for Nissan anyway.

[amitayu]

Voted Ford given I am stuck with a Ford Car presently.

However, I also wish for Fiat to make a come back. They make some of the most beautiful cars even in the budget segment. I really wish the Unos and Puntos to grace our roads again.

[chhotagujju]

General Motors, FORD and Peugeot for me. However they should come up with their products being sold in Europe and US as maybe CKD assembly in India, rather than trying to develop new cars specific to India.

[MadRasTan4986]

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...www.google.com

Rumours going around, that Ford may make a comeback after all :-)

[BraveArc]

In Australia, when Holden shut down operations completely in 2021, GM started selling vehicles by importing them in very limited numbers. They literally have small offices for people to come and buy their cars. They only sell Silverados, Camaros and Corvettes from Chevrolet and are soon starting GMC and Cadillac EVs. These offices are called GM Specialty Vehicles.

https://www.gmspecialtyvehicles.com/

They can start the same here and slowly re-establish the brand. Especially considering the growing sales of exotic CBUs here in India, they can easily sell a few hundred a year. And if they want to grow into a mass player, they can meanwhile develop a properly good vehicle for the Indian market which shouldn't really be all that difficult considering the wealth of brands and knowledge they have.

Ford could do the same and just sell the Mustang and Mustang Mach E through their existing service network as well

[Amrit@wheels]

I still feel like Ford India made a mistake by exiting the country altogether. What they should have done was fix their modus operandi rather than quitting. They had some really great cars. If they do make a comeback and introduce quality cars like the Ecosport in 10-20L bracket, they will succeed.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by Newtown

Marketing of vehicles that are run of the mill in their own countries as super luxury and high end in the Indian market, is a thought that needs to change. Kia, Hyundai seem to understand that to some extent.

Yes, that thought was prevalent in the late 90s and 2000s.

But now, it is not just thoughts, but the taxes too that cause it. Most other markets have a high entry price point compared to India (cheapest car will be 14+ lakhs), but the thing is they have full size sedans and SUVs in between 40-60 lakhs. Here, our segments jump in tens of lakhs. Whereas Creta is 13-23 lakhs and Tucson is 37-45 lakhs in India, in the USA the Venue starts at 16 lakhs and Tucson starts at 22 lakhs. So we end up having the scenario where run of the mill cars in the international market end up being high end to us.

[gvivek75]

In line with popular opinion, I too voted for Ford. Their cars had a unique character, and were enthusiasts delight. I'd be more than happy to line up buying the Everest/ Endeavor if they were to re-enter the market.

Another brand I aspired for at some point of time is Mitsubishi - specifically the Pajero. However with their continuing decline globally, it's only a matter of time that it just becomes a fond memory and nothing else.

Fiat (and the larger FCA umbrella brand) has had multiple shots at our market, but somehow always bungled up with their strategy. No way it was going to be sustainable.

[diwakarmuthu]

Voted for Ford, Mitsubishi and Fiat. I absolutely loved the Ford brigade right from Ikon, Fiesta (both versions), Ecosport and Endy. It would have been great if that JV with M&M gone through, we would have seen a Ford version of the XUV700 along with next gen Figo focussed on the driving experience.

Fiat, for all its name and vehicles globally couldn't crack the Indian market. I hope they make some logical bets and focus on performance oriented cars rather than playing the SUV game.

Mitsubishi, the love affair that never ends. Absolutely love the Pajero, Montero and the Lancer. Bring an adventure focussed 4x4 and the market will look forward it to it, but you need to make a big statement rather than bringing in the CKD kits. A distant dream IMHO

[pritanshchandra]

Voted for FORD, for obvious reasons, but realistically speaking as much as we want Ford to return, it won't. It has sold off it's factories and coming back would mean another $$$$ dump and then waiting for break-even which is way tougher now with the fierce competition by the Koreans and Indians. I don't think Ford will take that chance.

[Haze]

What sells in India?
1) Size and in your face styling
2) Features (useless sunroof, and even more useless ADAS)
3) Fuel Economy

All Ford needs to do is launch the Ford Explorer, with a 2.0 diesel engine, panoramic sunroof, and ADAS, and preferably a light weight (preferably built out of coca cola cans), at the price point of a Fortuner Legender, and watch every single wannabe politician line up to buy it.

Oh, make sure to say "you can have it in any colour as long as it's white", and don't forget to offer bull bars, and party flags as optional accessories.

Heck, in the might is right North India, I might even buy one for my parents to be chauffeured around in.

[saisree]

Its Mitsubishi and Ford for me.

I would love to see the Daddy - Pajero, Cedia/Lancer. Fiesta (may be classic), The original 4Mtr CSUV - Ecosport back on our roads

[Freespirit27]

Fiat (with Linea, Punto, maybe 500) and Mitsubishi (with Pajero, Outlander & maybe a hatch). They are some cars with emotions and should not be measured with sales.
Ford EcoSp and Endeavour had it going good but never really tugged any strings. Yanks don't really have a heartis, my opinion. They may have good mechanicals and muscle but it's easy to give it a pass; nowadays just being American is no longer a USP!

[Briarean]

My opinion:

Ford: YES

If they bring -
1. Endeavor
2. Puma – Can give good competition to Creta-level SUVs, if proportioned well. Like almost 4300mm in length and 200mm GC.
3. Ecosport – no! Unless they properly modify it rather than a facelift.
4. Mustang 2024 – Hell yes!!! An 80Lakh+ sports car with AWSOME looks.

Peugeot: YES
They have some good cars which can compete with Indian mid-size SUVs.

GM: Maybe
Only if they can bring Cadillac.

Fiat: NO
They are good for Europeans only. Small and costly cars might not work here in terms of volume.

Mitsubishi: NO
With No EVO or Pajero on their list, I do not think they have anything better to offer than what Nissan–Renault is offering here.