[McLaren Rulez]

Would love if Subaru came to India without the GM shadow over them. The Forester is an ideal car for Indian conditions.

[nmenon]

Voted for Ford. Have a vested interest in them since I own one. But they can easily get back in and as GTO mentioned, bring an updated EcoSport along with an SKD/CBU Endeavour and some Halo cars like the Mustang and say the F150 series. There's enough brand recall and their service network is still decently extensive. They know how to make good vehicles that are solidly built and enthusiast friendly.

[Peaky_blinder]

New Endeavour design patents filed in India. Looks like Ford saw the results of the Team-bhp poll.

https://www.motorbeam.com/new-ford-e...y-of-re-entry/

[sapien]

Ford Endeavour was a VFM product back when it was available. If the plan is to bring this in via CBU then the prices may go beyond Fortuner which takes it into luxury price range. Not sure how many takers [especially non enthusiasts] will be there for it then. Instead if the plan is to make it locally & price it lower than Fortuner then there's a big market which has opened up now, which was not there when Ford stopped India operations.

Also, Ford needs to bring back the Ecosport & a Creta competitor to be successful in the number game.

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by Peaky_blinder

New Endeavour design patents filed in India. Looks like Ford saw the results of the Team-bhp poll.

https://www.motorbeam.com/new-ford-e...y-of-re-entry/

Very likely to be trademark protection to prevent replicas being sold in this market or other brands moochinh the Endeavour or Everest name for their suv. On the other hand Ford could just as well rent out a 1bhk office and operate by just selling the Endeavour and keeping the existing service network or whatever is left of it.

[ruzbehxyz]

Voted for Ford, Fiat and Mitsubishi.

Ford needs to get back the Endeavour and Ecosport in India. And additionally another SUV in between to compete with the Indian SUV market. Pricing would be the key point here as Fortuner would be the big competitor.

[Silverfire]

MAZDA
(If one were to be lenient and consider the erstwhile Swaraj Mazda Trucks business, as a proof of existence of Mazda in India)

Mazdas give you all the Japanese reliability and efficiency you want, while adding 1) Good looks 2) Very high quality interiors and 3) a fun to drive element to the experience.

In a world filled with boring Suzukis and their kumbh mela mein lost brothers from Toyota, Mazda is the Japanese brand which can take the fight to the Koreans. The CX5 would fit in well in the Creta/Seltos segment space as well. Sharing their current US lineup below:

[gauravdgr8]

It seems Ford is planning a comeback. It had patented the new Endeavour design in India and recently did not sell the Chennai plant. What's cooking.

https://motoroctane.com/news/266680-__trashed/amp

[itwasntme]

Well, apart from their R&D GCC setup, GM is not going to touch India with a barge pole. They have just been allowed to close down their operations finally!

Bombay High Court upholds closure of General Motors manufacturing plant over loss of ₹9,656 crore

https://www.barandbench.com/amp/stor...oss-9656-crore

[Briarean]

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

Correct me if I'm wrong. Linea was not a small car by any standard in its segment. .
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.
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Linea also provided features like Follow Me Home headlights when none other brands were.

Hi @ Fuldagap,

First of all, I am sorry for the delay in replying.

All my responses were based on the present lineup of vehicles of the corresponding manufacturers.

In Fiat’s case, I referred to Fiat’s Europe portal.

Fiat’s portal for other regions seems less accurate or confusing. For example, Fiat’s India portal is still showing the cars' lineup which are discontinued (I believe it is for service & spare support). So, the reliable benchmark seems to be Europe’s portal where they are still active.

Linea was exceptional and there is no doubt about it. But at present, I do not see Fiat producing any sedans in Europe or the USA. So, it’s highly unlikely that they will come back with something that was discontinued years back.

[vinya_jag]

I too Voted for Ford, but I don't think it makes sense anymore for them to come to India.
Their product lineup lacks anything that can get them decent volumes in India.


Endeavour, though is a very likeable car, it won't give them enough volumes to set up plant here. They could only try a CKD or a CBU, which would drive the prices even further north.

The Ikons, Fiestas, Figos, Ecosports that we loved are not there anymore

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

I too Voted for Ford, but I don't think it makes sense anymore for them to come to India.
Their product lineup lacks anything that can get them decent volumes in India.

The US market line-up won't ever make sense for us. Except for the Mustang, all we got were European based and/or Asian Fords.

Check the Ford line-up offered in UK, Germany or Australia for a fair idea of models that suit us.

[th2]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Would love if Subaru came to India without the GM shadow over them. The Forester is an ideal car for Indian conditions.

True that. Though I think the Indian market is not big/discerning enough for Subaru to have any volumes. Maybe there is scope for an independent entity to do a multi-brand CBU imports only business. While guaranteeing service and spare parts availability.

[Shorya1412]

The only brands out of this list which had popularity amongst the Indian Junta and enthusiasts alike in the later years were Ford & Mitsubishi. General Motors lost the plot of their focus market once they started launching rebadged SAIC products which were a far cry from solid products like Optra and Cruze. Fiat never resonated with the crowd even though Punto & Linea were solid products of their time.

Mitsubishi had been a one product brand from 2008 till their demise with Pajero - a product I loved and adored but it was just dated in comparison to Fortuner and Endeavour with new generations.

Ford - I believe killed itself rather than the market not accepting them. Even in their last year, they had good sales and popularity. Endeavour had shown that if a product was good enough, it could break a brand like Fortuner. Ecosport, though, losing out on space, was the most solid sub 4m CSUV that was sold in India. They just had to ride on momentum created by these 2 absolutely wonderful products and focus on more SUVs rather than take the Maruti route of launching Freestyle. Today’s Ford products in international market like Endeavour and Kuga are suited to current Indian scenario of preferring sleek and premium looks. Of late, we are noticing buyer preferences change from Japanese function over form products to more contemporary products. Had Ford not exited when they did and waited for a couple more years with more launches, they had the potential to finally gain a good standing in Indian market. As a Ford owner for 7 years, I can very confidently say that the service was never too bad but the service centres need a firm hand to avoid being overcharged. But that is common even with brands like Toyota and Hyundai. We pay more for the service of our Fortuner & Crysta than we do for Endeavour.

Apologies for the long post, but this is just me ranting it out on the exit of one of my favourite brands during a long office commute 😷.

[Briarean]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

I too Voted for Ford, but I don't think it makes sense anymore for them to come to India.
.
.
.

The Ikons, Fiestas, Figos, Ecosports that we loved are not there anymore

Ford UK has stunning crossovers - Puma and Kuga. If priced and marketed correctly, they can give good competition in the mini-SUV (10L to 30L price range) segment and will be a better bet alongside Endeavor.

The era of Ikon, Figo, and Aspire is gone. The tough competition from Maruti & Hyundai and puny margins will not be attractive for Ford.

Mustang and Bronco should come to India as it will be a showcase of Ford engineering.