[Slushmaster]

Ford has given India some wonderful cars, cars for enthusiasts, for travellers and for families. Whenever they tried a good product, we Indians appreciated that and picked those vehicles with open arms. But, Ford was always lethargic and they never made India a priority and they paid the price with low sales and ultimately a departure.

There is a saying "Forgiving once is ok, but don't forgive someone who betrayed you twice" and Ford has left India twice, betraying people who put their hard earned money in ford. My friend bought a beautiful Endeavour Titanium and the next day Ford announced their wish to leave India. Imagine the mental state of the poor fellow, he was unable to enjoy his car for so many days. So, I don't think that I will ever put my money on a brand that has a tendency to run as soon as they start facing the pressure of their competition or low sales because of poor product strategy.

Also, I seriously do not believe that Ford is coming back. Logic is against what people are seeing and sharing on social media.

Thanks,
Slushmaster

[Guru_Shikhar]

Ford has to price their products well. Eg. The Ford Endeavor was priced well against Fortuner and was garnishing descent numbers. Ecosport was a good hit model in our market ( sold almost 200k units). Additionally they should try with medium sized suvs gradually and become an SUV player like Mahindra since they really have good product bank globally.

I really feel Ford should do well and we get more options to choose for.

Let’s think positive.

All the best Ford!!

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by RROD

I have owned 2 ford’s in the past.
While the cars were good and served well. I could never get the peace of mind that comes with owning a Maruti and now with the Koreans too.
Unless Ford can earn people’s trust, I am not sure if I would recommend them wholeheartedly for buying a 2 million+ rupee car.

+1.

I have 2 Maruti's at present with me and 2 I have personally owned in past. With Maruti, nothing can go wrong normally. Whatever they give, it works perfectly. Maintenance costs are very minimal and in general they are easy on pocket.

Coming back to Ford, yes it will be really good if we get them back here. If they get some really good models, it will be good. If they try to sell again the old models it won't help. Endeavor and Ecosport should be good but not any other previous model. They should get something in competition with Creta.

[McLaren Rulez]

Ford had great cars! Plus, their service after leaving the country appears to be remarkably good too. That second part is where they didn't squander goodwill and it matters a lot.

If they do come back with a competitive product, I wouldn't hesitate to buy.

Originally Posted by jithin23

Agreed Ford had done their own watered down versions for India, but they never cut corners in the core aspects of the car i.e. the engine, body and chassis for the Indian market.

While I do like Ford, I think it's important to not view them with rose-tinted goggles either. They have cut corners in the Indian market too.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...l-version.html (Pics: Chassis of Indian Ford Endeavour has less support than the international version!)

https://www.team-bhp.com/news/indian...tweaked-europe

[jithin23]

Ford will definitely come back but with CKD and CBU cars. However, it was dirty politics played by the former MD and his team which lead to Ford's demise. He was fired on the spot as soon the exit was announced. Even on the last selling month before exit, they were selling 3,000 EcoSports and close to 900 Endevaours.

Their cars have been a benchmark in the affordable segment and even a few media page owners(I mean reputed ones) do love Fords for their overall balance(practicality, Lower TCO and reliable engines, built to last). Smell a parked fiesta/escort under the sun and the 2021 EcoSport parked under the sun and the interior plastic smells the same! That speaks volumes about their quality.

Ford was the first in the market to bring in a lot of useful features in the Indian market without compromising on quality regardless of the price bracket they were selling. Here's a list of their innovations in the market.

• Ford gave a true blue sporty car in the form of Fiesta 1.6 S in 2008. This was repeated with the EcoSport Titanium+(Dec 2017-Apr 2018) and S(the ones with 17" alloys have a sportier suspension).
• Ford Mondeo came with Auto AC way back in 2002
• Ford Figo was the first car to feature Rear wiper+washer, Dual Airbags and ABS in the B segment back in 2010.
• Ford EcoSport brought in the TGdi(now some OEMs are marketing this heavily) in the form of EcoBoost engine in 2013. It was also the first car to feature 6 airbags in the midsize/ CSUV segment as well as auto dimming mirrors, emergency call assist.
• The Ford Endeavour came with active noise cancellation feature in 2016-19.
• Ford Figo Twins(Figo+Aspire) were the First ones to bring in 6 airbags in 2015.
• The Facelift EcoSport was one of the first cars to feature Cruise control, ESP, Direct TPMS, Android Auto/Carplay, Auto headlamps, Auto Wipers in 2017 in the CSUV segment
• The Freestyle was one of the First hatchbacks to get ESP and Android Auto/Carplay via sync 3 in 2018.

To add further, the EcoSport and the Endevaour use Boron steel and Ford claims that these 2 cars will not have rusting issues throughout its life cycle. I don't think any other OEM in India uses boron steel to make their cars. Agreed Ford had done their own watered down versions for India, but they never cut corners in the core aspects of the car i.e. the engine, body and chassis for the Indian market.

Also the price of used fords on used car platforms are holding really well and the EcoSport is one of the top sellers even in the used market. This implies that the general public are now aware about the value Ford offers and these machines are built to last!

I recently ran a survey across several Ford groups and the results turned out to be positive and even several friends and family members who do not know about Ford now know its value. People are waiting for Ford to comeback and if the right leadership team is present(the ones who are passionate about cars and Ford), this company will reach great heights.

I believe that their presence in the market will be a benchmark for others in the market to bring in meaningful features and ethical practices and to keep prices in check.

Heck even the XUV700 is partially a Ford built car. If you observe the steering of the XUV700, its a straight copy from the 2021 Ford Puma and the Vin location of the XUV700 is blank on the left corner of the windshield where Fords and VWs usually mark their VINs.

Regarding the plant, the Chennai plant wont be sold as the land partially belongs to TN govt and there are complications involved in selling the plant. However, the good news is Ford is definitely in for Round 3.

These media guys and Instagram vloggers do not know the internal insights about the company and just by some random person from Chennai or GJ posting a pic of the Fords in a truck, these influencers have created a sensation without knowing a thing about what's happening.

I am not trying to be biased over here by making such statements, this is after a careful review and observation of the car industry for almost a decade.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

While I do like Ford, I think it's important to not view them with rose-tinted goggles either. They have cut corners in the Indian market too.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...l-version.html (Pics: Chassis of Indian Ford Endeavour has less support than the international version!)

https://www.team-bhp.com/news/indian...tweaked-europe

Agreed, that's why I mentioned that they have cut corners but that never impacted the safety of any user as such in real world scenarios. I agree with due respect that K truss part is a blatant omission by Ford. That could have been corrected or at least a recall could have been done.

[Love4Cars]

Got my Extended Warranty from Service Center yesterday from Ford ASC. I asked them if Ford was actually returning or any related news. I was informed that Ford is definitely launching Endeavour by this year end. They were not confirmed about other models but were very confident in Ford's return.
This was Tanish Ford, one of the two main dealers in NCR.

[zeshhaan]

Originally Posted by Love4Cars

Got my Extended Warranty from Service Center yesterday from Ford ASC. I asked them if Ford was actually returning or any related news. I was informed that Ford is definitely launching Endeavour by this year end. They were not confirmed about other models but were very confident in Ford's return.
This was Tanish Ford, one of the two main dealers in NCR.

Same! Cauvery Ford Mangalore also said me the same thing when i went there for service last month. They seem to be very confident on ford's return

[atluri_rkc]

In my view, Ford will have presence in India to manage the optics for investors. For many American MNCs, it has become a standard objection handling for their investors during earnings calls. I personally know many American MNCs facing these questions and deciding to invest into India and China. While some are serious and run the business (not just for optics), some will do it for managing the investors.

As some members here already pointed, they will limit themselves to CBU and CKD options. While most of us are excited with the talk of seeing a re-launch Endeavour, Ford very well knows that its very difficult (could be impossible for the current generation) to convince average Indian customer to invest into a brand which exited the market.

Considering all the above, lets be ready for exorbitantly priced Endeavour (considering Fortuner is already over priced). If Ford were serious about our market now, their product strategy should be focussing on segments with huge volume potential like SUVs in 15L-20L price range and a hatch in 8L-10L range.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Originally Posted by jithin23

Ford was the first in the market to bring in a lot of useful features in the Indian market without compromising on quality regardless of the price bracket they were selling.

Ford was the team with which M&M transformed its product development. Mahindra used to contract manufacture the Escort back in late 90s. After which they set up the independent Ikon facility.

[samarthnarayan]

Originally Posted by Slushmaster

Ford has given India some wonderful cars, cars for enthusiasts, for travellers and for families. Whenever they tried a good product, we Indians appreciated that and picked those vehicles with open arms. But, Ford was always lethargic and they never made India a priority and they paid the price with low sales and ultimately a departure.

Both Agree and Disagree with your views. Reason: in addition to your points, I think the Global Economic perspective, and their own strategic vision had a big play in Ford's decision making to exit India.

Ford had a twin prong strategy for India, before its exit, that they will produce & export cars for other economies and partner with Mahindra to cut their operational costs in the domestic market, especially in the service and network part.

Then Covid led to a recession in the Ford's export markets, and the deal with Mahindra fell through, leaving Ford India in complete clueless state.

Lastly in addition, Ford U.S had taken a strategic turn towards EVs and its software of the entire ecosystem, which we can see them heavily investing in the Chennai operations for the software part.

Now comes 2024 and again, every single factor of the above has changed.

The U.S economy is in deep inflation and with their current debt, it is highly possible that the dollar is about to come under huge pressure in 2 years time.

Secondly the U.S-china equation is delicate to put it simply. Lot of uncertainty.

Thirdly, India is the fastest growing economy in the world.

Fourthly, Ford has to choose a manufacturing destination for its EVs, if it wants to remain competitive in the developing economies.

There are some more points at play, but largely the above one's are the foundation pillars to my belief that Ford will indeed come back to India, but not sure of their long term strategy, as I think they are clueless about their product positioning for the domestic market.

Personally, i hope Ford completely skips the under 10 lakh sedan and SUV market, as it is over saturated and too competitive, with no appreciation for the quality that Ford vehicle offers.

Now here is what i really hope Ford does, that I believe will be a game changer for them, that it should make the Ecosport as an EV in India, and also come up with a program that converts older Ecosports into EVs, which will immediately junpstart its presence in India.

The Ecosport as an EV will beat Nexon, XUV400 etc easily.

Then they should introduce 2 ICE SUVs - mid segment (15-25L) with a 2L engine and the Endeavour with a 3L engine (40-50L), the latter will be a Fortunner killer, and the former will have no real competition to it.

Summary. Ford needs to cash in on the huge loyal base it has, especially its Ecosport owners, before they lose them forever, and time is running out for them.

[ArjunCh_Atharv]

Hoping Ford would comeback to India soon, keeping fingers crossed. will definitely vouch for a ford SUV after experiencing long term ownership of Figo and Ecosport, Truly exceptional machines which made me a matured driver, as we know how powerful the engine is underneath the hood, which instilled a confidence no matter how stressful the traffic were.

[volkman10]

Ford's global executive Kay Hart meets TN state govt officials, discusses future India plans.

- US carmaker Ford Motor Company’s head of International Market Group has visited India to reassess its re-entry plans in the country.

- The company has been evaluating multiple plans for re-entry into the Indian market

- One of the several people in the know of the company’s plans said that while the relaunch of Everest or Endeavour is being very closely looked but there is a bigger plan in play with electric vehicles


- The likes of Everest may be assembled, the Mustang E could be imported as a completely built import route, and the company is exploring the possibility of localising electric vehicle platforms in India to not only cater to the domestic market but also ship vehicles overseas.

Link:

[Livnletcarsliv]

While the topic/dicussion about the exit of Ford in 2021 is done and dusted, there is no point in revisiting it again, that too in a short span of time (3 years).

I take the Ford's news of India relaunch with a pinch of salt. Of course, as an enthusiast and even otherwise as a consumer, I definitely want another brand to offer another car as an option, especially a product like Everest. However, there is no official communication from Ford yet. So the topic of Ford's re-entry is definitely over-hyped, especially by the media.

So far, as per the speculation, it looks like Ford is only evaluating the possibility of its EVs in India as mentioned by the company during its exit in 2021.

So let us wait for the official communication. Till then its over-hyped. Period.

[Cresterk]

Would be hilarious if they bought their own factory back for more than they sold it for.