[Mustang111]

No news on Ford's return to India. The hype has died down. If there's no hype, then the future is even more bleak. That's the truth about Indian market. The quality of the product is not the success formula, it's " Jing bang" as I call it, that the public wants. You are selling a car, but you advertise the connectivity or the size and features of the infotainment system with a catchy slogan along with prices that under cuts competition, you will have a best seller. Can't buy the public too, majority are single car owners who wants bling to be seen for the money paid. Though I love Ford's, not everyone is a driving enthusiasts. Ford cannot be a mass market manufacturer in India. It has a niche market. Put the right models at the right price, Ford will survive. Try to go above the 60 lakh segment or below the 20 lakh segment, they will perish

[Kar_Om]

News article in today's TOI regarding Ford's re-entry in India:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../112237076.cms

[CARDEEP]

It seems Auto company CEOs/leadership are being schooled by same set of people who only look at the short term.

They could have stayed premium with Ecosport being their smallest offering. They gave a Japanese competitor image by offering the Figo (even though the platform was brilliant despite the cost cutting) & paid cost.

Then they made blunder of leaving our shores, only to plan a return as they are not being competitive in other markets. I hope they return with a better strategy for the long term.

[aaren]

Ford being in India would do both the entities a big favor, if the former decides on a long term game plan. Succeeding in the Indian Automobile market is anything but easy as Japanese and Germans are finding out.

In any market, distribution and perception matters a lot, besides timing. In my view, Ford Ecosport was a good vehicle that generated lot of traction, and could have upgraded to the space which got owned by Hyundai and Kia - and slowly Maruti with Toyota are trying to occupy. The mass segment with solid value offerings.

Hope this they come with good folks - in both strategy execution, long term vision and product management.

[Chisels121]

Originally Posted by Kar_Om

News article in today's TOI regarding Ford's re-entry in India:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../112237076.cms

At one point I feel Ford is doing this so that we Indians don't forget them and they can enter 5 years later with a bang.....
However, I feel the current CEO only understands the American market and is somewhat like Steve Balmer who wants to focus on the core and not the future (bro said the iPhone was a joke only to say they were wrong 5 years later) and that's why they have exited most of Europe and India. Needless to say India is one market they are going to regret big time after 10 years.

[PioneerNB]

Ford needs to put it together along with the likes of Stellantis. Time companies realise that Indians are slowly becoming capable of making informed decisions based on safety, fun to drive & Quality.

[SaiSW]

This time they should just GIVE mahindra what they want for that platform and powertrain and get a car in the creta/elevate/seltos segment ASAP.

Don't bother with <10 lac segment where competition is fierce and margins are low, atleast not in the short term. Maybe later when they have established their foothold again.

I am YET to see an Ecosport owner who has upgraded to a maruti or Korean crossover. If I had an ES, I too would not touch a maruti or a korean. Every single one I know is holding on to their Ecosport after the re-entry news because only a Ford can be a proper upgrade to a Ford. The Compass is a good choice but that is two segments up. Also, while the compass is a pleasure to drive, the maintenance costs are anything but Ford like (read CHEAP). I was quite shocked when I saw my friend's swift had a higher service bill than an Ecosport.

[utkarshgoel]

I have been holding my 2017 ecosport in the hope of a worthy upgrade. But its now too long a wait and I am willing to switch to koreans, not because I like their drivability but because I want peace of mind like Ford used to give. Indian brands have a long way to go to provide peace of mind and niggle free experience. Honda is almost dead (no aspirational product) and Toyota is selling maruti. Jeep is well known for high maintenance cost. What is left for us? I think Koreans and Chinese.

[jackofsome]

I own a 100PS Figo D and I have had test drives of all the vehicles in the vicinity of 30 lacs. And there is nothing that gave me the feeling of the taut body control along with that lovely 3rd gear pull. Yet.

I pray for a day Ford is back. With specifically two products:
1. Everest
2. Puma ST

Assemble both the models in India.
Give all the features the mass junta love.

I am ready with a check for PumaST in Ford racing blue.

[microscopic]

Ford is one brand which had catered to both high end market and mass market in India, and has an acceptability among all customer segments.

The only thing Ford has to be clear about is where/which segment they will out in their next innings, and what are the products lined up.

Ford had proven that they can successfully tap the Indian market with products like Figo, Fiesta (Classic) and Ecosport. They can continue to do so if they introduce products like these that are true to their DNA rather than a compromised product for the sake of competition.

I wish they come out with solid strategy for the long run and stay true to it rather than losing focus after some initial success while on the go.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by SaiSW

Don't bother with <10 lac segment where competition is fierce and margins are low, atleast not in the short term. Maybe later when they have established their foothold again.

I am YET to see an Ecosport owner who has upgraded to a maruti or Korean crossover. If I had an ES, I too would not touch a maruti or a korean. Every single one I know is holding on to their Ecosport after the re-entry news because only a Ford can be a proper upgrade to a Ford. The Compass is a good choice but that is two segments up. Also, while the compass is a pleasure to drive, the maintenance costs are anything but Ford like (read CHEAP). I was quite shocked when I saw my friend's swift had a higher service bill than an Ecosport.

Correct. There is nothing in the market below 25-30 lakhs which comes close to the driving pleasure that my TDCI Ecosport (now stage 1 remapped) gives me. So much fun to drive, clean and aggressive looks, cheap to maintain and fantastic highway cruiser and daily driver . My Honda City regular service bills are always way higher than the Ecosport.

[chakravorty]

Originally Posted by jackofsome

I own a 100PS Figo D and I have had test drives of all the vehicles in the vicinity of 30 lacs. And there is nothing that gave me the feeling of the taut body control along with that lovely 3rd gear pull. Yet.

I pray for a day Ford is back. With specifically two products:
1. Everest
2. Puma ST

Assemble both the models in India.
Give all the features the mass junta love.

I am ready with a check for PumaST in Ford racing blue.

Perhaps the Escape / Kuga to sit between the two.

[funnysaltbrick]

There's a slim chance of return for Ford in India. I asked 2 different dealers who are affiliated with the PPS group (PPS had Ford in their stables for a strong while till they pulled the plug.) and they all said "Ford is returning."

Dealer A said "not sure" when asked about a timeline but Dealer B said "atleast 2 years". Now, in those 2 years, can they bring products in that would work? I doubt it considering how many new vehicles show up from the Big 3 in Hyundai, Suzuki and Mahindra. Wave after wave of launches.

Plus their dealer network would be significantly thinner now that Ex Ford dealers have gone on to sell other cars. And in a podcast by Autocar India, Hormazd mentioned that Ford isn't looking at "mass market" anymore and honestly, it sounds like a terrible idea. Imagine parking cars in your showroom that nobody beyond a select few can afford. Plus the ecosystem around that platform and ancillary parts would be equally expensive if CBU is the way.

Honestly, this is the game-plan I want out of Ford India.

1. Cut your losses, compete with Mahindra and Tata instead of MS and Hyundai's low-tier offerings. That golden goose will never lay an egg for you and it's time to admit that.

2. Offer a wide range of options. Indians love choice, just ask Tata and Kia.

2.1. Here are my choices to bring to India after checking out Ford's global portfolio. All of these platforms have strong possibilities to be localised and some of them like the Focus and Kuga are at the end of their global lifecycle and can be decomissioned to be assembled in Chennai. Michigan, Cologne, Genk and Valencia wouldn't mind that.
-> Puma as a rival in the Sonet-Nexon weight class
-> Focus estate to compete in the Curvv/Basalt class (who wouldn't love a station wagon?)
-> Kuga/Escape to compete in the XUV700 zone.
-> Bronco Sport for the Thar/Jimny faithful.
-> Territory to compete in the Ertiga/Carens class
2.2 Offer all engines and gearboxes. As much as I want TDCi back, Diesel's days are numbered. More brands are looking to walk away from it and CAFE norms with BS7 will mean more diesels that we love will start going away. Ford has to assess this closer incase they want to bring Diesels in India again. Otherwise, turbo-petrols and Hybrids are the way ahead. Some engines I want to see in India are:-
-> 1.2L i3 NA Petrol (candidate for Hybridization)
-> 1.5L i4 Turbo-Petrol
-> 1.5L i4 Turbo-Diesel (subject to market conditions)
Also, take a page out of the Korean playbook and offer gearbox options. A six speed manual is good but offer the 7 speed DCT. A CVT sounds good but I don't know if it's available globally. Offer AWD as an option in all cars.

2.3 "No more nice guy". Ford's "family wala feeling" makes for good PR and it should be followed but they need to get serious about culling improper dealers and service points. And they need to take the Indian consumer more seriously. We're not bargain bin. We are aspirational now. The Koreans know that and that is why they are succeeding big-time here. Take customer critique more seriously and be flexible. If the market makes your product obsolete, then do something quick and don't wait for someone to be your knight in shining armor. Adapt, React, Overcome.

3. Offer ALL features. For a long time, Sync was offered in patches. Some cars had it and some didn't. This feature parity has to stop. Offering a full suite of features would make consumers feel valued and make Ford India's offering on par with their global counterparts. If that means you have to take a hit somewhere, financially, then take it. That's just an ancillary cost for selling in India.

4. Don't mess up the EV/PHEV. Ford announced a while back that they are going to make a "developing markets" EV platform. It's a good place to start but don't dilute and cut it up because it's a "developing markets" product. Take a measured approach and take Tata.ev's offerings as your benchmark.

5. Spend wisely. Sanand was a "why" because it cost billions to set up a Ford-tier production facility and did the end user really buy a Ford because of that? No. I'm not saying "make it cheap" but spend the money wisely. Consult Mahindra for further doubts and if you're in it to collab with an Indian manufacturer, take them more seriously and do not take them as idiots. They know India better than most.

6. Make Fords that feel like a Ford. Our family has a Gen 1 Figo, Petrol from 2014. It still feels like a peppy little number handling wise. The engine compliments the chassis well. We need that Ford back. We don't need a Ford that's bad in driving dynamics. We need a Ford that has the feel and the reference points that we assign with Ford.

7. Breathe. India is a large market. There's a diversity in opinions and choices. It's all a large bowl of ice-cream. But too much Ice-cream leads to an upset stomach. Similarly, don't crowd your thinking process. Prioritise. Make informed choices. There are ex-Ford owners and current Ford woners who would flock your dealers in a heart-beat. Make things happen. Go further. We know what you can do and rebuilding trust is hard. But if you do good, good will find you.

[akp666]

Originally Posted by SaiSW

I am YET to see an Ecosport owner who has upgraded to a maruti or Korean crossover. If I had an ES, I too would not touch a maruti or a korean. Every single one I know is holding on to their Ecosport after the re-entry news because only a Ford can be a proper upgrade to a Ford. The Compass is a good choice but that is two segments up. Also, while the compass is a pleasure to drive, the maintenance costs are anything but Ford like (read CHEAP). I was quite shocked when I saw my friend's swift had a higher service bill than an Ecosport.

I think I am that anomaly, who is going to upgrade to a seltos from the Facelifted Ecosport

Couldn't wait around for ford to make up it's mind, had to upgrade to a mid size SUV, and while the VW twins pulled at the hearstrings (Blacked out taigun GT plus is so hot!), Seltos made a lot of sense (not blindly after it for the features).

I love my ecoport to bits, and will let it go with a very heavy heart. Hope they come back in time for my next upgrade, which will be the Endy after 5-7 years. Let's see

[Dr.Abhi]

Originally Posted by SaiSW

This time they should just GIVE mahindra what they want for that platform and powertrain and get a car in the creta/elevate/seltos segment ASAP.

Don't bother with <10 lac segment where competition is fierce and margins are low, atleast not in the short term. Maybe later when they have established their foothold again.

I am YET to see an Ecosport owner who has upgraded to a maruti or Korean crossover. If I had an ES, I too would not touch a maruti or a korean. Every single one I know is holding on to their Ecosport after the re-entry news because only a Ford can be a proper upgrade to a Ford. The Compass is a good choice but that is two segments up. Also, while the compass is a pleasure to drive, the maintenance costs are anything but Ford like (read CHEAP). I was quite shocked when I saw my friend's swift had a higher service bill than an Ecosport.

I am also one of that extreme exception which had to undergo extreme downgrade from ecosport to Maruti Spresso.
It all started because of compromised car parking situation at home but luckily evolved into a beautiful experience. Ecosport at one end of spectrum was aspirational and sturdy drivers machine. Spresso is totally opposite being agile, efficient and carefree. And I must give it to Maruti for designing such a gem of a small car which can be small, spacious, fun, efficient and more. You have to experience spresso performance at high altitude region. Where ecosport used to bogged down in extreme inclines, spresso covers that patch when started in midway. Infact i am small car convert just because of s presso.