Ford India launches diesel Fusion; small car in the piping
By Our Corporate Bureau | 17 Jul 2007
Ford currently sells a petrol variant of Fusion priced at Rs 6.41 lakh (on road Delhi).
"Our customers were demanding a diesel variant of Fusion. Based on their feedback we are launching the new product," the company's managing director and president, Arvind Mathew, said. The company intends to further enhance its share in the mid-size segment with this new launch, he added.
Ford Motor is also planning to launch a small car for the Indian market to increase its presence in the fast-growing market, Ford India vice-president (marketing, sales and service) Scott McCormack said.
"We know that we need to be in more segments than we are today if we want be a major player in the Indian market," he said. Ford cannot ignore the small car segment in India, which constitutes around 50 per cent of the 'desi' passenger car market, he added.
"We are studying opportunities to expand," McCormack said at a press conference, after the company unveiled the diesel variant of Ford Fusion. The launch of the small car would not take place in the current calendar year, he said.
Ford Motor Company sells its Ikon, Fusion, Fiesta and Endeavour models in India. It has a manufacturing facility spread over 350 acres, at Maraimalai Nagar near Chennai. Ford India sold around 40,000 cars in India in the calendar year 2006.
