Ford Figo - Cool for India

The Ford Figo - made in India

Ford has announced the Ford Figo, to be built in Chennai for the Indian Market. Launches 2010.

No, you didn’t miss the lead-up to this story. It’s not a new Ford you can pop down to your local dealer and pick up – unless you live in Mumbai, anyway. This is in fact Ford’s big push in to the burgeoning small car market in India – the Ford Figo.

For has spent a few bob – around £300 million – expanding its car making facilities in India at Chennai to make the plant capable of producing 200,000 cars a year which, as Alan Mullaly, Ford’s CEO said, does show how serious Ford are about the Indian market.

The Figo – which is apparently colloquial Italian for ‘Cool’ – shares Ford’s small car platform, which means that under the skin it’s a Fiesta. It looks like a Ford too, with the usual ford ‘Kinetic’ design cues written all over it. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

This really is a big deal for Ford India. The new plant at Chennai is world-class, and Ford’s Centre of Excellence for the Asia Pacific region. It is as high-tech as anything in the US and Europe and will not only be producing the Figo but also a range of petrol and diesel engines. Potentially, this sector of the Indian market is bigger than any other in the world. Over 1 billion people. Rapidly growing standard of living. How could Ford not take it seriously.

Big players in this sector include Hyundai, but Ford has come out strongly with the Figo. They should do well. A strong move by Ford in to a very important new market.

Ford aren’t revealing prices yet, but will do nearer the Figo’s launch next year. If you want to read all the bumph, check out the Ford Figo Press Release.