With the launch of the new Figo, sunny days have finally dawned upon Ford India. And the sales figure has been equally unbelievable. Yes, so brace yourself for the truth. Ford India sales for the month of March more than tripled when compared to the same month last year, rising 203 per cent.

No prizes for guessing the magic mantra that uplifted the sales numbers of Ford India. Ford launched its compact car, Figo, and that seems to have done what other Ford cars could not do in India. Ford Figo has set records of a sort, with over 10,000 orders booked in the very first month after it went on sale. And with this kind of a customer response, Ford India will launch a second production shift at its plant in Chennai.

Thanks to the growing popularity of Figo, Ford India sold a total of 9,478 vehicles in March, 2010. The big number, obviously, includes strong sales of Ford Ikon, Ford Fiesta, and Ford Endeavour, but the Figo numbers are the icing on the cake.

“We are delighted at the initial response to Figo, and are incredibly proud to have struck such a positive chord with Indian consumers,” said Michael Boneham, president and managing director of Ford India. “The launch of Figo is the start of a transformed Ford in India, and a true reflection of our commitment to delivering world-class products that allow Indian customers to feel the difference.”

Figo, which was designed & engineered for the Indian customers, has set a lot of things on fire and when we say that we imply not only Ford India sales figures, but the peace of the top guns in the small car segment.

Figo has not only established Ford’s competitive position in India’s growing small car market, but also brought in the much needed sales volume.

“As we remain committed to redefining the Ford brand in India, we expect this momentum to continue,” said Boneham. “Factors such as the initial price of the car, fuel efficiency and cost of maintenance are critical in determining affordability for a new car buyer. Indian customers are confirming that Figo solidly delivers on all of these.”

With the competitive pricing and lower maintenance costs, Figo had to become popular. Figo has been placed among the top leaders with scheduled service over a 5 year/100,000 kilometre period.

Ford India does not want to drive away the customers with longer waiting period and, hence, has announced the opening of 28 dealerships in India, bringing the total number of Ford outlets to 164 facilities in 97 cities. The company plans to have an exclusive network of 200 facilities by the end of 2010.