Ford Plans to Produce Small Cars
Influenced by Tata, Maruti and Fiat, Ford also plans to roll out some interesting and exciting small cars to India.
Ford Motor has shifted all its focus towards the production of small cars with desires to target all the sections of car buyers. The company has plans to roll out a portfolio of small cars in various countries round the world including India. Ford also desires to realign its facilities and factories to manufacture more fuel-efficient engines.
The company is also in a mood to make its Mercury brand an essential part of the small car production strategy. This clearly states that
Ford plans to imitate some of the attractive features of Mercury and place them in its line of proposed small cars.
So many small cars are entering the market. Will this hamper the market for huge sedans and luxury cars?
Labels: Ford, Maruti, Small-Cars
Ford Doubts Industry Growth Due to Inflation
Indian car industry had witnessed a major growth in the previous year. But this year car manufacturer Ford doubts the growth level because of the inflationary pressures.
Ford, while launching the new variants of Ford Fiesta, was worried about the sale and growth of the car. Everyone associated with the manufacture, design and production of the cars are sure that an increase of almost 10% in the inflation is going to have a great influence on the industry's growth.
Rising inflation has also pushed up the interest rates, delivering disappointment and doubts to car manufacturers. It has also deterred new and used car purchases.
Now what? Will India beat the high growth figure of the last few years?
Labels: Car-Manufacturers, Car-Sales, Ford
Tata reiterates commitment to JLR
Jaguar and Land Rover have held their identities even under the ownership of Ford Motors. They have managed to keep their British image intact. Jaguar and Land Rover are well know brands. After all the speculations, it has been clarified by the company that Jaguar and Land Rover will retain their identities. They will continue to pursue their independent businesses.
It was noticed that West Midlands which houses a lot of popular automotive companies were apprehensive about Tata Motors. The take over by an Asian company has not been considered favourable by some quarters of European automotive sector. With this declaration, the European companies might get happy.
Labels: Ford, Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata Motors
Ford Will Follow Small Car Trend In India
The small cars are grabbing most of the attention in the Indian car market. All car manufacturers are now following the trend and launching small car models. Ford India is planning to launch a small car in India by 2010.
They are planning to increase the installed capacity of its manufacturing facility in Chennai from the present 1 lakh units to 2.5 lakh units by 2010. The expansion includes the small car programme and a new engine plant.
Labels: car plant, Ford, new car launch, small cars
Ford suffered loss after selling JLR brands
Is any one know that how much
Ford spent initially to buy
luxury car brands-Jaguar and Land Rover?
Ford bought these two high end brands in 1989 at a whooping $10 billion. Ford has invested such a big amount in
Jaguar and Land Rover but failed to reap profits.
Ford suffered a huge loss by selling its luxury brands to Tata for merely $2.3 billion. As far as global players are concerned, they are firmly committed to make their vehicle more appealing and luxurious than their rivals. It is still not known as to why Ford failed to make these brands profitable. Big wigs of world’s auto industry are now thinking of revamping their brands to avoid selling of their brands to any other company after Ford’s failure in Jaguar brands.
Labels: Economical buy, Expansion in Indian auto industry, Ford, JLR deal, luxury cars, Tata Motor
Tata Motors hopes better rating
After getting downgraded by rating agencies,
Tata Motors is now hopping for a better rating after announcement of a new refinancing plan. But this may take a few months altogether. The refinance plan is expected as Tata Motors clinched a major acquisition deal with
Ford to own the
Jaguar and Land Rover. Tata Motors have paid 2.3 billion dollars for the deal. Eventually, the deal will be financed through a mixture of debt and equity.
Last week, Crisil, a rating agency, downgraded ratings on the auto major's cash credit facilities from 'AA+' to 'AA-/stable'. But the agency has removed Tata Motors from 'Rating Watch with Negative Implications' list. The auto major has taken a USD 3 billion bridge loan to take over the two iconic brands and meet the working capital requirements with a combination of debt, liquidation of existing investments. The company also plans to raise a fresh equity of USD 1 billion.
Labels: Auto market competition, Ford, Jaguar and Land Rover, Tata Motors
SUV’s the new hot car for men in blue
Think of the ultimate muscle car in India and you will immediately think Ford Endeavour. It is not just its excellent driving dynamics but its rugged looks which has captivated many car enthusiasts. Muscle SUVs have become the latest fascination for all those who want to live life king size.
But did you know that the men in blue also had a passion for SUVs. While Ford Endeavour comes first is owned by Bhajji and Kumble and newcomer Praveen Kumar, Hyundai Tucson is owned by Rahul Dravid.
Labels: Endevour, Ford, Hyundai Tucson, SUVs enthusiasts, SUVs in India
Tata will get JLR on 26th
The process of acquisition of prestigious British car brands Jaguar and Land Rover is finally nearing completion. It seemed to drag on forever. Ford is finally signing on the dotted line to hand over the brands to Tata Motors. They hope to wrap the whole thing up by 26th March.
The JLR deal has generated much interest in the global media. Tata Motors got very bad press coverage from US and UK. Inspite of it all, they have finally closed the deal. There were a series of hurdles in Tata’s way towards these acquisitions. After clearing these hurdles one at a time, the company is finally set to acquire Jaguar and Land Rover completely.
Labels: Acquisition, british cars, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Tata Motors
Ford is offering interesting freebies
The month of March has so far been the most exciting for
car buyers. Buying a car this month has been like going to a restaurant and finding out that someone else has ordered something better. There’s so much on the menu to choose from. The number of car models on sale is unbelievable. The price cut on
small cars after the new union budget has unleashed a car shopping spree. Ever since Maruti, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Tata and Fiat cars have become cheaper, there has been a mad rush at car showrooms.
Now, Ford too has entered the race. Ford’s new March Masti programme is really interesting. Read this - you can get a loan at an interest rate of just 7.5 % and a whole lot of interesting accessories worth Rs 22,000 completely free with a new Ford car!
Labels: car buying, Car discounts, Car sales, Ford, small cars
Ikon Flair is govt. car
The good old
Ambassador car from Hindustan Motors is slowly moving out of government patronage. It was like the ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of the car industry. It was always there when younger and newer car models kept hitting the roads and it hung around for a very long time.
Over the years it came to symbolize bureaucracy. The government has now decided to replace the fuel guzzling ambassadors with the more stylish and fuel efficient Ford Ikon Flair. This comes after a recent approval for the Hyundai Accent. The golden age of the Ambassador is finally at an end.
Labels: Ford, Government, Hindustan Motors, Hyundai
Women with a Spark
The
Chevy Spark sold over 2000 cars in February 2008, a majority of which are owned by women drivers.
Spark has charmed its way into women’s hearts posting an 80% increase in sales and topping the list of highest-sold cars for the month of Feb. The other car that has women swooning is the cute Chevy
Aveo U-VA.
The sudden rush to buy the Spark has increased GMs market share beating that of its US rival Ford. This may very well be the first step towards women turning into major car market swingers – something that was pre-dominantly considered to be “a guy thing”.
Labels: Car competition, Car sales, Chevrolet, Ford, Spark
Will Verve be our new Fiesta?
Ford showcased the Verve sedan at the Detroit Auto Show and now Verve could be our new
Fiesta, which will style the popular Mondeo looks. There is no official news, but it is a probable and definite assumption. However, this could take as long as two years! And with the rapid growth of the auto market in India, 2010 is a long way off!
With the
SX4 biting fast into the sedan market sales with its bold looks, the Fiesta has taken a hard beating in the last quarter of 2007. The Verve sedan is a well designed concept car with sporty and handsome looks; and classy and modern interiors. I would have shown more interest if it was coming out next month, but I think 2010 is just too far away!
Labels: Ford, New launch, New look, Upcoming Cars
An orchestra performed by car parts!
I never knew that you can convert a car part into a musical instrument. Don’t be amazed, I recently came across news that
Ford is exploring with innovative ideas as a part of promotion and that is why they converted the part of the new Ford Focus into musical instruments. Two creative
designers from the
US were the brains behind this mechanical musical instrument.
They created musical instrument like Door Harp, Clutch Guitar, and Fender Bass using car accessories. The ad campaign will hit viewers by performing a stage show using this unique instrument. Isn’t it a fabulous way of promotion? Can we expect Indian car makers to come up with this kind of promotion? I doubt. Maybe not this much but Indian car makers can definitely come up with creative ideas. I hope they try.
Article Submitted by Divya G
Labels: car accessory, Car Design, Ford, Promotional campaign
It’s all about money honey
The sale process of Tata buying
Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) is almost done. Throughout the process, the entire auto industry analysts have unanimously said that the $2-billion reported bid price by Tata is too high and that JLR would be difficult buys at any price looking at their past history.
Ford Motors acquired Jaguar in 1989 and Land Rover in 2000. Both companies are now valued at $2 billion. Ford had paid $2.5 billion for the Jaguar and around $2.7 billion for the Land Rover from
BMW. It still remains to be seen if
Ford will decide to sell these brands to Tata Motors for a loss. The fact that even though these brands saw major losses in 2006, the year 2007 has seen a major turn around. These brands have churned out a profit margin that not only made a mark in 2007, but also covered their losses in 2006. This recently revealed fact is definitely not a good sign in favor of Tata if they are looking for a good bargain. On the other hand, this could encourage Tata to go all guns blazing and acquire the two brands at any cost.
I just hope that one of my fav Indian car companies who has seen so much success in the last few years, does not get blinded by the big names that Jaguar and Land Rover represent and dig a hole for itself in the coming year.
Article Submitted by J C BoseLabels: BMW, Ford, Jaguar and Land Rover, Submitted Article, Tata
Jaguar displays new model lines to Tata
I am completely excited about the Jaguar and
Tata scenario unfolding in the
US. Get set going for the Jaguar-Tata production plan. As per media reports, Jaguar has displayed its new models to the Tata Group, its new parents.
Tata Motors was named as preferred bidder by the car giant Ford for sale of its two Brit luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, after evaluating interests by Mahindra and Mahindra and the private equity firm OneEquity.
This definitely looks like the Ford Group in the US has made up their minds and that soon Indian roads may be swarming with Land Rover and Jaguar brands!
Labels: Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Tata
Canadian auto parts firm planning Indian base
Your NRI uncle’s son can tantalize you no more with his latest gadgets. You probably already have better ones! As the Indian economy is booming, value gap between the US dollar and the Indian rupee is narrowing. The influx of so many
foreign car brands in such a short time is nothing short of revolutionary. American and European auto majors are making a beeline for Indian shores. But it’s not restricted to just the car makers.
We hear Canada’s second-largest automotive component company Linamar Corp. is exploring opportunities in India and may set up a manufacturing facility here to supply powertrains and industrial components to the local market. This $2.4-billion company is an original equipment supplier to auto biggies like General Motors and Ford. It has 37 manufacturing centres in North America, Europe and Asia. Nice to see growing western interest in the Indian market!
Labels: automotive, Ford, General Motors, Linamar, Powertrains
Fiat 500 wins award
The
Fiat 500 won the car of the year award for 2008.
Fiat is the only automobile manufacturer in the world that has won the coveted European Car of the Year award nine times. It was voted the best by a large contingent of 58 journalists from 22 European countries. The 500 was voted ahead of the
Ford Mazda II and
Ford Mondeo.
It is Italy’s national icon, with the original 1957 version selling close to four million units, until it was phased out in 1975. After its re-launch,
Fiat decided to regain its coveted place in the European car market and is offering the largest possible offer of 500,000 different ways to configure the car with its myriad options. It is also offering the electric fragrance diffuser for those who love the smell of fresh morning air in the cabin. The available engines include a 1.3-litre multi-jet diesel that churns out 74 bhp (which also powers the Swift diesel in India) and two types of petrol: a 1.2-litre that produces 68 bhp and a 1.4-litre that generates 100 bhp.
Fiat comes with a five-star safety rating and is packed with the latest safety equipments including an ABS with electronic stability program. The interiors have a funky design with high quality elements and a digital instrumental panel.
India operations: As far as
Fiat India’s plans go, the company plans to turn India into a centre for its Asia operations. Indians have a long association with
Fiat, but will have to wait for sometime longer for the
Fiat 500 compact car to tread on Indian roads.
Labels: auto show expo, Award winning car, Compact cars, Driving imported cars, Fiat, Ford, Foreign cars
East or West, Maruti is the best
Ok, am sure that we all know
Maruti Suzuki is the top leading automaker in India. It’s a pretty exciting fact that no matter where you go in India, you can see a
Maruti vehicle. From the last seven years
Maruti Suzuki is the top ranked in JD Power’s India Customer Satisfaction Index study. Continuing in the first position this year
Maruti scored 838 points out of 1000 and the most interesting thing is that
Maruti was the only carmaker to score more than the industry average of 777 points.
According to the JD Power’s India Customer Satisfaction Index study the factors contributing to overall satisfaction are the percentage of problems experienced in a car, service quality, and the user friendly service. Take a look at the maintenance services that
Maruti is providing. I would say it is truly instant, easily accessible, and affordable. Also the problems experienced in Maruti cars are less. I personally have the opinion that
Maruti Services have a very user friendly attitude.
The brands that follow
Maruti in the ranking are
Honda,
Hyundai,
Toyota, and
Ford. These automakers scored 765, 745, 740, and 737 points respectively, making themselves fit in the top four positions after Maruti. Compared to last years score these automakers showed vast improvement in their scores.
Honda,
Skoda, and
Hyundai showed the highest improvement.
Labels: Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Indian car market, Maruti, Maruti Suzuki, Ratings on JD Customer Satisfaction Index,
