We might witness Ford’s three new cars in the Indian market, says a report on Economic Times. Ford’s three new cars will be based on the very-secretive B562 platform. They will include a hatchback, a sub-4 metre sedan and a midsize compact sedan.
In one of our earlier reports, we had dwelled upon the importance of India as a business location for Ford. It isn’t only a huge, untapped market with one of the fastest rates of growth. India is also one of the best locations for Ford to carry out exports from. The cheap rates of skilled labour, availability of a English-speaking workforce as well as easy sourcing of raw materials all contribute to this fact.
Not long ago, Ford was in a tough spot in the Indian market. It had come face-to-face with one of its biggest losses ever. Turnaround was difficult, but with Alan Mulally leading from the front, Ford is no longer standing in the rain. As he prepares to hand over the reins to someone else, he has hinted that Ford India might bring in some cars tailor-made for the population. All these products will have high rates of localisation, and the sales volumes expected will be much higher than any other project before.
The platform that the cars will be based upon is known as the B562 platform. Not much is known about it, except that the fact that it will spawn a hatchback, a sub-4 metre sedan and a midsize compact sedan. It will help Ford to notch up higher profit margins, as they can offer various body styles, powertrain options and choices all under the guise of a single platform. And a single platform takes much less money to develop rather than working on multiple platforms.
The platform and the models that it will give birth to will be worked upon at Ford’s much-vaunted upcoming facility at Sanand in Gujarat. Ford has already pumped in millions of dollars into the plant, and there is no surprise therefore that Alan Mulally counts Indian PM Narendra Modi as one of his heroes. Ford India has witnessed lip-smacking success with its Figo and EcoSport models.
The new hatchback might be positioned alongside the Figo, albeit at a slightly lower price point. The sub-4 metre sedan will take on the Maruti-Suzuki DZire and the Honda Amaze. Finally, the mid-sized sedan could be expected to replace the ageing workhorse Ford Classic.