What does one do when on to a winning streak but you already have a player with the same name as your possible new signing? Well if you are Ford and know that you are onto a good thing and also basking in the glory of fun and Figo, you can very well go and have another Fiesta! Seriously, that's the line of thinking which Ford India is very much clued in with the B299 version of the Fiesta which is sold the world over primarily in hatchback configuration and specifically as a saloon in emerging and price sensitive mass markets
The signs for, and from, Ford India for new additions to its model portfolio have been evident ever since the Figo began garnering rave acclaim and commercial success and this must have played a small but significant role in getting the Blue Oval to commit to India. This is what the world at large tends to look at and zero in on but a sector like the automotive industry is characterized by long lead times for development and production engineering. However, much one might suggest that the Figo is Ford India’s first ever block buster and therefore the new model development programme has been okayed by the bean counters in Detroit, it is anything but that.
Pointers to this growth story come by way of the dedicated engine line set up at Ford’s facility near Chennai to make both the Duratech and Duratorq petrol and diesel two years ago and if that was not all further enhancements were made to upgrade both processes and production capability. In line with other OEMs gearing up for a burgeoning Indian market, Ford had already taken the decision to begin to accord the Indian market, not just the commitment but also realize its importance as a commercial hub in sync with its future global gameplan.
Future global gameplan as evinced and scripted a couple of years ago got a fillip with Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s trip to India to unveil the Figo but major background work done by the product planners for Ford’s Asia-Pacific operations has now brought Ford India in line with the other Ford operations in this region. Mulally’s “One Ford” terminology is also a global manufacturing and sales war cry for the Blue Oval and with the present generation Ford Fiesta (presently manufactured and sold globally) coming to our roads in August 2011, India will finally be part of the One Ford family in spirit and in reality.
The most obvious question is how confusing could it get with a Fiesta already in the line-up and a new one with the same name poised for launch within the next few months. Well this is one for the Ford India product planners and marketing team to sort out because both will continue to operate and hopefully proliferate given that Ford has just discontinued production of its long standing war horse, the Ikon. This provides both maker and model the ideal opportunity to slip into the role played by the Ikon and this could be prudent thinking should Ford get the dynamics of the pricing and positioning game right.
Bring us then to the new Fiesta, code name B299, one of the recent success stories the Blue Oval has had worldwide. Not since the Fusion has Ford India had a model in its armoury which was contemporary and given that the B299 Fiesta has been a recent act in the Asia Pacific region and continues to command strong sales all over the world, this stonking best seller is one of the eight cars penciled in by Ford for introduction in India in the first half of this decade.
Built in both sedan and hatchback versions, Ford India suggests that this would be a premium offering and given its slinky dragon eyed look up front, the new Fiesta looks purposeful yet has a bit of mischief lurking in the way its entire form flows from front to rear. Of course the key to the new Fiesta’s design was always intended to go with the markets it was aligned with and the hatchback evolved as a logical conclusion of this line of thought. As with most global car makers focused on grabbing a slice of the China pie, the latest generation Fiesta was also developed as a sedan, thereby enhancing the model range but yet keeping Ford’s Kinetic design language right in sync.
Ford has penciled in the sedan version to come to India this year (with the hatchback destined to follow, sooner rather than later) and that is what I got to drive on a short flying trip to Thailand recently. The first thing which is apparent is that this Fiesta gets away from all previous Ford models seen in India in its overall style and turnout. The boldest and clearest view as yet of Ford’s kinetic design language which pervades across its global model range, the new Fiesta is dynamic in its stance and looks best in its front three-quarter angle and also from head-on but there surely is a bit of awkwardness when one takes in the rear section. Given that both sedan and hatchback share the same wheelbase, the upswept kink from the glazed area, especially at the rear contributes to this kicked up look. However, what is of greater import is that the Fiesta overall is pretty pleasing in its makeup and turnout.
The distinctive front end replete with its tenuous stretched stance conveys both modernity and purpose and those dragon eye headlamps along with the thin sliver of a front grille ramps up the excitement quotient. Add to that the large stylized opening in the front bumper along with those recessed fog lamps and the chrome-surround grille inserts, there is a lot of visual drama packed in the front end of this Fiesta. Natural this because apart from China, the Fiesta is a major seller for Ford in the ASEAN region and having lashings of chrome and slinky cats eye elements packaged into the product helps proclaim the Fiesta as a natural for its habitat.
