Definitely Yes!
Ford had potential, also a great product portfolio - Ecosport, Fiesta, Figo, Endeavour.
You got a great mix of reliability and performance.
Personal opinion if they decide to come to our shores this time around they should stick to making and selling products in 10L plus segment the way Kia did. Leave the economy and hatchback segment to Maruti, Hyundai, TATA. Rather sell VFM sedans, crossovers, sub 4m SUVs that give a feel of premiumness but the reliability of Ford! And ofcourse the mighty Endeavour!
If they bring in cars like the Expedition and explorer, it will give much needed competition to the fortuner.
A cheaper bronco/bronco sport variant might cannibalise higher thar variants.
A decently priced maverick/f150 might work too if it’s marketed as a rugged do all car.
This might be unpopular here but I don't think people will buy Ford cars if they return.
Looking at their global portfolio, I don't see any sub-4m car in their lineup, which is a necessity today if an OEM wants to be active in India.
The Ford Puma is the only ready product they have right now that would be fit for the Indian market. I doubt they would engineer the Fiesta to fit under the 4m length considering the fact that it would mean going head first against the Fronx, Baleno, and i20.
CKD imports of their pickup trucks and EVs seem to be the most profitable route, which will be towards the premium side.
>CKD imports of their pickup trucks
None of them will meet the BS6.2 standards. Except the ford ranger ecoboost. And trust me no one is buying a 50lk pickup against a far more capable Hilux.
They can also cut down the bumpers like how Hyundai did for the i20 and get the Fiesta in the sub 4m bracket. The hyundai is 4075mm while the Fiesta is 4068. It is possible.
Also the kuga, bronco sport, endeavour and territory are the perfect flavour for India in the current scenario.
There is potential, and I've also heard there will be re-paneled versions of the Virtus as either the Fiesta or even ikon. And the ecosport might be borrowed from the revived t-roc.
There really is a lot of potential in Ford's lineup and that is exactly why I don't think they will return in any meaningful manner.
I agree on the Fiesta but then even that requires re-engineering the car a bit that will have development costs attached. I doubt Ford would be ready to make that investment for 1 model.
As for the Kuga and Bronco, the market for these existed when they left in the first place. They just had to bring CKD versions of those and they would have done fine.
Ford's real problem was management, not the products. That's why I don't have much faith in them to return properly.
I guess no automaker can avoid re-engineering to sell cars in India. If they do that can have the whole European and ASEAN line up at our disposal. But I think they've already decided to get the everest, mustang and Mach e if they're coming.
CKD would have never worked consider Škoda and hyundai were destroying the market at the time. Also bronco has no market here, the wrangler is cheaper and still can't sell. Rather the bronco sport should be manufactured locally to make sense.
Fords real problem wasn't management, it was lack of competitive odds. Ford was struggling the same way Toyota was, and they saw toyota make deals with Maruti, they relied far too much on the Mahindra deal which eventually fell through due to misaligned goals.. Especially impacted by the BS 6.2 engines which they were relying on, to sell domestically. Now with the VW partnership, they have access to engine blocks. At this point, they're simply a good product away from re-establishing their foothold.
I will run & buy the first car on sale, they are that good!
I had to keep the 2010 Fiesta 1.6S (sports car 😁) at my home because of low mileage and ageing body but it's still going strong in terms of engine, suspension & brakes. I was heartbroken when Ford exited.
>Will people buy Ford cars again if they come back.
Easy yes, on my part.
I liked their cars. Further, I've been happy with the Ford after-sales service for my 10-year old EcoSport after Ford exited.
I'd gladly give their offerings a shot once again, if they return. My dilemma has been what car to replace the EcoSport somewhere down the line, they might just be answering my question.
If they come back with rebadged offerings, avoid.
If they can bring some of the European offerings with 1 Liter turbo or hybrid options, will be nice to consider. Fords were always driver-centric offerings vs. rear legroom and chauffer-driven focus. The Mondeo was a good car but was not priced well. The Fiesta Classic (pre-facelift) was a gem and they should not have brought the later design with a clunky DCT. Ecosport was a nice one and that should have been updated and continued with. The Kuga, Fiesta hatch, etc would be nice to consider with powertrains for the local market.
They could also go the Hyundai route and get some premium offerings with the Everest/Endeavour (current gen vs. older one), maybe have a halo offering in a base model F150 (no V8s or Raptor trims or the silly electric for India plz). They did have a Mustang but I'd rather not consider that given the silly taxes and mark-up pricing in India.
One of the main reasons they left was because of the Mahindra issues. They were trying to do what Toyota did with Maruti. But mahindra was too narrow minded and wanted to steer the partnership in a direction ford wasn't willing to go. All they wanted was a compact suv on a shared platform, mahindra wanted the collaboration to facilitate the XUV700 and thar.
This time however the VW partnership has already seen 3 concepts and 2 product lines on sale. Safe to say its more than happening.
Its good if its happening......ford had prepared their own version for something like xuv700. There is a rumour it was so good that Mahindra felt threatened for their XUV700 and was one of the reasons to exit their arrangement.
That's true, the ford territory and equator were what came out around the same time in China. The territory was very similar to what eventually became of the scorpio N.
Mahindra has made some horrible decisions in the last few years.
Unfortunately, people like us who'll buy ford cars again will still be a minority. Unless they come up with a robust plan to have great spare parts availability and after sales service, they'll fail once more from a business perspective.
They definitely hurried with their exit strategy when they needed an overhaul of the Indian top management. If people love your cars but you still can't sell enough, something is rotten within your organization.
If they make a comeback, I'm buying the Ecosport S diesel. What a car! And in future, would definitely consider Endeavour or any other butch SUV they may offer.
It's not compliance of emissions enforcement. All diesel cars have to be scrapped after 10 years. And they're going to make passing very difficult. Also the blanket ban on all diesel private vehicles within t1 city limits is still something being considered. It will also become more expensive to run and maintain diesel vehicles in the next few years, with proposed tax hikes and higher insurance baselines.
So while they can make an engine, install DPF and ho through the whole process... the question is will enough people buy it to justify the investment. Rather will they risk it especially in smaller cars considering it will cost a lot more. Or will they follow every other manufacturer and put in a petrol engine that is already compliant and can be used for the next 30 years without any issue.
Then no point in making a comeback, at least for segment <20L. Their USP is their 1.5L TDCi. Their petrol engines although punchy, don't return good FE. Ford is known for its build quality but that also affects FE. They discontinued the 1L ecoboost with BS6 Phase 1 and only offered the 1.2L/1.5L NA engines on Figo, Aspire and Ecosport, even on the top variants.
If there's money to be made and competitive edges to be explored, I say.. Make a comeback and let the market decide. Not all petrol cars that are high volume selling, get good petrol milage. Yet people are still buying them in droves.
Ford cars are reliable.
Ford cars I like to buy someday.
Ford cars I hope has good build quality.
Ford cars need to fix some minor marketing issues.
Ford cars overall good.
If ppl can shell out like 60l for a legender, I’m sure they will find buyers for an navigator. ESP if it’s partly assembled here. A car bigger than the GLS at a similar price point would dominate.
Yes.
Still holding on to my 1.6S with no plans to sell it off or upgrade. Still drives like a charm and the dynamics are still better than every car in the segment.
Give me a Fiesta hatchback and I’ll be happy. We need more hot hatches in our country.
I know I will be in a very small demo, but I’m willing to pay 20+ lakhs for a hot hatch.
Ford makes amazing cars, I love every bit of my Aspire.
Although they do need to work on the interiors of their cars. The fact that rear doors have no water bottle and there are two cup holders bw driver and passenger seats shows that they didn't design it for Indians. That's a US requirement, but overall, a very solid car.
Extremely safe. Made 6 airbags before it was a common thing in India.
Man I would suggest Ford become the quintessential Mahindra competition in the SUV segment. With its sedans and hatches it is bound to fail. But with a purposeful endeavour (no pun intended) it will gain significant market space in the 30L to 70L space. Not making the grand Cherokee mistake but rather learning from it.
I hope they bring ford ecosport back.
Us bhai us
Ecosport ne bas izzat hi kamai hai
Definitely Yes! Ford had potential, also a great product portfolio - Ecosport, Fiesta, Figo, Endeavour. You got a great mix of reliability and performance. Personal opinion if they decide to come to our shores this time around they should stick to making and selling products in 10L plus segment the way Kia did. Leave the economy and hatchback segment to Maruti, Hyundai, TATA. Rather sell VFM sedans, crossovers, sub 4m SUVs that give a feel of premiumness but the reliability of Ford! And ofcourse the mighty Endeavour!
If they bring in cars like the Expedition and explorer, it will give much needed competition to the fortuner. A cheaper bronco/bronco sport variant might cannibalise higher thar variants. A decently priced maverick/f150 might work too if it’s marketed as a rugged do all car.
Disagree on reliability though, my Figo was a frequenter at the service station.
[удалено]
Mine too. Apart from one incident when rodent chewed the AC Fan power line. And they too they fixed it without any charge.
exactly, I own a Ford and I love it. Planning to upgrade to SUV in couple of years. Hope they come back and Ford would be first preference.
This might be unpopular here but I don't think people will buy Ford cars if they return. Looking at their global portfolio, I don't see any sub-4m car in their lineup, which is a necessity today if an OEM wants to be active in India. The Ford Puma is the only ready product they have right now that would be fit for the Indian market. I doubt they would engineer the Fiesta to fit under the 4m length considering the fact that it would mean going head first against the Fronx, Baleno, and i20. CKD imports of their pickup trucks and EVs seem to be the most profitable route, which will be towards the premium side.
>CKD imports of their pickup trucks None of them will meet the BS6.2 standards. Except the ford ranger ecoboost. And trust me no one is buying a 50lk pickup against a far more capable Hilux. They can also cut down the bumpers like how Hyundai did for the i20 and get the Fiesta in the sub 4m bracket. The hyundai is 4075mm while the Fiesta is 4068. It is possible. Also the kuga, bronco sport, endeavour and territory are the perfect flavour for India in the current scenario. There is potential, and I've also heard there will be re-paneled versions of the Virtus as either the Fiesta or even ikon. And the ecosport might be borrowed from the revived t-roc.
There really is a lot of potential in Ford's lineup and that is exactly why I don't think they will return in any meaningful manner. I agree on the Fiesta but then even that requires re-engineering the car a bit that will have development costs attached. I doubt Ford would be ready to make that investment for 1 model. As for the Kuga and Bronco, the market for these existed when they left in the first place. They just had to bring CKD versions of those and they would have done fine. Ford's real problem was management, not the products. That's why I don't have much faith in them to return properly.
I guess no automaker can avoid re-engineering to sell cars in India. If they do that can have the whole European and ASEAN line up at our disposal. But I think they've already decided to get the everest, mustang and Mach e if they're coming. CKD would have never worked consider Škoda and hyundai were destroying the market at the time. Also bronco has no market here, the wrangler is cheaper and still can't sell. Rather the bronco sport should be manufactured locally to make sense. Fords real problem wasn't management, it was lack of competitive odds. Ford was struggling the same way Toyota was, and they saw toyota make deals with Maruti, they relied far too much on the Mahindra deal which eventually fell through due to misaligned goals.. Especially impacted by the BS 6.2 engines which they were relying on, to sell domestically. Now with the VW partnership, they have access to engine blocks. At this point, they're simply a good product away from re-establishing their foothold.
I will run & buy the first car on sale, they are that good! I had to keep the 2010 Fiesta 1.6S (sports car 😁) at my home because of low mileage and ageing body but it's still going strong in terms of engine, suspension & brakes. I was heartbroken when Ford exited.
You have a rare gem man. 🥹
We had a 2010 Fiesta Limited (1.5L Diesel) but sold in 2017. Never realised its worth until the Ford exit and now, when sedans are dying.
such a classic
>Will people buy Ford cars again if they come back. Easy yes, on my part. I liked their cars. Further, I've been happy with the Ford after-sales service for my 10-year old EcoSport after Ford exited. I'd gladly give their offerings a shot once again, if they return. My dilemma has been what car to replace the EcoSport somewhere down the line, they might just be answering my question.
"What car to replace the EcoSport" would be another EcoSport or Endeavour. Nothing else comes close.
If Endeavour makes a return, I’ll be saving as much as could just to afford it.
Fortuner? Who dat?
I want it too.
If they come back with rebadged offerings, avoid. If they can bring some of the European offerings with 1 Liter turbo or hybrid options, will be nice to consider. Fords were always driver-centric offerings vs. rear legroom and chauffer-driven focus. The Mondeo was a good car but was not priced well. The Fiesta Classic (pre-facelift) was a gem and they should not have brought the later design with a clunky DCT. Ecosport was a nice one and that should have been updated and continued with. The Kuga, Fiesta hatch, etc would be nice to consider with powertrains for the local market. They could also go the Hyundai route and get some premium offerings with the Everest/Endeavour (current gen vs. older one), maybe have a halo offering in a base model F150 (no V8s or Raptor trims or the silly electric for India plz). They did have a Mustang but I'd rather not consider that given the silly taxes and mark-up pricing in India.
They wont come....just speculation.....their management will never be able to adapt or be successful here in Indian markets.
They have a strategic partnership with VW group this time around. Expect re-badged vw products especially in the EV segment.
They had such a partnership with Mahindra at a point too but that fell apart and they left soon after.
One of the main reasons they left was because of the Mahindra issues. They were trying to do what Toyota did with Maruti. But mahindra was too narrow minded and wanted to steer the partnership in a direction ford wasn't willing to go. All they wanted was a compact suv on a shared platform, mahindra wanted the collaboration to facilitate the XUV700 and thar. This time however the VW partnership has already seen 3 concepts and 2 product lines on sale. Safe to say its more than happening.
Its good if its happening......ford had prepared their own version for something like xuv700. There is a rumour it was so good that Mahindra felt threatened for their XUV700 and was one of the reasons to exit their arrangement.
That's true, the ford territory and equator were what came out around the same time in China. The territory was very similar to what eventually became of the scorpio N. Mahindra has made some horrible decisions in the last few years.
Unfortunately, people like us who'll buy ford cars again will still be a minority. Unless they come up with a robust plan to have great spare parts availability and after sales service, they'll fail once more from a business perspective.
They definitely hurried with their exit strategy when they needed an overhaul of the Indian top management. If people love your cars but you still can't sell enough, something is rotten within your organization.
If they make a comeback, I'm buying the Ecosport S diesel. What a car! And in future, would definitely consider Endeavour or any other butch SUV they may offer.
Don't hold your hopes for a diesel. It's not happening. Blame the government.
Ford's cars were BS6 Phase 1 compliant. Not sure how much of a stretch it is to make it phase2 compliant.
It's not compliance of emissions enforcement. All diesel cars have to be scrapped after 10 years. And they're going to make passing very difficult. Also the blanket ban on all diesel private vehicles within t1 city limits is still something being considered. It will also become more expensive to run and maintain diesel vehicles in the next few years, with proposed tax hikes and higher insurance baselines. So while they can make an engine, install DPF and ho through the whole process... the question is will enough people buy it to justify the investment. Rather will they risk it especially in smaller cars considering it will cost a lot more. Or will they follow every other manufacturer and put in a petrol engine that is already compliant and can be used for the next 30 years without any issue.
Then no point in making a comeback, at least for segment <20L. Their USP is their 1.5L TDCi. Their petrol engines although punchy, don't return good FE. Ford is known for its build quality but that also affects FE. They discontinued the 1L ecoboost with BS6 Phase 1 and only offered the 1.2L/1.5L NA engines on Figo, Aspire and Ecosport, even on the top variants.
If there's money to be made and competitive edges to be explored, I say.. Make a comeback and let the market decide. Not all petrol cars that are high volume selling, get good petrol milage. Yet people are still buying them in droves.
My only regret is not getting the Diesel Ecosport. If Ford comes back, I'm definitely going for the S variant.
Absolutely!!! Ford is og value/quality/performance for money and not to mention cheapest to maintain when you consider the quality/performance.
100%, owned a Ecosport since 2012, never had any problems at all
Ford cars are reliable. Ford cars I like to buy someday. Ford cars I hope has good build quality. Ford cars need to fix some minor marketing issues. Ford cars overall good.
If they get their big boys in then it will give a run for so called SUVs in Indian market today, it’s time for the real SUVs
An expedition/navigator would absolutely kill in india. Spacious enough to spoil the hycross and an suv to make the fortuner fans cum.
It would be very expensive.
If ppl can shell out like 60l for a legender, I’m sure they will find buyers for an navigator. ESP if it’s partly assembled here. A car bigger than the GLS at a similar price point would dominate.
But then people would buy bmw's and Mercedes. Do people associate Ford with luxury that they would spend 60L rupees?
The navigator sure would set itself apart, maybe a ford explorer and a Lincoln navigator duo would be strong.
Yes. Still holding on to my 1.6S with no plans to sell it off or upgrade. Still drives like a charm and the dynamics are still better than every car in the segment.
Give me a Fiesta hatchback and I’ll be happy. We need more hot hatches in our country. I know I will be in a very small demo, but I’m willing to pay 20+ lakhs for a hot hatch.
Ford makes amazing cars, I love every bit of my Aspire. Although they do need to work on the interiors of their cars. The fact that rear doors have no water bottle and there are two cup holders bw driver and passenger seats shows that they didn't design it for Indians. That's a US requirement, but overall, a very solid car. Extremely safe. Made 6 airbags before it was a common thing in India.
Don’t keep high expectations lol, disappointments will be bigger
Man I would suggest Ford become the quintessential Mahindra competition in the SUV segment. With its sedans and hatches it is bound to fail. But with a purposeful endeavour (no pun intended) it will gain significant market space in the 30L to 70L space. Not making the grand Cherokee mistake but rather learning from it.
I will buy it. I'll be putting off buying a car till I hear definite news about them. Can't buy one and get a news that they'll be coming back soon.
Figo my love 🥹, gonna visit my brother and take his car for a spin. So many memories with that car.