Summary
Ford India Private Limited is a completely owned Indian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, one of the largest and oldest car maker in the world. It was Ford that began mass production of vehicles, and then others followe.d It was Ford that made cars affordable with the revolutionary Model T. The brand had owned several car brands at one point of time. It owned Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Volvo, Lincoln and even Mercury. The
Ford had began its Indian journey back in 2916. This was shut down in 1954 as the company suffered from heavy losses resulting. But later on in 1995, the company returned to India with a JV with Mahindra. This time it got the Ford Escort in India. The two companies owned a 50:50 stake in this JV. In 1998, Ford’s stake in this company grew to 72 percent and soon the American automaker bought over all the stake. Today, Ford is one of the largest car makers in India and one of the highest exporter too.
Indian Operations And Executive Management
Ford India is headed by Nigel Harris, who is an Australian by birth and a part of the company for decades. He was appointed as the new company President in 2014 replacing Michael Boneham. The company even has Anurag Mehrotra, VP of Sales and Marketing, Vairamani Pandiyan, VP HR Ford India.
The company two plans t at the moment in India. One is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and the second one in Sanand, Gujarat. These both plants produce Figo, Figo Aspire, Ecosport and Endeavour. These cater to the Indian car market and even are exported to multiple countries across the world. This company has a total capacity of 440,000 annual units considering both the plants. At the moment, Ford is making the Ecosport and Endeavour in its Chennai plant and the Figo and figo Aspire in Sanand. The company even manufactures engines and it has a capacity of 610,000 annual units of engines.
Products And Services
Ford has about 250 dealerships in India at the moment and these are majorly located in most of the major Indian cities and towns. The company has been exporting from its Chennai plant and now even from the Gujarat plant as well. Ford is one of the automakers that is now a major exporter of new cars to several markets across the world as a part of the company’s One Ford initiative. The company has been working on several safety initiatives like Road Safety Environment and Healthcare. The other well known ones include Operation Goodwill & Driving Skills for life and Global Week of Caring.
Environmental Initiatives
Ford in India hasn’t done anything with regards to hybrid, electric or even alternate fuels so far. Globally it has a range of highly fuel efficient products and some of them have made it to India as well. At the moment, the company is focusing on getting optimal technologies to save on fuel, environment and add on to performance. The Ford brand is looking to be a premium player in India and hence it is introducing expensive technologies like dual clutch transmission and highly fuel efficient diesel engines. At the moment, Ford has no plans towards introducing any hybrid or electric vehicles for the Indian car market.
Founder And First Car
Ford Motor Company began its journey as an automotive manufacturer in 1903 in Dearborn, Michigan. The company was founded by Henry Ford and it launched the Model T and Model A. The Model T had revolutionised the car market as it was the first affordable car and it was the first of them to hit the mass production. The concept of mass production was introduced by Ford.
Ford even owns a car brand called Lincoln and even commercial vehicles and luxury cars. Ford’s Australian brand is called as Holden and the company was the first mass car maker in the world. It was later on that other car brands followed Henry Ford’s concept.
USP
Ford’s biggest USP has been its driving experience. Now, it is the driving experience, safety features and even technology. The new-age Ford vehicles are highly fuel efficient and the company is looking at adding more safety and convenience features to its available products.
Resale Value
Ford cars are highly affordable products that have sturdy built quality. Initially, Ford didn’t have a high resale value for its products as it was perceived to be an expensive brand. But now, things seem to be changing for the company. Ford’s new Ecosport and previous Figo enjoy the best resale value Ford has ever got. Now, it could have a good resale for the Aspire as well.
Competition
Ford India at the moment competes with Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and even Mahindra. The American automaker now has a strong reach in the Indian car market and has multiple new products that are good value for money. The company is seeing an increase in its reach and even sales units.
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