Ford India, the Indian subsidiary of the American auto maker, finally took the curtains off its upcoming sub-4 metre sedan called the Figo Aspire. This compact sedan is based on the popular Figo hatchback, which has performed really well in the country. Taking a cue from several competitors like Honda, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, Ford has finally entered a segment that is performing exceptionally well in India. With Ford Figo set to the launch in India, let’s take a look at how it might fair against the likes of Tata Zest, Honda Amaze and Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire.
Ford Figo Aspire has a refreshing design that is sleek and boasts of good aerodynamics. This car has plush interiors along with a chassis that is designed to keep passengers safe and sound. Ford has kept its name intact by providing a combination of style, solidity and safety. Technology has been the forte of Ford and the Figo Aspire features SYNC with Ford AppLink system, which enables passengers to voice control applications, phone and music. The primary aim behind this technology is to avoid any sort of mishap.
The compact sedan from Figo will come in petrol and diesel variants. While the petrol version will be fitted with a 1.2-litre unit, diesel variant of Ford Figo Aspire will run on a 1.5-litre powertrain. Experts believe that the performance of this sedan might be the biggest reason for its success. Also, the new found faith in customers due to the success of Ford EcoSport will certainly help Figo Aspire.
Two of the biggest competitors of Ford Figo Aspire will be Honda Amaze and Maruti Suzuki DZire. The first one, Amaze, has been a revelation in terms of its performance and opened new avenues for Honda in the Indian market. Based on the Brio platform, Honda Amaze is well built, reasonably stylish and fine-tuned to suit Indian conditions. It is available in diesel (1.5-litre) and petrol (1.5-litre) versions that offer excellent mileage and power figures. The success of Honda Amaze can be measured by the fact that it managed to challenge Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire in the compact sedan segment.
Despite the arrival of several competitors, Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire has held its fort and stayed strong in the market. Based on the much popular Swift hatchback, this compact sedan is stylish, sporty and spacious. In addition, the label of Maruti Suzuki instantly adds the word reliable to this car as far Indian customers are concerned. It is available in 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-ltire diesel variants that develop 83 BHP and 74 BHP of power, respectively.
Tate Zest is the latest entrant in this segment and has done remarkably well despite tough competition. In fact, Zest has set a new precedent in the segment by offering a large number of features like Harman infotainment system, advanced voice command recognition, message notification and read about, speed sensitive volume control system and smartphone enabled navigation. Tata Zest has two diesel variants (74 BHP and 89 BHP) and a petrol version (89 BHP). Also, Tata Motors’ aggressive pricing strategy has given Zest a good platform to be successful.
Achieving success is not going to be easy for Ford Figo Aspire, given the intensity of competition that exists. However, if the past is anything to go by, there is always plenty of space and customers for a new model. Ford Figo hatchback has been successful in India and there is no reason why Aspire sedan cannot stand up to the likes of Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire and Honda Amaze.
