Ford Ka sedan from American car-maker Ford has been in the news ever since Auto Expo event ended in Delhi earlier this year. The Figo sedan was unveiled by Dave Schoch, Group VP, Ford Motors and Nigel Harris, Ford president. At the showcase event, Nigel Harris, said, “Consumers are more demanding than ever, wanting and expecting more from their cars, even if they are first time buyers. They expect and demand great fuel efficiency and low cost-of-ownership from the initial price throughout the life of the vehicle. The Ford Figo Concept offers all of this, and more, with sophistication, fresh design, world-class quality, a roomy interior, and innovative smart and safe technology.”
The Ka sedan is stated to be based Ka hatchback platform. Brazil-spec Ka hatchback is expected to be powered by a 1.0 litre, three cylinder, 12 valve motor and a 1.5 litre, four cylinder, 16 valve motor. Both the motors will come with flex fuel capability; however the company has not yet given a nod on the engine line-up. Production version details for the Figo sedan has not yet been revealed, but it is anticipated that the car may be powered with a similar engine specification. Ehab Kaoud, chief designer, Ford North America, lead designer for the Ford Figo Concept, said, “The Figo Concept represents our vision of a refined, no-compromise approach to designing a compact car. So often in this segment you see designs based on current trends and fashions that quickly look dated. We wanted instead to create a premium, long-lasting design that is clean and elegant, and which conveys a sense of precision, efficiency and sophistication.”
As seen at the event, the car appeared to be quite spacious on the interior. It is expected that the interiors may carry an upmarket feel to compete with the current lot of sedans in the country. The exteriors look smooth and mature. As per sources the electrical side views mirrors are flexible and has been particularly designed for bumper-to-bumper city scenario. Company has not spoken about the pricing yet as the sedan has just been showcased. More details on the pricing and exact specification may be known post an official launch. As per sources production for the car may begin sometime by the end of 2014 or early 2015. Pricing aspsect has not been revealed for now, but it is anticipated to be priced under the 8.0 Lakhs bracket.
The Zest sedan from Tata shall be powered by a 1.2 Litre MPFI Turbocharged petrol Revotron engine that generates about 83bhp of power with 140Nm of torque. The sedan shall also be available in a diesel variant and shall be powered by a VGT 1.3-litre multijet diesel engine that generates about 89 Bhp. Both the engines have been mated to a 5-speed Automated Manual Transmission gearbox. The Automated Gear Shifter feature on the diesel version shall earn Zest the title of being cheapest automatic diesel sedan in the country. Tata Zest has been made a reality owing to valuable design inputs received from three Tata Motors design studios located in Coventry (UK), Turin (Italy) and Pune (India).
The Drivenext philosophy for Tata Zest features F-Tronic Automated manual transmission technology. The car is loaded with safety features like feature ABS, EPAS, speed sensitive power steering and Active Return function. The car shall also get next generation Harman infotainment system that lets you access your entire collection of videos, music and more on the 5 inch touchscreen. Based on our assumptions, the sedan is expected to be priced somewhere around 7 – 8 Lakhs bracket.
