Ford banking on GenX as it plans eight new models by 2015

Chennai:

Ford is banking on India’s youth to drive up its passenger car sales as it plans to introduce eight new models by the middle of this decade.

Addressing reporters after inaugurating new 3S and service facility at MPL Ford in Chennai, president and managing director of Ford India Michael Boneham said Ford is targeting the younger demography who are moving into the driving age as the per capita income is expected to grow.

And Ford India is not targeting the Tier-1 cities alone as it launched 45 dealer outlets of its Indian subsidiary across 35 cities in the country on Thursday.

Stating that 40 per cent of its outlets are in Tier II and III cities, Boneham said will continue its growth commitment in India with the launching of new outlets every 10 days.



He said Ford has planned to introduce eight new models by the middle of this decade. Two of the eight products -- Ford Figo and Ford Ecosport -- have already been introduced.



With the opening up of outlets today, Ford currently has 230 outlets across 123 cities.

Boneham also said that he had met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa recently to invest additional $142 million in Chennai to produce Ford Eco Sport, an sport utility vehicle (SUV) whose soft launch at the Auto Expo in Delhi was ‘overwhelming’.

He said this investment will create additional 300 to 400 jobs in Chennai.



He said the aggressive sales and service network expansion has been in line to support Ford’s global plan of increasing worldwide sales by nearly 50 per cent by mid decade to eight million vehicles a year.



He also said Ford India’s Gujarat plant, its second in the country, was on track and he was very happy with the progress there.