Ford Figo has crossed an important milestone – 1,00,000 Figos have so far rolled out of Ford’s plant located in Maraimalai Nagar, Chennai.
The success of the Figo revived Ford’s fortunes helping the company reach the fourth spot in the list of top car manufacturers in India.
“We are proud of the great work you are doing and we hope you will carry on this enthusiasm to our other new products as well,” Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director of Ford India told his employees.
Ford Figo was awarded the ‘Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) 2011’ after scoring 83 points. The points were given based on various parameters such as price, fuel efficiency, design, comfort, safety, maneuverability, performance, functionality, environmental responsibility and driver/rider satisfaction. Besides, the Figo scored well in terms of technical innovation and ‘value for money’. Also read: Ford Focus India launch possible by 2012
The Figo is based on the 2002-2008 European Fiesta platform, on which the Ford Fusion was also based. But the car’s new design cues and wise utilization of space on the inside worked wonders for Ford. It was possible for Ford to provide a large cabin space since the Figo has a wide wheelbase.
The Figo is offered with both petrol and diesel engines. The 1.2 litre petrol engine produces 70 bhp of maximum power and 10.4 kgm of maximum torque. Though the 1.2-litre engine has strong mid range power it lacks low-end grunt. This in turn means that the car demands frequent down shifts, especially in city driving conditions. The Figo 1.2-litre petrol delivered a mileage of 13.5 km/lire in our road test.
The 1.4 litre diesel engine produces 68 bhp of maximum power and 16.3 kgm of maximum torque. The diesel variant has fantastic low and mid-range response for city driving and performs well even on the highway. Also read: Ford Figo diesel road test
Ford India has been exporting the Figo to South Africa and Nepal since October 2010. Last month, the company announced that the Figo would also be exported to Mexico and other regions in North Africa, Middle East and the Caribbean. Also read: 2011 Ford Fiesta for India: Photo gallery
Ford India registered a record-breaking 184% sales growth in 2010 which is a three-fold jump compared to 2009’s sales figure of 29,488 units. Figo is a major sales puller for Ford India and sells roughly 8,500 units every month at present.
