DriveBlog

Ford Fiesta rolls on

Things really do seem to be happening fast for the much-vaunted Ford Fiesta since its national launch only a couple of days ago. Observe, if you will, this sequence of developments that have since unfolded:

• Ford launches the Fiesta amidst much excitement and anticipation. The sedan has been in the news for being their 'global car' launch for developing markets, and India is admittedly one that is very high on their priority. The Fiesta is being seen as pitted against such deserving rivals on Indian roads as the Honda City, the Hyundai Accent, the Maruti Baleno and Esteem and the Chevrolet Optra. From what I've seen of the car so far, it seems like it's more than just your regular sedan and I tend to agree that it would be unfair to pit it against the more entry-level sedan options like the Ikon and the Esteem. The ones that should be worrying are the likes of the Honda City.  Moving on, retail sales are expected to kick in by mid-December with expectations of about 2000 units of the car going off the shelves every month. With sales of the Ikon dipping over the past few months and the Fusion failing to set the market afire, the Fiesta probably couldn't have come at a better time for Ford.
• They then proceed to knock almost everyone off their feet with the price announcements - the base (1.4 litre) petrol version can be yours for a little over 5 and half lakh rupees. That's not much higher than the base version of the Ford warhorse, the Ikon and definitely cheaper than their recently-launched super-hatch, the Fusion. A case of cannibalism? No, say Ford.
• They get current Bollywood wunderkind Abhishek Bachchan to 'Go Fida' over the Fiesta.
• And now, the announcement that the sticker tag on the Fiesta will go up by about Rs. 25000 more in the months to come as the prices being touted right now are only introductory prices.

Well, Ford's never been one to take new launches lightly, so methinks there's going to be plenty to hear from them in the days to come.

Now you know: In the market for a new car and with a budget of between Rs. 5 and 6 lakhs, you'd currently have about 30 options to choose from.

WagonR Primea launched

Er, the WagonR is a station wagon?

'They woo' no more...

Fed up with all the red tape, General Motors has announced its decision not to pursue the acquistion of Daewoo's plant in India. They however continue to have designs on the small car market in India, plans for which even include setting up their own manufacturing facility in India.

Update: And here's news of another big partnership in the Indian wheelspace that isn't finding favour with some.

Also see:
GM's big small plans

Fiesta your eyes!

The upcoming Ford Fiesta in pictures.

Fiest-ah!

Ford India will launch its premium sedan, the Fiesta, next month. The car looks pretty good and will fill the gap in Ford's product portfolio that currently exists between the entry-level Ikon and the luxury Mondeo. Though there's no official conformation on the price just yet, experts reckon that it will be in the super-6 lakh, sub-7.5 lakh rupee region. The car will be launched with a 1.6 litre petrol engine and a 1.4 litre diesel engine.

Is the Fiesta the much-talked about, codenamed B 376, 'world car' project or is that something else altogether for later this year?

Update: The Fiesta is, in fact, Ford's new global car, to be launched simultaneously in India, Europe and someplaces in Asia.

Also, in case you were looking, there are discounts of upto Rs. 55000 on various variants of the Ikon, for just 2 days more. In case you're looking even harder, here's (the first of many, I'm sure) a roundup of the latest discounts and freebies on cars this festive season.

Also see:
Whither Focus?

Skoda's Combi-station

Luxury segment-obsessed carmaker (and not denying it) Skoda Auto India will broadbase its offering in India by launching the über chic Octavia Combi station wagon / estate.

Meanwhile, the much-looked forward to Fabia will have to wait another year at least to wow us all.

Countdown to 1 lakh

No windows...and now, no gears.

Cocking a snook at critics and disbelievers (with Maruti Udyog leading the wolfpack), Tata Motors stands firm on its promise to deliver a 'feasible' motor car that costs Rs. 1 lakh (or less) to the Indian consumer and to do so within the next 3 years. Citing the example of the Indica, India's first truly indigenous car, the very idea of which was scoffed at when it was just an idea, group chairman Ratan Tata insists that the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

In fact, plans are also afoot for kickass new version nexts of both the the Indica hatch and the best-in-class Indigo sedan.

Also see:
3 years and still counting
Pakistan's '1 lakh' wonder

Out of the blue(s)?

Yes, quite unexpectedly, Fiat India launches another car in an(other?) attempt to get back on track. I guess they needed something for the new Managing Director to speak about at his first meeting with the press. The following may have been overheard in the Fiat India washroom earlier this April:

Person 1: "Hey, we can't have him standing there just by himself. He's gotta have something to say, right?"
Person 2: Duhuhh...
Person 1: Hey, why don't we launch another car and then market it like a bunch of dribbling retards?"
Person 2: (zipping up) Hey, how come we didn't think of that before?

The new car is the dubiously named Adventure Sport, which by the looks of it seems like a rebadged Palio Weekend, not by far one of the models that's been scorching their sales charts. Well, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt as we always do and we'll wait and watch as we always do. And whatever else the new MD plans on taking up on a war footing, we're hoping getting that dratted website back on again is right up there on his list.

Fox populi

When it rains, it really does pour. It hasn't even laid the foundation stone for its factory in India yet, but Volkswagen has made its intentions to get into the thick of things clear almost immediately. And it will do so by bringing the 2-box Fox (word!) to India in the premium hatchback segment.

Also see:
A complete B-hive of activity
What the next 2 years will see in the B-segment