Ford Readies 3 New Models for India

Ford Motor Co. plans to introduce three new models in the Indian car market within nine months to bolster sagging sales there, Bloomberg News reports.

The redesigned Figo Aspire small sedan due in August will launch the blitz. The car will be powered by a 1.2-liter gasoline or 1.5-liter diesel engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. A 1.5-liter gasoline engine and 6-speed automatic transmission combination is optional.

The unusually well-equipped Figo sedan will offer dual frontal airbags, hill launch assist, antilock brakes, electronic stability control and automatic climate control. An optional trim level offers six airbags.

Ford will follow the Figo Aspire sedan with a new hatchback variant in October, Both versions will be assembled at the company's new factory in Sanand. Bloomberg says a third new model, the revamped Endeavor SUV, is due by about the end of 2015.

Demand for Ford vehicles fell 11% to 75,100 units in the fiscal year ended March 31, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. SIAM adds that Ford's volume plunged 29% to 14,200 units in the first quarter of the current fiscal year.