October 15, 2012: Ford India has launched a revised version of its Figo hatchback with prices starting from Rs 3.85 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base petrol variant. The revised Figo gets updates like refreshed headlamps and tail-lights, a new front grille with silver inserts, steering-mounted audio controls, new alloy wheels, revised fog-lamp housing and new seat fabrics. The hatchback will continue to be powered by the same 1.2-litre Duratec and 1.4 Duratorq motors. However, Ford claims it has improved engine calibrations for better pickup. While the base 1.2 LXi petrol variant is priced at Rs 3.85 lakh, the diesel range starts from Rs 4.82 lakh. The revised Figo variants now costs Rs 3,000–5,000 more than the old car.

Sales of the Figo have fallen from 58,441 units in January-September 2011 to 53,762 units in April-September 2012, down eight percent. Ford India hopes to tap demand expected in the upcoming festive season. The company has 230 dealerships and 123 service outlets and by 2015-2016 hopes to ramp up its pan-India network to 500 outlets.

Launches galore

The revised Figo is the first of a series of new car launches this week, all part of a sustained new-model campaign from carmakers just ahead of the festive season. Falling sales saw have seen apex industry body SIAM lower its passenger car sales growth projection to just 1-3 percent for this fiscal, from the earlier 9-11 percent announced in July. A negative growth rate of -0.27 percent for the first six months of the current fiscal year (April-September 2012: 909,972 units compared to 912,455 units in April-September 2011) has got most carmakers worried and, expectedly, they will be going all out to woo customers into showrooms with new models, discounts, and freebies too.



Following on the revised Figo’s launch will be the reveal of Tata Motors’s Indigo Club Class on October 16 along with that of the much-awaited 800cc Maruti Alto. The next day will see Mahindra & Mahindra take the overs off its SsangYong Rexton SUV while Tata will showcase the Safari Storme. That’s not all. Honda Cars India will introduce the automatic transmission-equipped version of its Brio hatchback on October 18, and will follow this act with the CNG variant of its City saloon later this month. General Motors India is slated to roll out the refreshed Spark hatchback later this month, and will launch its Sail U-VA hatchback on October 25.