Ford may hike Fiesta prices by Rs 30,000

Ford India is expected to increase the price of its newly launched premium sedan Ford Fiesta in about a month by Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000.

The company has launched four variants of Ford Fiesta in Mumbai on Wednesday at introductory prices ranging between Rs 586,000 and Rs 733,000, ex-showroom Mumbai.

The four variants include Fiesta 1.4 Duratec Exi (petrol, Rs 586,000), Fiesta 1.6 Duratec ZXi (petrol, Rs 659,000), Fiesta 1.6 Duratec SXi (petrol, Rs 722,000) and Fiesta 1.4 Duratorq ZXi (diesel, Rs 733,000).

"These are introductory prices that will be revised shortly," said Arvind Mathew, MD, Ford India.

"Ford Fiesta is positioned in the premium sedan segment, which is growing at more than 20 per cent in the country. So the market is highly potential, and we expect to do good business in the segment," said Mathew. The company has roped in Bollywood movie star Abhishek Bachchan as the brand ambassador for the new car.

The Ford Fiesta will be competing with cars like Maruti Swift, Hyundai Accent and its own sibling Ford Ikon, and Toyota Innova.

The Ford Fiesta Duratec comes in two variants - 1.4 litre, which is an ideal city car, and 1.6 litre, which is a joy-to-drive car for the driving enthusiast.

With this launch, Ford will introduce its proprietary Direct Common Rail injection technology in India. The Fiesta's all aluminium diesel powertrain is an upgraded version equipped with new generation TDCi technology.

"While being one of the smoothest and quickest diesel variants in its class, the contemporary technology is designed to deliver responsive acceleration, outstanding fuel economy and reduced emissions," said V Sivaramakrishnan, vice-president - marketing, sales and service.