Ford India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, will launch compressed natural gas-based cars in the country by the end of this year.
"We have plans to launch CNG-based models in the country and Ford Ikon will be the first to be launched in this version," said Scott McCormack, vice-president (marketing, sales and service), Ford India.
Incidentally, Ikon sells less than other models of Ford in the country. From January to June this year, Ford India sold 23,758 cars, of which Fiesta sales was at around 20,000, while Ikon, Mondeo, Endeavour and Fusion constituted the remaining 3,758 units.
Various automobile majors are betting big on alternative fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and CNG owing to spiralling oil prices.
Besides, alternative fuels are considered to be more efficient and environment-friendly than petrol and diesel. Ford India officials were in Hyderabad to announce the launch of Ford Fiesta Diesel EXi, targeted towards the premium mid-size diesel car market.
"Diesel versions contribute to a significant per cent of our car sales in the country. We are, therefore, focusing on this segment," McCormack said.
Ford India has a market share of 16.3 per cent in the mid-size car segment.
"In Andhra Pradesh, we have a market share of 30 per cent in the mid-size segment and expect this number to increase with the addition of Fiesta Diesel EXi to our portfolio," he added.
