Ford no longer fida on AB Jr

The first discordant note has just been struck in actor Abhishek Bachchan's new-year symphony, which had thus far been about the success of Guru and his engagement to sweetheart and co-star Aishwarya Rai.

Bachchan's one-year endorsement deal with Ford India for its successful mid-size sedan Fiesta, which began in November 2005, is not being renewed.

"Ford India is no longer associated with Abhishek Bachchan. Our contract with him has ended in December 2006 and we are not renewing it," Scott McCormack, vice-president for marketing, sales and service, Ford India, told Business Standard.

The company is believed to be of the view that the Fiesta brand has acquired enough equity to thrive without an ambassador.

Some insiders, however, say the company was not ready to pay a higher price for Bachchan, who started out with a string of flops but has, of late, seen a sharp appreciation in his market value triggered by box-office success.

"The experiment has obviously worked very well, which is reflected in the sales of the car. However, the agreement was for a year and has not been renewed," said Sunil Doshi, who handles Bachchan's endorsements.

Bachchan had earlier had another short-lived endorsement deal for Maruti's Versa, in whose commercials he had appeared along side father Amitabh. Ford had begun its run in India by taking on board tennis players Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.