Ford India plans to expand its global footprint and export made-in-India products to over 50 markets from 37 at present over the next few years. The new markets will include mature markets such as Europe and Australia, Joginder Singh, President and Managing Director, has said.
“We want to make India an export hub for low displacement engines and small cars,” he said, adding, currently around 25 per cent of cars produced by it are exported, while the number for engines stands at 40 per cent.
The company’s plan to enter new geographic territories would kick off once its two greenfield facilities at Sanand in Gujarat to make cars as well as engines go on stream by the end of 2014. The plan is to increase exports — of the Figo and EcoSport — to 30 per cent of production volume.
Playing down the recall of around 1,000 units of the diesel EcoSport – to re-locate the glow plug – Singh said the problem had been addressed and the SUV had received unprecedented demand. Ford had delivered 25,000 units since its launch in June, and the number of bookings received stood at 60,000. The SUV, which is currently being made in Brazil, China and India will also soon be made in Thailand and Russia.
The second phase of the Figo recall (1.66 lakh units of the Figo and Classic sedan manufactured between January 2010 and June 2012 to rectify problems related to steering and rear suspension) was underway and the issue had been addressed in over 85 per cent of the cars, he added.
Singh was in the city to inaugurate a new showroom in Pune, which is part of a larger plan to expand the sales and service network to 500 outlets by 2015 from 265 today.