Talking to press persons, Boddie and Ford India's managing director Philip G Spender underscored that the new car will be launched before the end of the year. Boddie said the car is undergoing exhaustive testing not only in India but also at Cologne in Germany, in Lommel in Belgium and in Dunton, the UK. The car will be put through testing of a wide range of performance parameters including safety, fuel-efficiency, climate control, transmission, engine etc.

Spender said the Indian car market was rapidly changing and there was a scramble for value addition now. Boddie pointed out that the new car will be"outstanding in safety, affordable and competitive".

Boddie said the C195 could use LPG as fuel within a year and "if the demand is there we will push it".

According to Boddie, labour costs in the Chennai plant were cheaper than the costs incurred in Detroit, while inventory costs were comparable between the two plants. The per vehicle costs in Detroit was around $50 per hour for 12-13 hours of work while it is almost 75 per cent cheaper in India.

Spender explained that the Chennai plant is designed to meet all requirements of just in time delivery as the plant has a high degree of process control discipline.