A successful Ikon will not only bring in increased sales commission but will also ensure adequate growth in service income.

A cross-section of dealers The Financial Express spoke to felt that a price of Rs 5.60 lakh to Rs 6 lakh for the fully loaded 1.6 ZXi version would be ideal for the product to succeed. This was based on the feedback received from customers when the new product was put on display. Moreover, with Esteem VX available at Rs 5.30 lakh to Rs 5.50 lakh (depending on the quantum of discount), a Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 premium over Esteem would be acceptable to the market, they said. Fully-loaded Fiat Siena is available atlittle over Rs 6 lakh. They have, in fact, represented these facts when the company sought their views on pricing.

Dealers are also relieved that Ford India has tackled the problem of adequate power for its car. One of the major reasons for Escort to lose customer interest was its 1.3 model which was grossly under powered. The company was forced to bring in 1.6 Zetec model. Some people in the industry who had test driven Ikon say that it gives 91 BHP as against 54 BHP by Escort 1.3 model and 84 BHP by Escort 1.6 Alpha model.

The design of Ikon seems to have gone down well with the people, if customer response is of any indication when the car was displayed at various locations. A competitive pricing and a fast ramp up would make it a formidable product, they add. Ford India has fixed November 22 as the launch date for Ikon and pricing is expected to be announced close to opening of bookings in the last week of October or early November. The company, it appears, is waiting for Hyundai to announce the pricefor Accent.

Ford also plans to have an open booking with customers getting their vehicle on a first-come-first basis. A booking sum representing 75 to 80 per cent of the car value is likely to be taken as advance. In order to ensure that the customers do not cancel bookings in frustration, Ford has drawn up plans to inform the customer within 48 hours the time period within which the car would be delivered to them.

It is also planning to have sufficient stocks so as to ensure that the waiting period is not unduly long especially considering the fact that new models such as Accent, Siena, Corsa would be in the market.