The auto-maker was earlier working on a single shift basis and produced 75 cars in April. Ford India plans to sell 22,500 Ikons in the year 2000. Of this, the company plans to sell 10,000 units in the northern region. According to company estimates, the Ikon segment will grow from 42,000 units to 80,000 units this year. "We are also looking at the possibility of importing completely built units of other Ford models pending overnment approval", Ford India Ltd president and managing director Phil Spender told The Financial Express. The diesel model accounts for 30 per cent of total Ikon sales while about 40 per cent of sales come from the 1.6 litre petrol model. The 1.3 litre petrol version accounts for 30 per cent sales.

Ford India is also considering the commercial production of two models designed by Dilip Chabria - Ikon GT and Ikoncept. These cars would be niche products in the market and will be priced in the Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh bracket. The company is not selling the base model - Ikon 1.3 CLXi -- through the booking route, but has instead opted to sell it directly through dealerships.The Ikon CLXi sports a price tag of Rs 4.76 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and is doing very well in the market, Spender said. The car, with an ex-factory price of Rs 4.21 lakh, was unveiled at the Auto Expo 2000 in January.

Recently, Ford India tied up with ICICI to introduce a new scheme for NRIs who wanted to purchase an Ikon for their friends and relatives in India. The scheme will allow NRI consumers to book an Ikon directly on the Ford India web site and make payments through ICICI. The world's second largest auto maker has an installed capacity of 50,000 units in the country. With additional plant modifications, the capacity can be raised to 100,000 units per annum.