Current manufacturing capacity of Ford Chennai unit is up to two lakh vehicles which would rise upto 4.4 lakh units in next 12 to 18 months. (Reuters)
Ford India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, sounds bullish on Indian automobile market with its new growth strategy that hinges on four tenets-quality, green or fuel economy, safety and smart technology.
Executive Director (Marketing Sales & Services), Anurag Mehrotra said here today that “Indian automobile market was poised to more than double from three million vehicles as at present to seven million by 2020. He said that India ranks at number six in automobile sector in the world as at present and it would move to be the third largest country in this sector only after China and USA during this period. Beyond doubt India would play a huge role in the automobile sector”.
Giving details about Ford’s growth plans in India, Mehrotra said that the company currently produces vehicles at its plant in Chennai which has an installed capacity of two lakh vehicles per annum. The company is also on course to commission its new plant in Sanand by first half of 2015. The Sanand plant will double Ford India’s installed manufacturing capacity to a total of 4.4 lakh vehicles a year.
Similarly the sales and services outlets in the country would go from current level of 304 to 500 in next 16-18 months. Mehrotra himself a BE with huge IT experience seems leveraging technology to boost growth in Ford India. About EcoSport, he said that the vehicle has proved to be an instant hit and sales of over a lakh unit since launch only proved its prowess.
The company today announced to augment its sales and service network in Punjab with the inauguration of five new facilities. Anurag Mehrotra said that the Bhagat Ford facility opened at Panchkula is for sales, service and spares spread over 21,000 sq feet. The facility at Chandigarh is spread over 9,000 sq feet while the one at Ludhiana is also a 3S facility for sales, service and spares. The facilities opened at Moga and Nawanshahr in Punjab are extended sales and service facilities.
