Ford India expects a 100% jump in Sales this year

Ford India, a fully-owned unit of the world's second largest automaker, Ford Motor Co., expects a 100% jump in sales this year largely on the back of last November's launch of its Fiesta model, a company official said on Wednesday.

Benefited with its sedan Fiesta, Ford India is expecting to double its sales this year to nearly 50,000 cars, and will launch a CNG-powered Ikon by September this year. The automobile company, which began operations in 1995, sold 25,647 cars in 2005.

"We've already sold as many cars as we did in the whole of last year just in January to June this year," said Scott McCormack, Ford India's vice president for marketing.

"We sold around 25,000 units last year, and we have crossed this number by June this year. We feel that going by this rate, we will end 2006 with a near 100% growth in year-on-year sales," Ford India President and Managing Director Arvind Mathew said today.

Ford yesterday also launched an updated version of Ford Fusion, and slashed its price by around Rs. 60,000 to 569,000 rupees in India (ex-showroom Delhi). The launch is expected to help Ford retain its 18 percent share of what it calls the "premium mid-sized" market.

The updated Fusion includes a more "upmarket and stylish" interior, and a fistful of extra gadgets, including a distance-to-empty meter.

The car maker firm, which has 115 dealerships in 79 cities, sells models like Ikon, Fiesta, Mondeo and Endeavour in the Indian market and competes with Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., and General Motors.

After announcing the launch of a CNG version of Ikon by September this year, McCormack said Ford may add "a percentage point or two" to its market share by December.