Ford Fusion phase-out soon

Following a decline in sales, carmaker Ford is all set to be phased out from the Indian car mart. The model, which had debuted in early 2004, had not been very successful among India’s car enthusiasts.

Ford Fusion

Make no mistake – the Ford Fusion was, and is, a great car. We wrote about it for the first time in 2005 – then again when the diesel version was launched. The car’s sales never picked up – we can thank Ford’s ridiculous pricing for that. I remember some silly ad which tried to communicate its crossover abilities at a time when no one cared for such stuff. Then there was another ad – which said the Ford Fusion is so good all you need is to describe its features.

Wrong, Ford. The pricing was too high for the market – it should have been at least a lakh less. 100 BHP was great, but when the market was crying out for a diesel, Ford didn’t bother with the Fusion. By the time the diesel was introduced, Fusion had acquired a reputation as a car no one buys, god knows why – and nothing could help it. So it’s byebye, Fusion.

According to Ford, every car launched is phased out over a certain period. As the Fusion model had not been doing well in a slowed down market, the company had no option but to phase it out. It is being said that the car will be phased out gradually, though the carmaker has reiterated that the phasing out may not be done with immediate effect. The Fusion is still selling, though the response is not as expected.

With the Ford Fusion phase-out imminent, the car major is lining up its small car by year 2010. It is being planned that the $500 million investments in India would be on track. The company would be unveiling its proposed small car with both petrol and diesel variants. Ford currently sells it Ikon, Fusion and Fiesta models, apart from the Endeavor sports-utility vehicle.

The small car being lined up for release in 2010, the company is set to double its assembly line capacity from 1 lakh unit to 2 lakh units and will also set up an engine manufacturing facility for 2.5 lakh units in Chennai, it said.

Ford India, meanwhile, launched the renewed version of Ikon in Pune. The Indian arm of Michigan-based company is quite bullish on its Indian operations, and the proposed small car is part of the dreams it nurses for India. With investments pouring in, Ford is also zeroing in on enhancing its level of localisation of its cars by up to 90 per cent in a phased manner. Ford is said to be doubling its assembly line capacity in the country.