What went wrong with Ford in India?

Ford!

What comes to your mind when you think about this car manufacturer? Ford Mustang and those big growling V8 engines? Or probably the famous movie Ford vs Ferrari. Well, you are partially correct, but Ford never intended to bring their car on race tracks!

Seems confusing right? Let's get to know what went wrong with ford in India.

Ford’s Love for Machines: Where it all began.

Well, let’s rewind it and jump to the very start, to the time when Ford was not even in existence. Henry Ford (founder of the company) had an interest in every mechanically working thing, basically machines. Not specifically car engines, but machines. Watches caught his attention first. Since watches were a mechanically working thing. Just at the age of 14, he learned to repair watches!

When Ford became Ford!

Moving a little further in time, Henry Ford got an opportunity to work with engines. He got his hands on the first-ever 1.7cc 2-cylinder engine mated with a 2-speed gearbox, and no doubt at that time in the year 1903, this was a big invention. Later on, Henry Ford launched his first car with this engine, the mighty Ford Model A. But as we all know, nothing always goes as planned and this is where everything went wrong with Henry Ford. For your information, Henry Ford launched this car keeping in mind that only, and only rich people will buy it since cars back then were a symbol of status.

He didn't succeed, he met the first downfall of his company, he was left back to a place where he was earlier, but this time he had gained a lot of knowledge which helped him grow again. Remember how they say failure is the first step to success? Yes, Ford was a firm believer in that statement. The second car he launched was a-kind-of-success as it was biased towards an affordable segment where everybody could afford it. And this is when Ford met fame.

Now, Let us know how this company got entry to the Indian car market.

Entry of Ford in India

For Ford, it was not easy to make its place in the Indian car market. And while tackling this era of owning a budget car and not a luxury car, Ford did the same mistake of launching the Ford Escort. This was the first car launched by Ford in partnership with Mahindra & Mahindra in the year 1995. The Ford Escort was launched for a certain audience, the audience who were seeking a sedan, but at that time, India had a very less number of people who wanted to buy a future-oriented car. Actually, there were barely any.

The 90s era was the time when people either preferred the mighty Maruti 800 or Hindustan Ambassador and Premier Padmini, there was no way this car would have made a hit. Later in 1999, Ford launched its own car the Ford Ikon, this car is well known but still, it was not that famous to win the Indian Market. Honestly, Ford never won India’s hearts, not because it was an American company, but rather because they were unaware of their place in the Indian Market which is now more massive than it ever was.

Ford keeps its streak of unsuitable cars going.

Just like the Ford Escort, Ford also launched Mondeo and Ford Fusion. Now, if you ask anyone how the Maruti Suzuki WagonR looks, even a 14y/o child can answer that but if you ask the same question to a well-grown common man about the Ford Fusion or Ford Mondeo, they will start to scratch their head or probably even deny that this car was launched in India.

So, What went wrong with Ford in India?

Well as I had mentioned, Ford itself wasn't aware of where it stands in India. They kept the same old cars on sale for years without giving them a facelift or launching the next generation. It is not that all Ford cars were a flop, the best example is the Ford Ecosport and the impeccable Ford Endeavour that people still crave for. These 2 cars were like a gem for Ford. But you really can't run a company with just 2 cars that are high on maintenance and have expensive spare parts with limited availability. It just became difficult for the company to keep its place firmly in the market and eventually, the brand was forced to leave the Indian Market.

Only if Ford would have listened to what the people in India wanted and implemented that in their factories, Ford would have found the right buying market at the right time. Although, to this day, Ford still has a huge place in the Indian Market with cars like the Ford Figo, Ford Fiesta, Ford Ecosport, and Ford Endeavour running the streets of India every now and then.