The Sanand plant will produce the next generation Figo hatchback and compact sedan for the Indian market with customer car production to commence in early 2015.
Ford India’s new facility in Sanand, Gujarat is on the verge of completion as the American automaker has commenced trial production at the plant. Ford will be doing trial production runs at the new facility on a model based on the next generation Figo platform. The company’s second facility in the country (first being near Chennai), the new plant holds strategic importance for the automaker and is also one of the most advanced car manufacturing plants to be built in India and will produce a plethora of new models in the future.
Set to commence customer car production by early 2015, the new Sanand facility will produce the next generation Figo hatchback as well as the sub 4-metre compact sedan for the domestic market. The plant will have an initial installed capacity of 2.4 lakh units for vehicles and 2.7 lakh units for engines, and will take Ford’s total production capacity in the country to 4.4 lakh vehicles and 6.1 lakh engines from both the plants. The new plant has attracted an investment of $1 billion from the American automaker.
The new Sanand plant has high level of automation and is one of the most automated car manufacturing facilities across the Asia Pacific and Africa region. Even several Ford global vendors have moved around the vicinity to support the company’s operations with a cumulative investment seen at around Rs. 500 crores. The next generation Figo hatchback and compact sedan are scheduled for launch in the first half of 2015 and are expected to replicate the success of the EcoSport and the outgoing Figo.
Source – Business Standard