Ford has released more official pictures of the upcoming Figo Aspire compact sedan. The interiors have been borrowed from the EcoSport and look upmarket.
Ford India started off its innings in the country with the Ford Escort, a car which didn’t really do well here. The Ikon changed it all and gained its fair share of popularity. Although it didn’t really sell in high numbers, it satisfied the needs of the Indian enthusiast on a budget. Since then, Ford has been launching cars which are reasonably fun-to-drive and are affordable too. Now, Ford wants a chunk of the volume rich and popular compact sedan segment and will soon be launching the Figo Aspire in India.
Having tasted great success with the EcoSport which incidentally had the first mover advantage, Ford wants to replicate the same story with the Figo Aspire. The American auto maker is trying to improvise the quality levels on the Figo Aspire and keeping equipment levels a notch or two above the competition. This would certainly garner more sales and help them charge a slight premium improving their profitability. The first pictures of the interiors show that the car shares a lot of parts with the EcoSport/Fiesta but gets a lot of small tweaks to make it look and feel fresh.
The top trim of the Ford Figo Aspire is equipped with climate control AC, Ford MyKey, steering mounted audio controls, MyFord Dock, SYNC with Applink, power-fold mirrors, Hill Launch Assist (HLA), perimetric alarm, ABS, EBD, ESP, side curtain airbags (a total of 6 airbags) as an option which are a segment first and is a great move by Ford. Some of the electronics like ESP and HLA might be limited to the automatic version only. The brand ambassador is Farhan Akhtar and the tagline for the Ford Figo Aspire is “It’s OK to Stare”.
The dual-tone dashboard along with the piano black finish around the music system looks appealing. The vehicle gets a rear seat centre arm rest and adjustable headrests for the rear passengers. Chunky looking steering wheel (is an EPAS with pull drift compensation) would be a joy to use if it is setup the way other Ford cars till date have been setup. The biggest advantage that the Figo Aspite would feature would be the addition of a 6-speed automatic transmission which is way advanced than the auto boxes offered by competitors in this segment, it also gets tiptronic function on the gear lever with buttons. What remains to be seen now is how Ford prices the Figo Aspire.
