It is a common practice among car manufacturers to sell two or more different generations of the same vehicle side-by-side. There was a point when Maruti Suzuki used to sell the 800, Alto and A-Star together even though all of these are different generations of the Alto in global markets. Chevrolet is also doing a similar thing now by selling the Spark and Beat together while both of them are basically different generations of the Spark. Ford did the same thing when they launched the new Fiesta in 2011. The company didn’t discontinue the older Fiesta but slotted it below the new Fiesta and renamed it Classic.
Ford is soon going to repeat history by positioning the current Figo at a lower slot when the second generation Figo gets launched in 2015. The 2015 Figo will compete with the Maruti Swift, Hyundai i20 and Toyota Etios Liva while the current Figo will end up competing with entry-level hatchbacks like the Datsun GO, Hyundai Eon and even Maruti Alto. Ford will surely cut the pricing significantly along with stripping the Figo of some features. We can also expect a very cheap base variant without any bells and whistles.
The Ford Figo offers much better space and comfort when compared to its entry-level rivals. Buyers will surely consider the Figo seriously now. Ford might offer only the petrol engine and even that might be in a lower state of tune. Still, the Figo will be a great contender in the entry-level segment. Ford could also call the old Figo as the Figo Classic and the repositioning of the car will help them target a larger audience. The American automaker doesn’t have any presence in the entry-level hatchback segment of India yet.
