We know by now that Ford has joined hands with Mahindra in India to have a sustainable future in our super competitive market. Did you know Ford India Private Limited began car production in India in 1926, but was shut down in 1954 since it was making huge losses. Later they re-entered as Mahindra Ford India Limited in 1995 as a 50:50 JV and in 1998, they increased stake to 72% along with naming themselves as Ford India Private Limited. But in all these years, so many decades of being in our market, the brand hasn’t clicked well with the masses to generate profitable sales volumes.
Now, the latest JV between Mahindra & Ford will bring out multiple badge engineered products. Latest rumour is that Ford has started working on a Marazzo-based MPV for India which could debut by 2021. The 7-seater MPV segment has seen consistent demand from family buyers and even the commercial segment. Previously, Ford wanted to introduce a cheaper iteration of the B-Max which was codenamed as B516 for India but that project has been scrapped as huge investments would have been needed. The new Ford MPV will use the Mahindra Marazzo platform, but the American manufacturer will build a new body shell for mass market acceptance and vehicle differentiation.
Ford will make use of the same engines from the Marazzo, which are soon to be upgraded to BSVI standards. Ford will offer their MPV in manual and automatic gearbox options. The Ford MPV will also be a front-wheel driver vehicle.
This new MPV from Ford will also slot between the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Innova Crysta; just like the Mahindra Marazzo. 7-seater and 8-seater variants will be launched along with the latest safety and infotainment features to lure customers. This new MPV could be showcased in concept guise in the months to come.