Ford India posted 12 per cent growth in 2018 thanks to the introduction of newer models like Freestyle, Aspire facelift and new variants of EcoSport
2018 has been a very good year for Ford as the company finally registered profit for the first time after two decades of its existence in the market. Ford sold 97,804 units in 2018 compared to 87,588 units in 2017 as they registered 12 per cent growth. The introduction of Emerging Market Operation Model (EMOM) in 2016 was the turn around for the company.
But it took them a couple of years to get the desired result. In 2018, Mahindra also started selling popular models of Ford from its dealerships under a pilot program, as the Indian manufacturer has a better presence in the suburbs and rural areas. Both manufacturers are working on newer models as part of the new partnership announced in 2017.
One of the major launches of Ford in 2018 was the Freestyle model, which is based on the Figo hatchback and the crossover model has been very well received in the market. The Freestyle is the second best selling product of the company since its launch and it also debuted the new 1.2 L 3-cylinder petrol engine with 96 PS and 120 Nm.
Ford introduced the much awaited EcoBoost variant of EcoSport along with Signature Edition model last year. This has helped the company to improve sales of the compact SUV as they sold 51,973 units in 2018 compared to 45,146 units in 2017. The Year-On-Year growth stands at 15 per cent and it is the only model in the portfolio to register positive growth.
The company also launched the much awaited new Aspire facelift model in October 2018 and it is priced aggressively against the competition. Since the introduction of the facelift model, the sales of Aspire have improved slightly. It didn’t get major design changes but the company introduced a new petrol engine to the compact sedan’s lineup.
| Ford Sales in 2018 in India | No. of Units Sold |
| Ford Figo | 4,130 |
| Ford Aspire | 16,721 |
| Ford Freestyle | 51,973 |
| Ford Ecosport | 18,643 |
| Ford Endeavour | 6,244 |
| Ford Mustang | 93 |
The Endeavour continued its good run in 2018 as the premium full-size SUV posted only a marginal drop in sales and the company is planning to introduce the facelift model this year with a new 2.0 L engine, which will help in improving sales. Ford will also introduce the Figo facelift model later this year as the hatchback’s sales dropped by 66 per cent in 2018.