Anurag Mehrotra was recently promoted to the apex position in Ford India. He was earlier the Senior VP and now is handling the entire brand. We speak to him and understand how is the Ford brand performing and we want can we expect from them. There haven’t been any launches from the company in this year so far, except a new variant for the Figo Sports. So, we thought of asking him something more on what is being done by the company.
A brand that was banking on one product for years now has three (Figo, Aspire, Ecosport) strong products in its line-up in the volume market. Could you share some of the demographics of these car/SUV buyers, especially the new members of the Ford family?
Anurag: At Ford, we are committed to bringing products that Indian customers want and value. Be it the young achievers (with Figo and Aspire) or fans of SUVs (with Ford EcoSport and Ford Endeavour) and not to miss, performance enthusiasts (with iconic Mustang), everyone in the Ford family of customers experiences the quintessential Fun of Driving without any compromise. Our customers are certainly among those who don’t want to compromise – whether it’s looks, performance, convenience, affordability or safety. Ford customers, coming both from top tier as well as Tier 2-4 towns, value and appreciate the differentiated experience – based on ethics, trust, and transparency – getting delivered to them.
Apart from the EcoSport facelift, could we expect derivatives from these three products as the localisation is high?
Anurag: Upgrading products and technologies to meet evolving customer needs is a continuous process at Ford. We continue to study the market and are committed to bringing products and technologies that Indian customers want and value – like past 18 months where we introduced Figo, Aspire, Endeavour, refreshed EcoSport and the iconic Mustang for Indian customers.
Are buyers opting for dual airbags (Titanium) or many are picking six ones? Do you see this changing anytime soon?
Anurag: At Ford, we believe in democratising safety and give the customer the power to make safety a priority. This journey started sixty years ago when Ford became the first automaker to offer factory-installed safety belts. As a company, we are providing safety features in our cars not because we have to but because we want and see it as our responsibility. Besides being built strong, our cars today ensure unmatched levels of safety with advanced equipment such as EBD, Hill Launch Assist, MyKey and Traction Control & ESP to keep vehicle occupants safe.
Ford servicing is expensive – a common myth. We have seen new TVCs to burst this. How are new car buyers educated apart from the TVCs?
Anurag: A key part of Ford’s success in recent times lies in winning the trust of the customer. As a company, we have been working on improving the overall value and cost of ownership across our product portfolio and have broken the myth that Ford cars are expensive to maintain through our actions. Today we have 800+ Sub Assembly Levels of Parts where we have broken big assemblies into sub-component, enabling substantial savings for customers. With other initiatives like Service Cost Calculator and Parts Pricing on Ford India website, Clear explanation of service invoice along with the retail distribution of parts, we have ensured transparency at every step, which is also appreciated by our customers.
How does Ford see the future for India? Will be more of UVs or hatch/sedans?
Anurag: We have been continuing on a Growth 2.0 strategy, focused on product led innovation, delivering differentiated customer experience and busting the myth of Cost of Ownership. In recent time, we have made progress regarding enhancing our brand, our local sales, and our export business in India. We continue to stay committed to bringing the best of products and technologies to India as per customer feedback.