Ford India Re-Entry: The news of American car manufacturer Ford’s entry into India is once again in the headlines. The company is planning to restart its plant in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu for export. Recently, a meeting has also taken place between the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Ford officials, which has fueled this discussion even more. It is being speculated that after about 3 years, Ford may once again return to the Indian market.
Talks with state government begin:
Let us tell you that, recently Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin was on a visit to America. Where he met Ford officials and also discussed the issue of restarting the company’s plant in India. At the same time, a Reuters report states that Ford said that the company has also written a letter to the state government in this matter.
After this meeting, M.K. Stalin gave information in a post on the social networking site ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), writing that, “Had a very interesting discussion with the Ford Motors team! Considered the feasibility of renewing Ford’s three-decade-old partnership with Tamil Nadu, so that manufacturing can be started again in Tamil Nadu for the world!”
In his post, Stalin also shared some pictures. In which M.K. Stalin can be seen shaking hands with Ford officials. In another picture shared, the Chief Minister is shown handing over an artwork to Ford officials. Let us tell you that during his 17-day visit to America, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was taking the initiative of foreign investment for his state.
What the company says:
Ford said in a statement, “This move will repurpose the plant to focus on manufacturing for export to global markets.” The company said that the cars to be manufactured by Ford in this plant and other details will be announced later. Let us tell you that before winding up its business from India, Ford used to manufacture cars and engines in its same plant in Chennai city of Tamil Nadu.
Will Ford cars be launched in India:
After the talks between Ford and the Tamil Nadu government, the discussion has intensified that Ford can once again return to India. But there is also an obstacle here. As Stalin has said in his post, “It is being considered that Ford can start manufacturing again in Tamil Nadu for the world.” From this, it is being speculated that the company will manufacture vehicles in this plant to export its vehicles to other countries.
The company has not yet given any information about whether it will launch any of its vehicles in India or not. Apart from this, it will be told in the future which vehicle Ford will produce in this plant. But there has been a buzz in the auto industry for a long time that Ford can return to India again with its Ford Endeavour.
Ford’s journey in India:
The relationship between Ford and India is almost 97 years old. Ford India Private Limited started production in the year 1926 as a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company of Canada. At that time the company was introducing cars like Model A in India. However, due to the imposition of severe import restrictions, Ford India Company had to stop production in May 1953. After this, in the year 1995, Ford once again entered the Indian market as a joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra in a 51-49% (Mahindra Ford India Limited).
Ford’s first car in India:
This was the time when Ford launched its first car in collaboration with Mahindra, the Escort, which was produced till 2001. This sedan was designed specifically for the Indian market and played a vital role in setting the stage for the American brand in India. The car came with a 1.8-litre diesel and a 1.6-litre petrol engine. The Ford Escort offered power steering, powered front windows, ORVMs, air conditioning, music system and many more which were luxuries at that time.
After this, cars like Ikon were introduced in 1999, Mondeo in 2001 and Endeavour SUV in 2003, Fusion and Fiesta Classic sedans in 2004-5 and in 2010 the company launched its hatchback Figo for the mass market. In 2013, the company introduced the sub-compact SUV EcoSport, this SUV inspired many car manufacturers in India to look towards a new segment, the result of which is visible today in the form of many cars like Nexon, Brezza, Creta, XUV 300.
Ford’s last car in India:
On 20 July 2022, Ford shut down the production line at its plant in Sholinganallur, Chennai for the last time and rolled out a white coloured EcoSport as its last car. With this, the story of Ford’s production of cars in India came to a halt forever. There are many reasons for Ford’s failure in India, but one of the major reasons was that Ford always tried to establish itself as a premium brand in India, Ford always stayed away from the mass market. When the company entered India, cars like Maruti 800 were in vogue, there was a demand for affordable and low-budget cars in the market.
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