MUMBAI: Life may be returning to normal in flood-hit Chennai, but carmakers in the city are still struggling to restart work after weeks of incessant rain forced them to shut down plants, leading to production loss. American carmaker Ford and German luxury carmaker BMW — two of the five passenger vehicle companies that have plants here — have not rolled out a single vehicle this month, according to people aware of the matter.

Ford India today reported a 34.78 per cent surge in total sales at 17,189 units in November.

The company had sold 12,762 units last year.

Ford India's domestic sales were at 8,773 units last month, up 54.97 per cent from 5,661 units a year ago, Ford India said in a statement.

US auto major Ford is recalling 16,444 units of its popular compact SUV EcoSport manufactured between November 2013 and April 2014 in India to rectify faulty rear twist beam bolt, which is a part of suspension.

“In some of the affected vehicles, there is a possibility that the Rear Twist Beam (RTB) bolt may not be tightened to specification, which may cause the pivot bolt to break,” Ford India said in a statement.

Ford India today reported 75.58% increase in its total sales at 20,420 units in October.

It had sold 11,630 units last year. The company's domestic sales were at 10,008 units last month, up 49% from 6,723 units a year ago, the company said in a statement.

Global automobile companies Mercedes and BMW have been gung-ho on the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Now, American carmaker Ford is giving Indian automobile manufacturing a new dimension — its India subsidiary is considering designing a new vehicle in the country.

The move will make Ford the first global automobile major to design a vehicle here. Typically, global carmakers with a manufacturing base in India collaborate with their global research teams.

Ford India today launched the new version of its popular compact sports utility vehicle EcoSport priced between Rs 6.79 lakh and Rs 10.44 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) looking to cash in on festive season sales.

“Ahead of the festive season, we have made our clever, compact SUV even more stylish with a host of smart features and enhanced power to delight consumers,” Ford India President and Managing Director Nigel Harris said in a statement.

NEW DELHI: Introducing the revamped version of its hatchback, Ford India on Wednesday launched the Ford Figo hatchback at a starting price of Rs 4.29 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). While the petrol version prices go up to Rs 6.40 lakh that of the diesel go up to Rs 7.40 lakh.

The Base variant of the 2015 Figo gets a driver airbag, whereas other trims get dual front airbags, or 6 airbags in case of the top-end Titanium+ variant. The new Figo is available in 7 colors.

Ford India today launched Figo Aspire priced between Rs 4.90 lakh and Rs 8.24 lakh (ex-showroom price Delhi) to take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Honda in the fast growing compact sedan segment.

The Figo Aspire will be available in both petrol and diesel engine options.

Mumbai: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd will export a premium compact car, which it expects to launch this year, to Japan, competing with Ford Motor Co. to become the first car maker to sell a made-in-India automobile in a first-world market.

The plans to export the car, code-named YRA, were revealed by two people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity. A spokesperson for Maruti said in an email that the company would not comment on future plans.

PALO ALTO, CA: America's second largest automaker Ford is shifting focus from Detroit to Silicon Valley as it plays catch up to technology innovations in the fast-changing mobility space. The company said it's moving the development of its autonomous vehicle technology or self-driving cars from the research labs in Palo Alto to an advanced engineering programme without giving a timeline by which it intends to sell these cars commercially.

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