Ford to scale up production in India

American automobile giant Ford Motor Company wants to increase its production capacity in India by rolling out 65,000 vehicles annually from its plant in Chennai.

'Right now we are manufacturing roughly about 42,000 vehicles annually at our Chennai factory. We have a definite plan to increase the present capacity by pushing the figure up to 65,000 per year,' Ford India Vice-President (Marketing, Sales and Service) Scott McCormack said in Kolkata on Wednesday.

McCormack was in Kolkata for the launch of Ford's mid-size segment car - Ford Fusion TDCi diesel version, priced at ₹6,59,000.

He said the Chennai facility has a total production capacity of 100,000 units annually but it's not utilising the full strength presently.

To capture the increasing demand of the mid-size car segment, the company is now focusing on the domestic market.

'We enjoy a total 18 per cent share in the mid-size car segment in India and our eastern region share is 15 per cent. We have certain internal plans and strategy to come up with at the end of this current financial year,' McCormack told reporters.

The new diesel version of Ford Fusion will have the same engine as Fiesta, the company's highest selling car in India, McCormack said.

Based in Dearborn, Michigan, Ford Motor Company manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents.

With about 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo.

Ford India also exports the mid-size segment car Ford Ikon to South America and South Africa. With the launch of this new diesel version of Ford Fusion the company will have three mid-size cars in the Indian market - Ikon, Fusion and Fiesta.