Ford has unveiled the production version of the Figo Aspire compact sedan, which looks similar to the concept version. The car will be manufactured at the new Sanand plant and the production has begun.
Ford has just inaugurated their new Sanand facility in Gujarat, which has annual production capacity of 2,40,000 units along with 2,70,000 engines. Ford India will utilise the plant for both domestic and export markets. Alongside the inauguration, Ford has unveiled the production version of the Figo Aspire compact sedan that is scheduled to be launched in June this year. The Figo Aspire is the next launch from Ford in India and the production will commence in the new plant on full swing soon.
The production version looks very similar to the concept version showcased in India last year during the Auto Expo. The few things that have changed from the concept version are the headlights, tail lights and wheels. The car looks quite stylish compared to the segment it belongs to. The boot is very well integrated and the new Ford design language further makes it look striking. Ford is also testing the new Figo hatchback, which looks similar to the Aspire and will get launched later this year around the festive season.
Powering the Ford Figo Aspire is a 1.2-litre petrol motor and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The compact sedan will also get a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a dual-clutch 6-speed automatic transmission, as seen on the EcoSport, but not at the time of launch. The vehicle gets 175/65/14 Apollo 3G tyres. Loaded with new features, the Figo Aspire gets the latest Ford multimedia system that gets Ford AppLink with Bluetooth connectivity. Some of the features includes voice commands, sms readout, emergency assistant, phonebook, etc. The Figo Aspire will get side airbags as well but only on the top-spec variant. There are no rear AC vents although there is a rear-seat centre arm rest.
The Ford Figo Aspire also comes with a Dock system in which you can mount your smartphone onto the dashboard and access navigation, stream music, etc. Ford is all set to attack the lucrative compact sedan segment with the Aspire, which will compete with the Maruti Swift DZire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze and Tata Zest. Ford India has done heavy localisation to keep the costs in check and the price of the upcoming Figo twins are expected to be competitive.
