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The car is targeted at the upwardly mobile mature youth. Boneham admits the company had been slow in getting its act together in India (Ford is the fifth-largest car maker in India) but there is no stopping now. “It takes time to understand the Indian consumers’ psyche, which is unique. In most parts of the world, consumers first look at the features of the car and its looks and then ask for the price. In India, it’s the other way round: People look for the price first, then the resale value and after-sales service, and then they want the best possible features,” he says.
He is, therefore, thrilled with the success of Figo as the company seems to have finally understood Indian consumers. This new-found confidence means that the pace of new launches, customised to suit Indian conditions, will quicken (a new launch every 12 to 18 months) and India will be the production hub for Figo for the Asia-Pacific region and Africa, Boneham says.
That’s the language his bosses in the US have been longing to hear from the CEO in a country that has become a new battle front for the world’s top car makers and which is going to be the second-largest market for the company outside of the US.
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