When Ford first launched the new Fiesta last year, it was immediately recognised as a quality product, albeit too expensive. Ford has responded to this criticism by halving the number of trim levels from four to two, and by slashing the entry price by well over a lakh of rupees. Now, the entry level Ford Fiesta Ambiente petrol starts at just Rs 7.23 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi, putting it almost on par with the base variants of the Honda City, Volkswagen Vento and Hyundai Verna.
The ‘Trend’ and ‘Titanium’ variants have been eliminated from both the petrol and diesel models. The new Fiesta range now spans six variants in total, of which 2 are the petrol manual (Ambiente and Titanium+), 2 are the petrol automatic (Style and Titanium+), and 2 are the diesel (Style and Titanium+).
The entry-level Ambiente version has all the essentials, including power steering, all four power windows, ABS, and a driver’s side airbag. Ford has de-contented the entry-level Ambiente and removed the front passenger airbag and the stereo. Also, the door handles and grille surround are now in matte black instead of being body coloured.
However, the top-of-the-line petrol Titanium + AT now also gets leather upholstery, which wasn’t offered on the Fiesta previously.
With this price revision and variant rationalisation, Ford hopes to make a strong comeback into the mindspace of the Indian mid-size car buyer. It needs to, for there’s no denying that excellent product though the Fiesta is, it is perceived as just too expensive in the Indian context.
