T is for Figo

Unless you have pot loads of money stashed around the walls of your house, a good utility car is what you’re driving. And when you drive away in its comfortable cocoon, have you once thought about how one of man’s greatest inventions came to be yours? Cars – as we know them today - were invented during the late 1880s, but the society only accepted them in the beginning of the 20th century, but still, they were automobile enough only for the rich few. The Daimlers, Cadillacs and Maybachs rested in the stables of those with silver spoons.

Then in the early 1900’s came a certain Mr. Henry Ford with his assembly line and shook the hinges off the automobile manufacturing industry. The technique put cars together faster, drastically reduced production costs and most importantly – made automobiles affordable. The first car to roll down from this assembly line was Ford’s Model T. A car so cheap, a worker could own one with four months worth of salary.

From 1914 to today, the Ford Motor Company has come a long way. The company exudes an influential multinational presence with cars across all segments and body-types. For the Model T, Henry Ford had said, “I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one—and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces.” This brief has been suitably applied to all cars running down Ford’s aisles and will continue to be handed-down to the cars of the future.

Ford, from time-to-time, has topped the scorecards with enviable market share, with the Ka in Europe, the Taurus in the US and now the Figo in India. Before the Figo, Ford hadn’t really made a remarkable impression in India. Similarly, in the early 1900s when the Ford Motor Company started out, they too were oblivious to the success that was to follow. By 1918, half of all cars sold in the US were Ford Model Ts and Ford has already sold over 70,000 Figos in India in less than 10 months. With sales numbers like these and an Indian Car Of The Year award, the Figo seems bent on following the Model T’s career graph.

So we decided to let the little one meet her maker on a chilly winter morning, the 2010 Ford Figo sat across the momentous 1914 Ford Model T taking notes. After all, everyone needs a hand on the shoulder from time to time. Next to the black Model T, the grey Figo looked compact and ready. The open bodied Model T was meant for the masses, so the interiors were fashioned after a theme of simplicity to ensure a comfortable ride for a family of four or five. The Figo though goes beyond the basics – power windows, keyless-entry with tailgate release on the remote, a stereo system with Auxiliary-In, MP3 / CD, Bluetooth, USB connectivity and a radio. (Continued on page 2...)

Continued...

Cars were not close to the speed wagons that they are now. The Model T topped at 70km/hr whilst the Figo goes up to 160 km/hr. The powertrain matched up as well; the Model T was powered by a 2.9L front mounted engine which produced upto 20bhp while the Figo lets you choose between a 1.2L petrol and a 1.4L diesel. The Model T changed the way people thought about cars and with the Figo , Ford has introduced a right product at the right time with just the right pricing. It is their first car designed for the mass Indian market.

In the 1900s, assembly line brought down production costs on the Model T. Now, the Figo is Ford’s first car to be made on Ford’s One Global program which combines resources from all over the world to further reduce developmental costs. It is a compact, reliable and practical car which boasts of an efficient service network. The Figo and Model T may belong to different generations but they are successfully following Ford’s brief – to make cars comfortable and affordable. Through its time (1908–1927), the Model T, was manufactured and sold in the major economies of the world. The Figo is targeted at emerging economies of the world and over 75 developing economies have already shown interest in the car.

Ford now has several cars across all segments. But the Model T was the first influential car in the world; it is still looked upon as the car that heralded the beginning of affordable automobiles and now the Figo aspires to elevate Ford’s position and change its fortune in a similar fashion.

Henry Ford was 40 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company, one that would go on to become a giant conglomerate. Had it not been for him and his Model T, we the people, would still be riding horses to office. Then we would all be 1 horse power and have horse parking. But thanks to this vision, a common man gave another a car to make his own.