Ford India to expand distribution, service network

Chennai, Nov 26 (IANS)

Car manufacturer Ford India, the Indian subsidiary of US auto major Ford Motor Company, plans to increase its customer touch points (sales and service) to 500 by middle of the decade at a time when it plans to launch eight new models, said the company's incoming chief.

"The leader might change. But the business plan has not changed. Eight new products by the middle of this decade will be launched in India. We will increase the customer touch points (sales and service points) to 250 this year and to 500 touch points by middle of this decade," Joginder Singh, who will take over as president and managing director of Ford India Dec 1, told reporters here Monday.

He said the company will launch its sports utility vehicle (SUV) EcoSport next year, the new plant in Gujarat is on track to go on stream in 2014 and global suppliers of Ford Motor Company have committed investment in India.

Singh said Ford Motor Company expects 70 percent of the growth to come from Asia Pacific region during the next decade and much of that will be contributed by China and India.

He said profitable faster growth is his vision for the company as the total investment in India will touch USD 2 billion.

According to Singh, the India growth story is valid despite the changes in the policy conditions.

Looking back at his nearly five year tenure at Ford India, Michael Boneham, the outgoing president and managing director, said he had completed his agenda.

He said the company launched Figo model-a segment accounts for 70 percent of the total car market. The capacity of the Chennai plant was expanded and a new plant in Gujarat was decided.

Agreeing that Ford India is still not a volume player, Boneham said the company is creating capacity ahead of the market.

--IANS

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McLaren Developing its MP4-12C GT3 to Dominate FIA GT—and Customer Service?

May 4, 2011 at 3:59pm by Alexander Stoklosa

McLaren Racing, McLaren Automotive, and CRS Racing have joined forces under the banner “McLaren GT” to bring FIA GT racers the MP4-12C GT3 racecar. The GT3 is currently enduring a development program designed to put the race car in customers’ hands for 2012. The vehicle has big shoes to fill, being the first McLaren racer provided for the GT series since the F1 GTR. But McLaren isn’t just benchmarking track success for its new baby—the company is also going to focus on customer service. Seriously.

McLaren has gone to great lengths to make the customer’s racing experience as trouble-free as possible, working hard to ensure a reliable, affordable (among the private-jet set), and driver-oriented race car with generous parts support. That McLaren seemed to target production-spec levels of drivability and durability shows in its extensive computer simulation of the car’s track manners and aerodynamics before it ever touched tire to track. Of course, once the laptops were closed McLaren took to caning its racer around various tracks in Europe, keeping close tabs on how it held up to the abuse.

The result is surprisingly close to the MP4 road car. Both the carbon-fiber chassis tub and the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine are carryover, although the engine has actually been detuned by almost 100 hp for the racer to maintain a balanced performance envelope. Now making “only” around 500 hp, the V-8 is bolted to a six-speed sequential gearbox co-developed with Ricardo. The exhaust has most certainly been altered—watch the video below to see the GT3 overtake the road car, drowning it out completely with a maniacal shriek layered over a rippling baritone rumble—and is much more free-flowing. The race car’s aero package received a lot of work—and help from McLaren’s F1 engineers—resulting in a new carbon-fiber splitter, door blades (extractor vents), rear wing and diffuser, and louvers on the crests of each front fender. More F1 bits surface inside the GT3, where a Formula 1 steering wheel transmits driver commands and the engine is managed by a racing-spec control unit sourced from McLaren Electronic Systems.

McLaren is targeting a run of 20 cars for the 2012 season, and is using its development program to gain feedback from prospective customers to help their mission to deliver a reliable and successful racecar. McLaren and CRS Racing plan to build 20 more cars through 2013 and 2014, and are banking on their fresh outlook for customer service as being a major selling point next to the GT3’s performance.

Tags: FIA GT series, GT racing, McLaren MP4-12C, McLaren MP4-12C GT3 |

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