Ford has sold a million cars in India! The American manufacturer set shop in the country back in 1995 as part of a 50:50 joint venture with Mahindra. In 1998, it established itself as Ford India Private Ltd and has brought cars which have always put a smile on the face of driving enthusiasts. Ford claims that the Ikon, Endeavour, Fiesta, Figo, and EcoSport have been the most popular models for them.

Recently, Ford revamped its marketing campaign to change the mindset of people who thought of its products to be expensive to maintain. The carmaker has also appointed retail distributors to sell Ford Genuine parts across the country. Currently, it has over 3,500 outlets, of which 2,000 of them are independent repair shops. Ford has more than 465 sales and service outlets in 267 cities across India with cars ranging from the Figo to the Mustang. Check out the official press release below:

Ford India Celebrates One Million Customer Milestone
One-Millionth Indian customer – Nikhil Kakkar from New Delhi – takes delivery of Ford Freestyle, India’s leading Compact Utility Vehicle as One Millionth vehicle
Ford continuing to Make-in-India since 1998; Ford Figo & Ford EcoSport among the most popular models in Ford’s history in India
With over US$2Bn Commitment till date; Continuing to stay focused on Strong Brand, Right Products, Competitive Cost and Effective Scale to build a sustainable profitable business

NEW DELHI, July 17, 2018 – Ford India today joined the elite group of automakers in the country and welcomed its One-Millionth customer in India.

In a special ceremony, characteristic of the company’s Feels Like Family promise, Ford India’s president and managing director, Anurag Mehrotra welcomed Nikhil Kakkar from New Delhi, the company’s millionth Indian customer at Dwarka Ford and delivered Ford Freestyle, India’s first Compact Utility Vehicle.

“We are proud and excited to reach One million customers in India and remain indebted to our customers for their faith and trust,” said Anurag Mehrotra, president & managing director, Ford India. “Our unrelenting focus on India strategic pillars - Strong Brand, Right Products, Competitive Cost and Effective Scale – continue to ensure that we grow faster than the industry & bring more customers to the Ford family.”

In India since 1998, Ford has invested more than US$ 2 billion and remains committed to building a sustainable, profitable business in one of the world's fastest-growing auto markets.

Known for Safety and Quality, Ford has brought some of the most renowned nameplates to the Indian market, with Ikon, Endeavour, Fiesta, Figo, and EcoSport being the most-selling ones in India.

Committed to bringing products that Indian customers want and value, Ford’s product line-up today offers a vehicle to suit the needs of every consumer – ranging from Entry level hatchback and sedan in Figo and Aspire to CUV like Freestyle and SUVs like EcoSport & Endeavour. Ford portfolio in India also includes the iconic Mustang, world’s top-selling sports car in the world.

The power of choice provided by Ford also extends to powertrains – from the 1L EcoBoost to the 5L V8 Engine.

Along-side new products, Ford has continued to grow closer to customers with the continued expansion of its nationwide dealership network as well as world-class after-sales offerings. Presently, Ford has more than 465 sales and service outlets in 267 cities across India.

To enhance affordability, Ford has introduced many pioneering initiatives such as Service Price Promise, which allows customers to calculate the vehicles’ periodic maintenance costs even before booking the service at the dealership. The website also includes parts prices online for customers, ensuring transparency.

To strengthen customer convenience, Ford has appointed Retail distributors to sell Ford Genuine parts across the country. The retail distribution has led to Ford Genuine parts today being available across 3,500 touchpoints -- 2000 of those are independent repair shops.

The Multistrada 1260 S features Ducati’s SkyHook semi-active control unit actuating the 48mm Kayaba inverted front forks and Sachs monoshock, both of which are fully adjustable. For the Pikes Peak edition, the Bolognese bike manufacturer has employed Ohlins inverted forks at the front and Ohlins TTX36 monoshock at the rear. These are mechanically adjustable. Another addition that the Pikes Peak edition packs is the lightweight Termignoni exhaust system.

While the 1260 S rolls on five-spoke lightweight alloy wheels, the Pikes Peak edition gets forged aluminium wheels, which are 3kg lighter than the ones on the 1260 S. All three variants come shod with Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tyres. At 229kg kerb, the Pikes Peak edition is 6kg lighter than the Multistrada 1260 S.

So how is it different from the bike that won at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb?

Ducati left no stone unturned to make the race-spec Multistrada 1260 as fast as possible. They got rid of all the unnecessary bits like the hand guards, engine protector, headlights and taillight. They also used forged magnesium wheels in the race-spec motorcycle to reduce unsprung weight, and also to improve agility. The race bikes featured a stock engine with a race-spec ECU remap topped off with a custom Termignoni titanium full exhaust system for unrestricted power flow. Sadly, Ducati has not revealed the power figures of the race-spec Multistrada. To give you a perspective, though, the stock version of the 1262cc Ducati Testastretta DVT liquid-cooled L-twin motor produces 158PS at 9500rpm, and 129.5Nm at 7500rpm. The Multistrada 1260, 1260 S, Pikes Peak edition and the race-spec motorcycle feature the same 6-speed transmission with Ducati Quick Shifter (up and down).

The race-spec bike uses the same suspension setup as the production Pikes Peak, albeit tuned by Race Tech with height adjustment as well. It also uses Brembo M50 callipers that bite into the stock dual 330mm front discs with the aid of a WSBK-spec master cylinder. The braking setup for the rear wheels is believed to be the same 265mm disc seen on the stock motorcycle. Finally, Ducati also equipped the race-spec bike with custom-made Rizoma rear-set footpegs instead of the stock units for better cornering clearance.

Courtesy: ZIGWHEELS

Courtesy: ZIGWHEELS

The Multistrada 1260 S features Ducati’s SkyHook semi-active control unit actuating the 48mm Kayaba inverted front forks and Sachs monoshock, both of which are fully adjustable. For the Pikes Peak edition, the Bolognese bike manufacturer has employed Ohlins inverted forks at the front and Ohlins TTX36 monoshock at the rear. These are mechanically adjustable. Another addition that the Pikes Peak edition packs is the lightweight Termignoni exhaust system.

While the 1260 S rolls on five-spoke lightweight alloy wheels, the Pikes Peak edition gets forged aluminium wheels, which are 3kg lighter than the ones on the 1260 S. All three variants come shod with Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tyres. At 229kg kerb, the Pikes Peak edition is 6kg lighter than the Multistrada 1260 S.

Ducati left no stone unturned to make the race-spec Multistrada 1260 as fast as possible. They got rid of all the unnecessary bits like the hand guards, engine protector, headlights and taillight. They also used forged magnesium wheels in the race-spec motorcycle to reduce unsprung weight, and also to improve agility. The race bikes featured a stock engine with a race-spec ECU remap topped off with a custom Termignoni titanium full exhaust system for unrestricted power flow. Sadly, Ducati has not revealed the power figures of the race-spec Multistrada. To give you a perspective, though, the stock version of the 1262cc Ducati Testastretta DVT liquid-cooled L-twin motor produces 158PS at 9500rpm, and 129.5Nm at 7500rpm. The Multistrada 1260, 1260 S, Pikes Peak edition and the race-spec motorcycle feature the same 6-speed transmission with Ducati Quick Shifter (up and down).

The race-spec bike uses the same suspension setup as the production Pikes Peak, albeit tuned by Race Tech with height adjustment as well. It also uses Brembo M50 callipers that bite into the stock dual 330mm front discs with the aid of a WSBK-spec master cylinder. The braking setup for the rear wheels is believed to be the same 265mm disc seen on the stock motorcycle. Finally, Ducati also equipped the race-spec bike with custom-made Rizoma rear-set footpegs instead of the stock units for better cornering clearance.

Courtesy: ZIGWHEELS

Courtesy: AUTOCARE