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Ford and Mahindra JV Called Off - Ford India Operate Independently!

by admin | January 01, 2021

Ford CEO

Ford Motor Company and Mahindra & Mahindra have dissolved their joint venture that was announced in October 2019. In the official statements issued separately by Ford and Mahindra, both automakers have mutually decided to part ways and function as separate entities.

Overview

On the 1st of October 2019, Ford India and Mahindra had signed an agreement in Mumbai to create a joint venture that will develop, market and distribute Ford vehicles in India along with Mahindra vehicles in high-growth emerging markets overseas. The JV was to see Mahindra having the 51 percent controlling stake and Ford owning a 49 percent stake. Ford was to transfer its India operations to the JV, including its personnel and assembly plants in Chennai and Sanand. Ford was to retain the Ford engine plant operations in Sanand as well as the Global Business Services unit, Ford Credit and Ford Smart Mobility. The JV was planned to be the next step in the strategic alliance forged between both brands back in September 2017.

The main aim of the joint venture was to grow the Ford brand in India and export its products to Ford entities globally. Both manufacturers were to share components, platforms, technology and engineering capabilities on their new cars.

Reason for dissolving:

According to the companies, the reasons to call off this JV were “Fundamental changes in global economic and business conditions; caused, in part, by the global pandemic over the past 15 months.”

Upcoming products:

Ford has already been developing its next big launch, the new C-SUV ( C757) based on the next-gen Mahindra XUV500 (W601). This new SUV was already planned for an early-2022 launch. Therefore, it's likely that Ford will enter into a contract manufacturing arrangement with Mahindra to build the C-SUV in its Chakan plant. Ford is also likely to source the 1.2L TGDI engine from Mahindra for the upgraded 2021 Ecosport compact SUV. The Ford C-SUV too will use the same 2-litre petrol and 2.2 diesel engines that will power the next XUV500.

Stay tuned for further updates.

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Bajaj Chetak 2020

Bajaj has re-launched the popular Chetak scooter after many years and in an all new electric avatar. Priced competitively at Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom), Bajaj has introduced the Chetak electric in two variants -- Urbane and Premium. The Premium model costs Rs 15,000 more and it will be sold alongside KTM. Customers are also offered the convenience of booking the Chetak on their official website as well. Deliveries for the Premium variant may begin from the end of April 2020 while the Urbane variant will commence by May 2020. The catch here though is that as of now, the Chetak is

available in Pune and Bengaluru only.

While there are other players in the electric scooter market, the Chetak stands apart in terms of build since it uses metal bodywork instead of fibre. It gets all things modern like LED lighting and a digital instrument console that displays many important things like vehicle speed, range and battery level and an IP67 rating. Also, the Chetak gets keyless ignition!

Speaking of performance, the Chetak is powered by a 4kW 16 Nm electric motor with 2 riding modes: Eco and Sport. It is a smart system as the Chetak’s Integrated charging unit senses throttle position continuously. As a result, twisting the throttle more than 85% will result in the mode switching automatically from Eco to Sport. Bajaj claims the Chetak will offer a real-world range of 95km in Eco mode and 85km in Sport mode. You might be surprised to know that the Chetak also gets a reverse mode. It is also claimed that the electric scooter can do 25 kms after one hour of charge while a 3.5 hour charge will charge the batteries all the way to 80%. 100% charge from no charge could be achieved in 5 hours.

But, Bajaj claims the top speed of the Chetak to be limited to 60 kmph which in our books is low. Top speed has been compromised in the interest of higher range and it could be the perfect speed for tight city commutes. But, what if you happen to hit the highway or a fast main road? Things could get a bit scary.

Speaking of handling and braking- the Chetak gets front trailing link suspension and 12-inch alloy wheels fitted with MRF Zapper tyres. A disc brake in the front and drum brake at the rear should provide a lot of stopping power. Bajaj claims the regenerative braking feature can add 2.8 metre of range every time a rider goes from 60-0kmph.

There is no provision for fast charging but Bajaj does include home charging port for free which will be fixed at your place of residence by a technician. It would be interesting to see how the Chetak performs against its competition- the Ather 450, TVS iQube and 22Kymco iFlow.

2020 Ford Figo- What’s changed?

Engine options for both petrol and Diesel Figo remain the same- a 1.5L Diesel engine with 100 Ps of power, 215NM of torque and the 1.2L Ti-VCT inline three petrol Engine that delivers 96PS of power and 119NM of torque.

Other aspects like ride quality, comfort, NVH levels, communicative steering, soft suspension remain the same.

However due to a hike in the price of the BS6 Figo, Ford has excluded some features from the Titanium variant of the car. Features like infotainment system, rear wiper, rear de-fogger, fog lamps, reversing camera, automatic climate control have been excluded- options which buyers look for

the most in car.

The alloy wheels too have been changed in terms of design and build. We preferred the earlier design. However, they remain the same in the Top end variant, also called the Ford Figo Blu which comes in a sporty avatar.

The Ford Figo Blu comes in a power packed avatar with features mentioned above. However, Apple Car Play and Android Auto features have been excluded from the infotainment system as the Figo Blu gets the Fly Audio touch screen infotainment system.

There has been a major shuffling of features with the Ford Figo and the exclusion of many is something that could disappoint many buyers as not everyone would opt for the top- end and youthful Blu variant.

Ford however, has updated one thing in all its cars for 2020. The addition of FordPass connected car technology that works on an in- built 4G data connection which free of cost subscription for three years. The app enables new car owners to obtain real time data like tyre pressures, fuel level, odometer reading, car position and it also allows for remote start/stop and lock/unlock of the vehicle via the app. Owners can also locate nearest fuel stations, local point of interests and nearby Ford dealers, while the Guide function provides help to owners by calling a Ford guide or roadside assistance in case of a breakdown.

While the new Figo has lost a few features, the introduction of FordPass does bring Ford back in the game as such technology is getting quite common in new cars.

2021 Hyundai i30N Teased - All you need to know

Hyundai has released a few teaser images of its new i30 N hot hatchback which will be launched soon in Europe. Here are a few highlights of this new Hyundai i30 N gathered from these images.

The new Hyundai i30N will have a dynamic design, focusing on performance and emotion. It features new and aggressive front and rear bumpers along with two large exhaust pipes. New LED headlamps and tail lamps also are visible along with the wider front grille. The images also show newly-developed 19-inch forged alloy wheels, which are lighter than those of the previous i30 N, contributing to weight

reduction in the car.

The interior layout is expected to be largely similar to the regular i30 hatchback with certain N-specific detailing and changes. Features and specifications are also expected to remain the same except for the inclusion of sportier seats and drive modes.

Hyundai has also revealed that the new i30 will be available with the company’s eight-speed dual clutch (N DCT), including dedicated N performance shifting functions. This transmission will be paired to the same 2.0L turbo petrol engine producing 250bhp as standard and 275bhp with the performance pack. This engine also produces 353NM torque as standard with power sent to the front wheels through an Electronic Limited Slip Differential.

The new i30 N is likely to be launched in Europe in the coming weeks with a marginal price increase over its predecessor. Stay tuned for further details on Hyundai's new hot hatchback.