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

by admin | December 31, 2020

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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Tata Altroz iTurbo Petrol Comming Soon!

Tata Motors is getting ready for the launch of the Turbo petrol version of its Altroz premium hatchback on the 13th of January. Teaser images and videos have been released by the manufacturer. However, the complete details of the Altroz turbo have been leaked online as well.

Here are the details on the new Altroz turbo petrol:

Will be available with a 1.2L Revotron 3 cyl turbo petrol engine similar to the Tata Nexon.
Will produce maximum power of 110PS (108bhp) and torque of 140NM through a 5 speed Manual gearbox.
Will be available with a Sport mode instead of the Economy mode.
Will also

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include Engine auto Start/Stop system on specific variants.
The turbo petrol option is likely to be available on XT, XT(O), XZ, XZ(O) and XZ+ variants.
A new 'Harbour Blue’ shade will also be made available on the Altroz.
A 7 speed DCT automatic transmission option is expected to arrive later.
A new XZ+ variant will be introduced with more features.

The new features on the XZ+ will include:

Leatherette upholstery
8 speaker Harman system
Personalised wallpaper (Doodle) for touchscreen
IRA connected car features
What 3 words based navigation
Hindi and English voice recognition
X-press cool function for Climate control

Though there won't be significant cosmetic changes on the Turbo petrol variants except for the “i-Turbo” badge at the rear.

The interior of all the Altroz Variants will get a new “Light grey and black” colour theme.

Pricing for the new turbo petrol equipped version is expected to start from Rs.7.99L for the XT variant and go up to Rs.9L for the XZ+ variant. (All prices ex showroom) Stay tuned for further updates on the Tata Altroz turbo version.

What's so special about Ford cars in India?

And then there are people who adore their cars, love them and live with them. People who love driving their machines. People who call themselves automobile enthusiasts, car lovers, petrolheads, etc.

Enthusiasts as we know are an endangered species today because very often, challenges and responsibilities in life ensure we leave aside our passion for short or long periods of time. The RPM needle doesn't go past the half mark. Fuel economy suddenly becomes the most important factor to consider in a car. Comfy suspension replaces the sporty suspension. That fun to drive factor is replaced by a dead,

light and lifeless steering wheel. Life, then as we know gets dreary and lifeless.

But does it really have to be that way? Does life always have to go in that direction? Or is there a way where can have a bite from both worlds and maintain equilibrium? Of course, you still can’t expect good mileage if you rev it too much. But still, we think there's still hope for people like us. A way where we could maintain a fine balance between fun and responsibility. A balance between passion and practicality.

Often, we find this balance in cars from Ford. Of course not all of them from the fleet have this speciality where you get two things for the price of one. But mostly, they do have the capability to bring a smile on your face every time you take those cars out for a drive.

Ford Ecosport, Ford Fiesta, Ford Figo, Ford Freestyle. They've all been around us for a pretty long time. We’ve seen them evolve with us (except the Freestyle) but most importantly, what has stayed in this process of evolution is a communicative steering wheel that lets you feel every crack on the road, a suspension setup that offers decent comfort and enough stiffness to handle those curves. Horsepower figures are usually just enough to take you back by surprise and yet, there’s enough fuel left to do a last minute road trip.

This fusion of both worlds creates such a blend that driving these machines indeed feels very special. Not only this, We’ve mostly seen that cars from Ford India often offer safety features like 6 airbags, ARP, TCS, etc to even cars like the Freestyle! That says a lot about what the brand really prioritises on. We haven’t even moved onto the service costs yet because we feel that would be off topic.

With so many different choices in the market today and in this ever ending race between manufacturers to be on the top, what is often left behind is the essence of driving. Sadly, items like large infotainment systems, sunroof, projector head lamps, etc are features that are considered a priority by consumers while cars that offer an excellent driving experience with other satisfactory features are being ignored. To petrol heads like us, this is a worrying trend indeed. It is easy to find cars that go fast and have all the latest features. But it is indeed difficult to find great cars today that offer a blend of both worlds. Enthusiastic drivers and drivers’ cars then, are indeed endangered species.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Subcompact SUV - All you need to know

Toyota is all set to launch its new compact SUV, the Urban Cruiser. This is essentially the rebadged version of the best selling Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza with Toyota specific cosmetic changes.

Exterior:

The Urban Cruiser borrows its front grille from the Fortuner but carries forward the LED headlamps from the Vitara Brezza without any changes. The front bumper however is completely redesigned to give the Urban Cruiser a unique look. The sides and rear, however, don't have any changes except for the Toyota and Urban Cruiser branding on the tailgate. The 16” alloy wheels to are the same as on the

Vitara Brezza.

Interior:

The interior of the Urban Cruiser gets even fewer changes when compared to the Brezza. The design, layout and materials are exactly the same and the only differentiation will be Brown colour seat upholstery.

Variants:

Similar to the Vitara Brezza, the Urban Cruiser will be available in three variants; Mid, High and Premium.

Based on the Vitara Brezza, the new Urban Cruiser MID variant offers the following standard features:

LED headlamps with DRLs
LED tail lamps
Auto climate control
Tilt-adjustable steering wheel
Push-button start with the smart key
2DIN audio system
Steering mounted audio controls
Power windows
Electric ORVMs
Reverse sensors

Apart from these, the HIGH variant will include the following additional features:

16” alloy wheels
Auto folding ORVMs
Roof rails
7” touchscreen system
Android Auto & Apple car play
Reverse camera
Cruise control
Rear wiper & defogger

Additional features on the top-spec PREMIUM variant will include:

LED fog lamps
16” diamond cut alloys
Auto headlamps & wipers
Auto-dimming IRVM
Front and rear armrests

Safety:

Safety features on the Toyota Urban Cruiser BS6 include:

ABS with EBD
Dual airbags
ISOFIX child seat mounts
Pretensioner seatbelts
Engine immobilizer
Hill hold on AT variants

Powertrains:

The Urban Cruiser will carry forward the same 1.5L K-series petrol engine from the Vitara Brezza producing 105bhp power & 138nm torque through either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed Torque converter automatic gearbox. The Automatic variants will also receive mild hybrid system with auto engine start/stop and regenerative braking.

Launch & price:

The new Toyota Urban Cruiser will be priced at a slight premium over the Vitara Brezza with expected pricing from ?8.5L to ?11.5L ex-showroom. When launched the Toyota Urban Cruiser will compete against the Tata Nexon, Ford Ecosport, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Mahindra XUV300 and the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza itself. Bookings for the Urban Cruiser is currently open. Stay tuned for further details and pricing.