Ford plans to re-enter South Africa’s entry level passenger car market later this year with the launch of the new Figo which has just started production at the company’s Chennai plant in India.
Ford has been absent from this sector since it ended sales of the Ka 18 months ago. Jeffrey Nemeth, president and CEO of Ford Southern Africa, said the the Figo would put the automaker back in touch with a bigger customer base.
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He added that Ford had increased its market share in South Africa for the past three years, and was expected to do so again this year. The company is in the top five brands in South Africa in terms of sales.
Nemeth said: “Having a new entry in the segment that is expected to recover the fastest will definitely provide us with some advantages.”
Ford sold 38,400 vehicles in South Africa last year, down from 52 000 in 2008. The company also plans to introduce the new Mazda 6, the 2 sedan, an updated Focus and the Fiesta four-door sedan in South Africa during this year.
It does not plan to introduce hybrid models to the local market any time soon, added Nemeth, but the company is looking at launching the EcoBoost engine locally with the next few years.
He told Engineering News’ daily bulletin: “The positive impact on the environment provided through hybrids are still limited and these cars remain too expensive to be used widely.
“Using technology to improve fuel consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions on the existing internal combustion engine, can have a bigger environmental impact.”
