Ford Motor’s (F) newest small car, Fiesta, has generated a huge response to the consumers in the U.S. after bagging more than 1,000 reservations within six days of launch. Ford intended to woo the market after unveiling of its U.S. version of Fiesta subcompact 2011 at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week. The automaker had introduced the small car in Europe and Asia last year and has sold more than 500,000 units thus far. The 2011 Fiesta, which is set to compete against Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit, is powered by a 119 horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The car is expected to get at least 30 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 40 mpg on the highway when paired with a new six-speed automatic transmission. The retail price of a Yaris starts at $12,355, while that of a Fit starts at $14,900. The ...

Ford Motor (F) has revealed that its sales in China have shot up 79% to 119,338 vehicles in the third quarter of the year. The growth has vaulted an overall sales increase of 78% to 1.33 million vehicles across China .  This was driven by China ’s economic policies to spur auto sales. The Chinese Government halved taxes on purchases of small autos. It is also spending 5 billion yuan ($730 million) on subsidies for purchases of light trucks and minivans in the countryside, where the population density is high.  Considering the first nine months of the year, Ford’s sales grew 32% to 316,639 vehicles. This compared to a 34% rise in sales to 9.66 million vehicles across China , making it the world's top auto market. The U.S. ranked second in terms of sales volume, with the nine months’ sales totaling 7.8 million vehicles. ...

Ford Motor (F) has released plans suggesting an intense focus on its operations in China and India. The company looks forward to adding 250,000 units to its annual production capacity, taking both countries into account. Ford Motor has announced the launch of production of its small car, Figo, in India in the first quarter of 2010. The decision was backed by a $500 million investment in the company’s existing Maraimalai Nagar, Chennai, plant for expansion. The company has committed to invest more than $950 million in total in the plant. The expansion will make India one of the company’s strategic production hubs, with output potential doubled to 200,000 vehicles annually. The Chennai plant has already been producing Ford models -- including the Ford Ikon, Ford Fiesta, Ford Fusion and Ford Endeavor -- for the Indian market only. However, Figo -- priced at $10,000 -- will be ...

Ford Motor (F) has released plans suggesting an intense focus on its operations in China and India. The company looks forward to adding 250,000 units to its annual production capacity, taking both the countries into account. Ford Motor has announced the launch of production of its small car, Figo, in India in the first quarter of 2010. The decision was backed by a $500 million investment in the company’s existing Maraimalai Nagar, Chennai, plant for expansion. The company has committed to invest more than $950 million in total in the plant. The expansion will make India one of the company’s strategic production hubs, with output potential doubled to 200,000 vehicles annually. The Chennai plant has already been producing Ford models -- including the Ford Ikon, Ford Fiesta, Ford Fusion and Ford Endeavor -- for the Indian market only. However, Figo -- priced at $10,000 -- will ...

The Ford Motor Company (F) released its product acceleration plan, which is being driven by an efficient global product development system, significant structural cost reductions and disciplined cash management.   Ford plans to replace or refresh from 70% to 90% of its lineups by volume in each of its three largest markets – North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific-Africa – by 2012. The lineups will be further refreshed from 140% to 160% by 2014. Ford plans to focus on fewer but higher-volume platforms. The company aims to enhance its volume per core global platform from the present 345,000 to 680,000 vehicles within five years.   In 2009, Ford refreshed 45% of its vehicle lineup by volume in the U.S. The company now looks forward to rollout products such as the new Ford Fiesta, 2010 Ford Taurus, 2010 Transit Connect, 2010 Fusion, Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Lincoln MKT in ...

On July 5, 2009, the Associated Press (AP) reported that Ford Motor Company's (F) sales in China have surged 14% year over year to 197,212 in the first half of 2009. Strong demand for the company's low-cost Fiesta car helped the growth in sales. Ford has sold 18,224 Fiestas since the model was launched in China in March 2009.According to the AP, Ford's sales at its Chinese passenger car joint venture, Changan Ford Mazda Automobile, rose 20% in the first half to 140,386 vehicles. Jiangling Motors Corp., Ford's commercial vehicle unit, reported first-half sales of 53,327-units. In contrast, Ford reported a 33% decline in sales in the domestic markets on the back of the global slump.Declining industry sales have pressured Ford's supply base. According to the AP, the company is eliminating short-term suppliers and is cutting down the number of suppliers to ...