BIJOY KUMAR Y

Bijoy takes a look back at the metal that Ford and GM brought to India

ITH FORD DECIDING TO SHUT ITS operations in India, it is curtains for the American big two in the country. For the time being at least. While you could research in-depth why these brands and the corporations behind them failed to make financial sense in India, allow me to run you through the cars they sold, or tried to sell in India over two decades.

When it was launched in India, Opel was an aspirational brand. Being a launch pad model by GM India, the Opel Astra was more advanced than any other car sold in the country, barring MercedesBenz. I fondly remember a drive from Delhi to Manali in one. The Astra took pathetic road conditions in its stride and its handling was a revelation in the Himalayas. A sudden snowstorm meant we had to return after reaching Rohtang but the car proved its worth. GM India skipped the next generation Astra and launched the Vectra as an import but got little success here. The Corsa was next and came in the estate and hatchback variants but could not battle it out with the Suzukis and Hyundais. GM India decided to shift focus to the Chevrolet brand and, whoa, launched the Subaru Forester with the famed bow-tie logo on its nose. The crossover with a boxer motor was a darling with the enthusiasts and I was one of the first to test the car in and around Halol. Seeking volumes, the Chevrolet brand name adorned the Isuzu Panther as GM stretched its

Japanese muscle. The Tavera had a decent run in

India but its success was a not a patch on what Toyota achieved with the dated Qualis. Next thing we knew, GM India decided bring its Daewoo derived Optra, UV-A and Cruz. The Chevy Optra diesel was a mile-muncher extraordinaire, and the Cruz carved a niche as a slightly more upmarket offering. Alas, the Tavera had maligned the Chevrolet brand irrevocably and even volume players such as the Smart and the Beat built from a brand new facility couldn’t turn the future of GM in India. Much was expected from the China derived Enjoy, but the less is said about it, the better. GM India was confused as to the kind of cars they need to sell in a fast-evolving market – so they tried their hand at everything from hatchbacks to people movers and failed to make an impact in any of these segments.

Ford on the other hand had a more calculated single brand entry in India. After establishing the brand name with the Escort models made in association with Mahindra, Ford reengineered the European Fiesta and made the Ikon their volume player. While the diesel had its strengths, the dated pushrod petrols lacked performance. A series of Fiestas later Ford seemed to gain ground with the Figo hatchback. The truck-based Ford Endeavour had its takers too, and will remain among my favourite Fords sold here. I remember thrashing the first one in a slush-fest, complete with massive yumps and then continuing to drive to Goa the same night. The Endy never even flinched. The current generation Endeavour with that 3.2-litre diesel was my personal benchmark for SUVs in its class. But the finest point of Ford in India was when they launched the EcoSport with state-of-the-art engines. I still stop in my tracks and admire the Freestyle crossover. But the Indian operation never stopped bleeding and with losses mounting to over USD 2 billion, the bean counters lost hope. Even the pony car, the Mustang, could only do so much to build the brand.

So, can you connect the dots here? The downturn of GM and Ford in India was owing to their reluctance to understand the need of the market and develop models that could be sold in reasonable numbers to make money. Adapting cars meant for the developed market just couldn’t work well in a price conscious market such as India. A friend of mine who worked for Ford says they never really made money from any model, except the Figo. Maybe he is right, maybe wrong, but the fact remains that the big two from America had made their last IC engine cars in India. Well, if you found a ray of hope in the last line, it was intentionally put there. ⌧

Adapting cars meant for the developed market just couldn’t work

well