Ford to Export to 48 Countries from India.

The US-car manufacturer Ford is planning to export cars to 48 countries from Tamil Nadu. The company which started its export of its Figo, in July, said that by the end of this year it will export 8,000 Figos to South Africa, the first export destination for the company from Chennai.

Speaking to reporters at the concluding event of Ford Figo Discover Smart Drive campaign celebration Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India said the company has started exporting Figo to South Africa in July and between April and October 2010 the company exported 4,100 cars to South Africa and by December-end the figure will touch 8,000".

The company has been exporting 1.41 petrol and diesel variants of the Made-in-India Figo to South Africa. "Figo has been among the top five selling cars in South Africa now and we got an overwhelming response," said Boneham.

Nigel Wark, executive director - marketing, sales and service, Ford India added that from October 30, the company has started exporting Figo to Nepal, which will be second the international market, which will be catered by Maraimallai Nagar facility, on the outskirts of Chennai.

In addition to these two markets, the company is looking at 48 countries in 2011, said Boneham. These markets includes North Africa, Mexico, South America, Arab Emirates and West Asia.

Fords model Figo has crossed the 50,000 mark, registering a sale of 52,644 units since its launch in India. In October, Ford recorded its second highest domestic sales of 9,026 units, a 161 per cent year-on-year increase compared to the same month in 2009. From January to October 2010, the company has sold 72,078 units compared to 25,386 units in 2009, an increase of 183 per cent.

"Figo is the second fastest car model in India to cross the 50,000 sales mark, said Boneham. He added that now the challenge will be to stretch the manufacturing facility at Maraimallainagar and also the supplier capacity.

Source : sify.com