Ford eyes 50% SUV share via Endeavour

With the launch of the sports utility vehicle (SUV) Endeavour, Ford India targets to capture more than a 50 per cent share of the sports segment and a 25 per cent growth in the next financial year.

"The SUV segment is one of the emerging segments and we have already delivered more than 179 Endevaours since December 2003," said Santosh Nair, general manager, marketing and product planning, Ford India.

"The car is priced at Rs 12.5 lakh, the lowest among the imported vehicles in the SUV segment, because it is manufactured locally at the company's manufacturing facility at Maraimalani Nagar near Chennai.

Since it has a large supplier support programme, the company sources over 90 per cent of its product contents locally, which helps in delivering international cars at competitive cost," said Nair.

The Endeavour has an authentic SUV styling, with its tough, powerful and rugged appeal.

The vehicle dimension includes a length of 4,985 mm, a width of 1,805 mm and a height of 1,835 mm, and demonstrates a towering image.

Endeavour was launched in October 2003 in India, and has recently won the 'BBC Wheels Award' for the best SUV in the above Rs 10 lakh category.

The vehicle is powered by a 2.5 litre turbocharged and inter-cooled diesel engine.

The Endeavour offers best in class ride and handling performance in varied driving conditions, such as high altitude, high temperature, and dusty off-road conditions.

"Since the SUV segment is still emerging in India, over 90 per cent of Ford's revenue is generated by its mid-size segment vehicle Ikon," said Nair.

The company has clearly established its leadership in the mid-size car segment by selling over one lakh units of its Ford Ikon, which includes the portfolio of models Ikon NXT 1.3 CLXi, 1.6 Zxi, 1.8 D Zxi, Finesse, Sxi and Flair.

The Ikon won the J D Power Apeal Award for 2003 and BBC Wheels awarded the Ford Ikon 1.6 NXT SXi, the best car in the Rs five-eight lakh category.Earlier, Ford had made a foray into the D-segment with the launch of the internationally acclaimed Ford Mondeo.