Ford India opens 45 Sales and Service outlets at 35 locations in one day

Ford India has inaugurated 45 new sales and service outlets in 35 locations across the country, an unprecedented achievement which further extends Ford's footprint of world-class products and services in one of the world's fastest growing auto markets. Michael Boneham, president & managing director, Ford India inaugurated a brand new 3S and Service facility at MPL Ford in Chennai, Tamil Nadu with S. Ravindranathan, Dealer Principal, MPL Ford. With the new openings, Ford India has strengthened its pan-India network to 230 sales and service outlets in over 123 cities.

“Ford has started 2012 with a new promise and is committed to going further to enrich the lives of customers across India. Adding to our commitment of bringing eight new products to India by mid-decade, we are focused on augmenting the customer experience with our world class service initiatives," said Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India.

"The path-breaking event being celebrated across multiple dealerships in India today signifies that focus and is aimed to inspire those willing and waiting to join the Ford family.” added Boneham.

With over 40 per cent percent of the sales and service network in tier II and III cities, the pan-India expansion will enable customers to enjoy world-class products and services from Ford along with best-in-class cost-of-ownership experience.

Of the new sales and service outlets inaugurated across India, 20 will offer full 3S (Showroom, Sales and Service) facilities, while 14 will be service workshops, providing a full line of after sales services and 11 standalone sales showrooms.

The sales and service network expansion follows the global preview of the all-new EcoSport during Delhi Auto Expo 2012 and reinforces Ford’s commitment to go further in 2012. With its aggressive focus on creating an unparalleled ownership experience, Ford has introduced a new sales and service centre every ten days, to meet the growing demand of consumers since 2010.

“From sales and service expansion to localization to affordable spares and child parts strategy, Ford has truly redefined what consumers want and desire – offering peace of mind and convenience. Today Ford dealerships are located across the length and breadth of India and offer world class after sales service plans at a competitive cost. As we broaden our portfolio, we are committed to growing closer to customers through our sales and service network to create delightful experiences” said Michael Boneham, president & managing director, Ford India

New facilities have opened in New Delhi, Noida, Rohtak, Sonepat, Panipat, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Alwar, Bikaner in the North; Rourkela, Agartala, Kolkata in the East; Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Gulbarga, Hyderabad, Belgaum, Thanjavur, Tirupur in the South; and Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Goa, Jabalpur, Indore, Sagar, Solapur, Bhillai, Jamnagar in the Western region.

The newly-inaugurated showrooms are new Brand@Retail* dealerships built according to Ford's global standard to improve the ownership experience and ensure a long-term association with the Ford brand.

With Roadside Assistance reaching 80% of our customer base and effective Scheduled Service Plans, the new sales and service outlets offer Ford spares, accessories, insurance and extended warranty.

Initiatives such as Quick Service, a unique vehicle servicing process that allows routine service to be performed in less than 90 minutes is available across 90 dealerships, will go further in enhancing the ownership experience and adding a fleet of more than 10 Mobile Service vans across India to help customers reduce their travel time for routine services and minor repairs, Ford has a laser sharp focus to strengthen the cost of ownership experience.

The aggressive sales and service network expansion has been in line to support Ford’s global plan of increasing worldwide sales by nearly 50 percent by mid-decade to 8 million vehicles a year. Of that figure, 60 to 70 percent is expected to come from the Asia Pacific and Africa region.

Given India’s importance to the Asia Pacific and Africa region, Ford recently broke ground in Sanand, Gujarat as part of an investment of approximately USD 1 billion to build new vehicle manufacturing and engine plants. Earlier, Ford announced an investment of USD 72 million to expand its already operating powertrain facility in Chennai. The company will further invest $142 million in Chennai to support the manufacturing launch of EcoSport, thereby bringing its total investment in India to over USD 2 billion.