Ford Fiesta ClassiSedanFord India has just pulled the wraps of the Ford Fiesta Low Price variant at the sprawling lawns of the Taj Connemara, Chennai. Called the Ford Fiesta Classic,the hugely popular Fiesta Sedan which has found 1,00,000 happy homes in India, now sits repositioned as a low price variant priced to take on the likes of the market leader Maruti Suzuki, DZire, the Tata Manza and the brisk selling Toyota Etios Sedan.
The repositioning comes on the back of Ford India’s strategy of launching the all new 2011 Fiesta Sedan, which is due to debut in India on the 14th of April, 2011. Due to the new Fiesta arriving, the older one gets a minor spruce up in the interiors and a price cut to continue selling in the Indian market as an entry level sedan.
The 2011 Ford Fiesta Classic will continue to feature it’s two engines, the 1.6 liter-100 Bhp Duratec petrol and the 1.4 liter-68 Bhp TDCI Duratorq Diesel. So the engines remain unchanged and this is a good thing as both engines are highly capable with the petrol one being very responsive and frisky while the diesel is ultra drivable and highly frugal.
2011 Ford Fiesta Classic Sedan
In essence, the Ford Fiesta Classic Sedan is the car that will be aimed at folks who want a solidly built car that is a lot of fun to drive than other sedans in it’s class. The icing on the cake being the fact that the Fiesta Classic, while actually being one segment higher than the Dzires and Manzas, will now compete a segment lower at the reduced price point. Sound like a real bargain, doesn’t it?
The hell it does as the Fiesta Classic now has refreshed interiors that feel a lot fresher. You get new seats and soft-feel upholstery while the instrument panel is finished in Ebony and Jasper Blue colours. The door trim is new and so are the new center console and floor console which now have metallic finishes.
The visual difference on the exterior is limited to the Classic moniker on the boot and this is a good thing as we were a bit flummoxed by news like black door handles and the works. All in all, the 2011 Fiesta Classic looks reasonably smart and natty to last for a couple of more summers before age will finally catch up with it like it did with the Ford Ikon. Until then, plenty of more Fiesta Classic owners will love this solidly built car that still is one of the best handling mid segment sedans in India.
2011 Ford Fiesta Classic Sedan
The 2011 Ford Fiesta Classic is available is two variants each, with petrol and diesel engine options. The LXI Petrol will sell for INR 5,49,030 while the CLXI Petrol will sell for INR 5,99,000. The LXI Diesel will sell for INR 6,48,000 while the CLXI Diesel will sell for INR 6,89,000, all prices being that of ex-showroom New Delhi.
Ford has also added a new color, the Colorado Red to the Fiesta Classic line up. Going by how the Ikon looked in that shade, the Fiesta too will look quite stunning. All said, we’re a little surprised about Ford continuing the petrol engined Fiesta in the form of the Fiesta Classic.
This could mean two things, that the Ford Figo 1.6 isn’t on the horizon any time too soon as it simply doesn’t make sense for Ford to launch a Figo Sedan at a price close to the Fiesta 1.6 Petrol as a customer will most likely prefer the additional boot for say INR 50-60,000 rupees more.
Also, now that Ford India is continuing to sell the Fiesta Classic with the 100 Bhp petrol motor at under INR 6 Lakhs, the price of the all new 2011 Fiesta Sedan scheduled to be launched next week will be at least a Lakh and a half costlier so that the two Fiestas don’t compete for the same buyer. Meanwhile, we’ll bring you another launch report with images and lots of other juicy stuff later in the day. Stick around.
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