Ford has kicked off production of the Figo Aspire at the all-new Sanand Vehicle Assembly and Engine Plant in India following a $1billion investment. The new facility doubles Ford’s annual installed capacity in India to 610,000 engines and 440,000 vehicles.
Since work started in September 2011, Ford has invested over $1 billion in the two facilities in Sanand, which include stamping, body, paint and assembly operations for vehicle manufacturing, as well as machining and assembly operations for engine manufacturing.
The vehicle manufacturing plant in Sanand will have an initial annual capacity of 240,000 units, while the engine plant will produce at first 270,000 engines a year. The new plant has approximately 2,500 employees, which will work in a single shift at the beginning. Ford says the plant also will generate employment of more than 7,500 people across tier I suppliers and the rest of the value chain.
The first vehicle built at the new plant is the Ford Figo Aspire sub-four-meter four-door sedan, which will go on sale in India later this year. Ford will also export variants of the Figo Aspire, which will be known as the Ka on other markets.
In India, the new model is offered with a choice of two engines, a 1.5-liter TDCi diesel a 1.2-liter TiVCT petrol engine.
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