Ford India has started the dispatch of the Fiesta facelift to various dealerships. A white model of the car was spotted at the Kairali Ford dealership, located in Kochi in Kerala. The old Fiesta was phased out a few months ago and as the new model has started arriving at dealerships, we can say that the launch is just around the corner.
The Ford Fiesta facelift made its Indian debut at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo and is expected to be launched by mid-June.Based on the European-spec model, the new Fiesta continues to use the current car’s platform with quite a few cosmetic changes.The car’s front fascia features a large, chrome garnished Aston Martin-esque grille, a redesigned bonnet and angular headlamps. The rear houses a redesigned tail lamp cluster,a new bootlidand a bumper with chrome inserts and claddings. The interiors of the car have also been revamped for a more premium feel. It gets a new piano black centre console, a redesigned steering wheel and a high-gloss finish for the instrument panel.
It was revealed during the car’s unveiling at the Auto Expo that the Fiesta facelift will initially be offered only with a diesel mill. The 1.5-litre TDCidiesel unit churns out 89bhp and 204Nm, powering the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. A few months after its launch, Ford might introduce petrol variants powered by the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine. But the turbocharged engine is quite expensive to manufacture and might be offered only in the higher-spec variants.
Though the Fiesta is one of the best-looking cars in the segment, the car never made a mark in India because of its high price tag. For the facelift to succeed, Ford might have to adopt a better marketing and pricing strategy, just like it did with the EcoSport. The Fiesta facelift will rival other C Segment sedans like the Volkswagen Vento, Renault Scala, Fiat Linea, Maruti SX4, Honda City and Nissan Sunny.
