Ford India today opened 28 new authorised Ford dealer facilities in 24 cities, improving market availability and service facilities for its full line of vehicles, including the all-new Ford Figo.
The new retail stores bring Ford's dealership total to 164 facilities located in 97 cities across India. In the past two years, the number of cities with Ford outlet has jumped more than 30%.
Of the 28 new outlets, 14 offer full 3S (showroom, sales and service) facilities, while seven of the new facilities are service workshops, providing a full line of mechanical services. The remaining new outlets are sales showrooms, where visitors will find a full line-up of Ford vehicles, Timothy Tucker, vice-president, sales Ford India told mediapersons in Hyderabad today.
As part of the company's intensified business development efforts supporting the launch of the new Figo, Ford has set out on an aggressive growth strategy, particularly in tier II and tier III cities, Tucker added.
"Growing our dealership base, building strong business fundamentals and getting closer to our customers are areas of high priority as we gear up to launch our new Figo and enter this high volume segment in 2010" Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India said in a release.
"Tier II and III cities are significant for Ford. We have opened new facilities in 13 tier III cities today, and more than 40% of Ford services outlets are now located in secondary markets' added Boneham.
Boneham said placing dealerships in close proximity to city centres - where they are conveniently located for customers - has been a core focus area for Ford as the company continues to broaden its product portfolio. "As we expand, we are making sure that our low cost of ownership message is heard by people making buying decisions" he added.
All the newly inaugurated showrooms are 'Brand@Retail2' dealerships built according to Ford's global standard to improve the ownership experience and ensure a long-term association with the Ford brand.
New facilities have opened in New Delhi, Sangrur, Haldwani and Gwalior in the North: Durgapur, Dhanbad and Guwahati in the East: Hyderabad, Chennai, Warangal,Vellore, Salem, Vijayawada and Malappuram in the South and Bilaspur and Mehsana in the Western region.
New showrooms and workshops also are now located in Jaipur, Thane, Ahmednagar, Pune, Vapi, Ahmedabad and Cochin, Tuckker said.
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