Ford’s Potential India Revival Isn’t Happening After All

Remember when Ford gave small hopes for a re-run in India when the government approved the company's proposal under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme? Well those hopes have come crashing down, as the carmaker has sadly dropped those plans for India.

Ford’s proposal was for exploring the possibility of using one of its plants in India (the company has two, one each in Sanand, Gujarat and Maraimalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu) as an export base for EV manufacturing, as part of its Indian business restructuring plan. 

Now, in a statement, a spokesperson for Ford India said, “After careful review, we have decided to no longer pursue EV manufacturing for exports from any of the Indian plants. We remain grateful to the Government for approving our proposal under the Production-Linked Incentives and for being supportive while we continued our exploration.” 

"Further, the spokesperson said, “Ford India’s previously announced business restructuring continues as planned, including exploring other alternatives for our manufacturing facilities. We continue to work closely with unions and other stakeholders to deliver an equitable and balanced plan to mitigate the impacts of restructuring.”

Back in September 2021, Ford announced that they will be pulling the plug on manufacturing and sales of its Indian models. That being said, the carmaker will continue to offer full customer support operations for their vehicles with service, aftermarket parts and warranty coverage.

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As things stands, Ford’s future in India is yet to be clear, but they did confirm that they will focus on selling imported marquee models in the country like the iconic Mustang. One of which will also be the Mustang Mach-E SUV which is slated to begin Ford’s electric innings in India later this year. Being a direct import (CBU), it could cost anywhere between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 90 lakh, depending on the variant we get here.