Ford Figo Aspire

The Ford Figo Concept is Ford’s new global concept that was unveiled just before Delhi Auto Expo 2014. The car has already been spotted testing in full production guise in India and will be the first car to roll out of the American automaker’s Gujarat plant. It is expected to be followed by the Figo hatchback a few months later.

Exterior

The Figo sedan is a new design for the automaker and it will be their first venture into the segment. It is less than four metres in length but looks proportionate. The Figo Concept aligns itself with Ford’s “One Ford” philosophy, which means it now looks a lot like the new Mondeo and Taurus.

It gets a bold new grille and the angular headlamps complement the design nicely. The silhouette is pretty much the same as most of the other compact sedans, but the rear is slightly disappointing and looks a bit unfinished. However, like Honda’s Amaze, has been designed to be a complete car rather than a boot-on-hatch design.

Unlike most other cars from the segment, it doesn’t put the rear number plate on the bootlid, instead it opts for a low mount on the bumper. This leaves the rear with a look that is a little too vertical despite the horizontal creases that try to alleviate the visual height.

Interior

The interior of the Figo sedan mimics that of the EcoSport and the Fiesta in terms of both layout and overall design. The quality of the materials used as well as the feature list is just as good as the other Ford models. Equipment on the top-spec diesel and petrol variants is expected to include AC, SYNC music system, auto-folding OVRMs, reversing sensors with camera, rain sensing wipers and auto dimming internal mirror.

Engine and gearbox

The Figo sedan will be offered with one petrol and diesel engine. The former is the 1.2-litre four-cylinder mill currently producing 68bhp/102Nm. In the new car, we believe that it will produce around 75bhp and 102Nm. The diesel will be the 1.5-litre four-cylinder mill from the Fiesta which produces 89bhp and 204Nm. Gearbox options are expected to include a five-speed manual as well as the six-speed dual clutch gearbox for the petrol engine.

Price and competition

Unlike the current Figo, it is a compact sedan which means it will compete with the likes of the Honda Amaze, Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent and the Tata Zest. It is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh for the top-spec diesel model.