Ford India and Mahindra & Mahindra have officially parted their ways and have put an end to all their planned collaborations. Both the brands will not work on any joint projects. The development comes after both the manufacturers planned to create a new joint venture and develop new products for the Indian market and other emerging markets like India.
Both the companies have held the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the main reasons for the fallout. Ford has even dropped the plan to source engines and powertrains from Mahindra for its products in India. Ford was planning to power the replacement of the EcoSport codenamed as BX744 and the Hyundai Creta-challenger BX772 with Mahindra powertrains. However, that plan has now come to an end as per the CNB report.
On 31st December 2020, Ford and Mahindra jointly released a statement saying that they will not proceed with the proposed joint venture. According to the deal, Ford and Mahindra would have co-developed several products that include three all-new utility vehicles under the Ford banner starting with a mid-size SUV to take on the likes of Hyundai Creta. Both the manufacturers planned the products on a common platform and powertrain shared by them. Mahindra’s platform-based C-Segment SUV, Ford’s platform-based B-segment SUV and an all-new MPV were planned.
Ford spokesperson said to CarAndBike,
“We announced on Dec 31, 2020, that Ford and Mahindra had jointly decided not to proceed with the proposed JV. As part of winding down our relationship, a number of cooperative product programs will no longer proceed. We are currently re-scoping those product programs.”
However, Mahindra did not reply to the emails sent to them for comments on the same.
Ford to bring new products
Ford will continue to operate independently in India in future too. The American automobile giant is now planning to bring in a slew of all-new products to revamp its model line-up in India. Ford is also planning to bring in a new engine and transmission options to the Indian market. However, with the new development, Ford may have to delay the launch of their all-new products, which was earlier expected to be launched by the end of the 2022 financial year.
While Ford is yet to make an official announcement on its upcoming products, several reports suggest that the brand is planning something big. The vehicles that are expected to arrive in Ford India’s showrooms include the Ford Focus, Ford Focus ST, Ford Ranger Raptor, all-new Ford Figo and all-new Ford EcoSport.
Ford will take advantage of the no homologation rule on the Completely Built Units (CBU) imported to sell in India. The government allows any manufacturer to sell less than 2,500 units of a model every year without homologation. With the imported products in the model line-up, Ford is likely to build specific mass-segment products for the Indian markets in the coming years.