Ford plans to focus on the Indian car market and structure its “One Ford” platform strategy around the automobiles in India. The company will implement focused investment with the Indian market in mind and balance its portfolio with smaller cars which currently account for the 60 percent of the requirements globally. Thus, with global platforms and 70-80 percent common parts being used across all car models in the world, the company is looking forward to benefit from economies of scale.
According to Mr. Alan Mulally Ford Motor Co’s President and CEO, the vehicle sizes made by the company in India serve as surrogate for car models in other parts of the world and thus are at the center of the global market. Commenting about the future plans of the company, while most vehicles will be similar and based on a universal platform, the percentage of customization will be reduced to 20 percent to meet the requirements of customers in a particular market.
Mr. Mulally adds that a universal platform will enable the company to operate at economies of scale with the suppliers and offer vehicles at a more affordable price.