Report - Ford targets 9 platform range by 2016

Plans to further reduce global platforms to just 8.

Ford's new CEO, Mr. Mark Fields, told Just Auto at the Paris Motor Show that the company aims to reduce the number of global platforms from the current fifteen to nine by the end of 2015. The executive said that he expects 99 percent of sales to come from the nine platforms by 2016, though the long term plan is to reduce that number to just eight.

According to Fields, the move to reduce the number of platforms is a long term strategy for cost reduction at Ford. In 2007, the company had 27 product platforms which it reduced to 15 over the course of seven years. The reduction of platforms was one of the key drivers for the company's turnaround. In 2006, Ford posted a loss of 12.7 billion US dollars, however last year, the Michigan-based company had numbers in green at 7.2 billion dollars.

Also read: Ford Figo and Classic successors to have 'Figo' in their names

Next year, Ford will launch three new cars in the Indian market. The Figo, Classic and Endeavour will be replaced with their successors next year. The new Figo hatchback and sub-4 meter sedan will roll out from the company's new Sanand facility, while the new Endeavour will be assembled from CKD kits at the Chennai plant.

[Source - Just Auto]