Ford B500 (Honda City-rival) sedan cancelled - Report

Company to focus on pushing more volumes of current products.

ET Auto reports that Ford India has shelved the development of the Ford B500 platform, which was reported to underpin a mid-size sedan that would rival the Honda City, Maruti Ciaz and VW Vento.

The B500 was to be the first project from Ford India's R&D division, which was expected to come into light in 2018. With the discontinuation of the Ford Fiesta sedan, the American manufacturer doesn't have a player in the popular mid-size sedan segment in India. The B500 was expected to replace the Ford Fiesta and be priced competitively.

With Ford shelving its development, the company will now focus on pushing more volumes of its product lineup with attractive schemes and after sales initiatives. The Ford EcoSport has been a major contributor to Ford's market share, although it appears to be losing customers to the popular Maruti Vitara Brezza. Furthermore, the Ford Figo and Aspire duo haven't managed to capture the market by storm either.

Also Read: 2017 Ford EcoSport (facelift) spied up-close [Update]

Ford's most recent product launch was the highly anticipated Ford Mustang. Priced from INR 65 Lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi), it's one of the least expensive 2-door sports cars in the Indian market. Reports suggest that the first lot of Ford Mustangs allocated to the Indian market have already been spoken for.

While Ford has confirmed the next-generation Fiesta for global markets, it remains to be seen if the nameplate makes a comeback in India.

[Source: ET Auto]