|  Friedman
on Fusion
There is
a lot riding on the Fusion for Ford India and who better to understand
the whys and the hows behind the car than its manager director. Adil Jal
Darukhanawala caught up with David Friedman for an exclusive one-on-one
in Chennai.
AJD:
When did the Fusion project begin?
DF: Probably a couple of years ago we started working on it. It’s
a large project for us because making the vehicle in the assembly plant
here plus getting the local content levels high was a challenge. We also
had a new engine and gearbox coming out of Hindustan Motors. So all of
that work has been going on for the last couple of years.
AID:
Was there need for a new engine when you already had the 1.6 Rocam?
DF: Yes, I think, it's interesting that the 1.6 we have today, the Rocam,
is a different sort of engine from the Sigma engine. But the Sigma has certain
advantages. The Rocam engine’s extremely strong on low end torque
and the feeling of performance that you get is ideal for the 'josh' machine.
The Sigma engine is an all-aluminium engine. You know the Fusion a larger
vehicle and as a result is heavier. So we thought that bringing the lighter
weight aluminium powerplant was going to be helpful. In addition that engine
has some wider applications in terms of being used in other Ford vehicles.
If you look at the fact that we have talked about bringing new models in
the future, so there’s potential synergies with bringing in a second
engine. AJD:
Considering that this will be the third product in the present range,
will all the three be made on the same assembly line?
DF: The Endeavour, because of its size, part of the Endeavour
is on a special spur and then it needs to come off main line. However
the Fusion and Ikon can be entirely made on the main assembly line here
at our plant. As you can see we had the plant designed to accept the flexibility
right from the beginning in 1996, be it large or small vehicles, low runs
or high volumes.
AID:
What is made in-house for the Fusion?
DF: I don't have the exact numbers here but at start-up
we will have 70 per cent local content. I think it would be important
to highlight the capability of our suppliers which we have had in the
Ikon project. They have helped make this possible and with even more technology
crammed into the Fusion we are already up there with a high content.
 AID:
How has Ford evolved within itself over these last 5-6 years?
DF: We have matured as a company on several different
fronts. Today we have our fourth product line and fifth vehicle for India
from the Escort. With the Escort we had to assemble it and also start
an organization simultaneously. Then with the Ikon we had to make the
vehicle ourselves, develop our own supply base. If you look at the maturity
where we are now – a multiple product line, factory running on two
shifts, an excellent mature supply base but one which is now able to bid
for overseas orders within Ford. And then we also have this recent enhancement
of our distribution network, we can confidently say that we have matured
and evolved quite well since inception in India.
| Ford
Fusion |
Engine
Type: 4-cylinder, in-line, petrol
Valve Layout: DOHC, 16 valves
Displacement: 1596cc
Bore x Stroke: 79 x89.4mm
Comp Ratio: 9.75:1
Max Power: 100PS@6500rpm
Max Torque: 146Nm@4000rpm
Max Engine Speed: 6800rpm
Transmission: 5-speed synchromesh
Body/Frame: Self supporting monocoque structure
Brakes: 4 wheel hydraulic brake system with ABS optional
F Brake: 218mm ventilated disc
R Brake: 203mm drum
|
Wheels:
6J x 15
Tyres: 195/60 R15 Goodyear
Steering: Hydraulic power assist rack & pinion
Turning circle: 10.61m diameter
F Suspension: Independent McPherson
R Suspension: Semi-independent with independent springs
and shock absorbers
Kerb weight: 1134kg
GVW: 1605kg
Wheelbase: 2486mm
Track (F/R): 1484/1444mm
Length: 4018mm
Width: 1720mm
Heigh: 1529mm |
|
September 2004