With fuel costs rising, more and more manufacturers in India are in the process of offering dual fuel options with their existing range of cars. Today, Ford Aspire CNG variant was launched. It is offered in two trims of Ambiente and Trend Plus. Prices are Rs 6.27 lakh and Rs 7.12 lakh, ex-sh respectively. When compared with petrol Aspire Ambiente and Trend Plus, prices are higher by up to Rs 42k.
Vinay Raina, executive director – Marketing, Sales & Service, at Ford India, said, “The New Aspire CNG is yet another fuel-efficient, and eco-friendly alternative for our value-conscious customers. With maintenance cost as low as just 46 paise per km, the New Aspire CNG will offer great peace of mind to customers, without compromising on performance, safety or space.”
This move is aimed at attracting buyers from the taxi segment. There is a huge increase in buyers from the taxi segment, especially for use in app based ride hailing services like Uber and Ola. Even the marketing posters are created with the intent of pitching the cars to buyers in this segment (poster below). The car is manufactured at Ford India’s plant in Sanand, Gujarat.
Speaking about the car, Ford says, “Ensuring complete peace of mind, the CNG-powered compact sedan will offer the lowest cost of ownership and come equipped with a standard two-year or 100,000km standard warranty. With long scheduled service interval of one-year/10,000km, owners will be required to get their CNG kits services once every two-years or 20,000 KM.”
The New Aspire CNG uses the latest sequential technology to ensure owners don’t compromise on best-in-class power & performance. The CNG kit in the New Aspire CNG will be integrated with the engine control unit (ECU) to ensure optimized gas flow in each cylinder. Special engineering elements such as front stabilizer bar have been added to accommodate extra CNG cylinder weight and ensure the best handling and ride comfort.
It is powered by a 1.2 liter petrol engine, which delivers 95 hp and 120 Nm, making it one of the most powerful CNG car in the segment. It is mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. Ford did not reveal the mileage figure in the media release, but they did claim to offer 2-Year/100,000 KM warranty and 46 paise/KM maintenance cost.
Features on offer are dual airbags, ABS, EBD, remote center locking, speed sensor door lock, manual AC, 12V port, tilt adjust steering, rear parking sensors, manual anti-glare IRVM, fabric seats, Adjustable Head-rests, front power windows, Internally Adjustable ORVM, black ORVMs, Body-Coloured Bumpers, Follow me home headlamps. Music system is not on offer.
