"From April next year, there will be a lot of opportunities with the QRs being lifted. Today, we are thinking of a market in the Rs 7 lakh to Rs 9 lakh price bracket. But we know that it would not be a volume game. We are yet to finalise the vehicle and cannot give more details on the same," Ford India vice-president (sales and marketing ) John Fink added.

Ford, which expects to be cash flow neutral in the country in 2000 with sales of over 20,000 units, is in the process of identifying the model in the Rs 7 to Rs 9 lakh price segment.The company will also start exporting completely-knocked down kits (CKDs) of the Ikon from October this year."We are at present testing waters of Ikon in various countries and would start exports in the fourth-quarter of this year," John Fink told The Financial Express.

The company feels that the small-car segment and sports utility vehicle (SUV) are great opportunities and "would introduce the vehicles when the time is right", he said. Regarding the company's plans to introduce a small car in the domestic market, Fink added that the company had already finalised a study in this regard.

"Ford is committed to be a volume player in India and will introduce a small car at the right time," he said.When asked about an engine facility, Fink said that "it requires a huge investment and would be set up only when we get significant volumes in the country."Ford India has targets to sell over 21,000 units in India in 2000-2001. "We have already sold 11,109 units of Ikon in the January-July and are confident of attaining the target fixed for this year," he said. Riding on this surge in demand, Ford India expects to become cash flow neutral in the 2000 calendar year and record profits in the near future. The company has so far invested Rs 1,700 crore for setting up a manufacturing facility near Chennai.

In a bid to meet the growing demand for Ikon, the company is planning to expand its dealership network from 44 dealerships to 66 by the end of this year. Ikon 1.6 (petrol) accounts for 53 per cent of the company's total sales,while the 1.3 (petrol) accounts for 24 per cent and 1.8 diesel for 23 per cent.

GM still keen on acquiring Daewoo
Rayong, Thailand, Aug 3: General Motors Corp said on Thursday that it has not given up hope of buying South Korea's debt-burdened Daewoo Motor and was ready to step back into the race if arch-rival Ford Motor Co failed to strike a deal.At a news conference in Thailand to mark the official opening of a new plant, GM chairman Jack Smith said that the company would be prepared to resume talks on buying Daewoo Motor.

Asked if GM was still strongly pursuing Daewoo Motor, Smith said, "For the moment, the government is working with Ford. We have said we stand ready should something not work there." GM, with long ties to Daewoo, had been considered as the most likely partner by many in the industry. GM Asia-Pacific president Rudolph Schlais told the news conference that GM did not feel threatened by a Ford-Daewoo alliance. He said that GM's existing alliances with Isuzu Motors Ltd,Suzuki Motor Corp and Fuji Heavy Industries, maker of Subaru cars, had given it a strong business presence in Asia.