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its premium hatchback Focus in the country. These will be part of at least six new cars that the company
plans to bring to India by 2015 besides the compact SUV EcoSport that will be launched early next year.
“We are capable and willing to make and sell cars smaller and cheaper than the Figo,” said Joe Hinrichs,
president, Asia Pacific and Africa, Ford Motor Corporation. “Figo was not part of our global portfolio and
we built it from scratch for India and other emerging markets. Its success has given us confidence and
now I think we know what Indian consumers want.”
Ford India sold 92,748 units in 2011-12 that gave it a share of around 3.2% in the domestic market. Figo
accounted for over 75% of the company’s total sales. The firm believes its future products that will be
concentrated on the voluminous small car segment, would help increase that share. It also said it may
bring in premium hatchback Focus that has long been rumored to be on its way to India.
“Personally, I think a car like Focus makes perfect sense in India,” he said. “The mindset of Indian
consumers is that they wish to own a sedan as a mark of luxury. But that is witnessing a gradual change.
People also want a more powerful but feature-rich hatchback that is more practical for city driving.”
Ford showcased a pre-production version of the compact SUV EcoSport at the Beijing Auto Show.
The vehicle is expected to go on sale in Brazil later this year and almost simultaneously in India and
China early next year. While it will be offered only in a petrol engine in China, it will have a diesel version
in India as well. “Considering the high demand for diesel cars in India, we will offer a diesel engine on
the SUV besides the 1-litre eco-boost petrol engine,” he said.
Ford is targeting a 50% increase in global sales to around 8 million units by 2015 and is banking on China
and India to play bigger roles in it. Already overall sales from the Asia Pacific region have grown from 12
million per year in 2000 to 31 million a year last year.
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Anthelio, US-based firm, eyes Indian healthcare market
Anthelio, the US-headquartered IT solutions and business process services company for the healthcare
industry, plans to enter the Indian market next year and is already in talks with a few hospitals.
The firm, which has its facility in Hyderabad, is currently engaged in research to figure out the best
solutions for healthcare providers in India. "It may take six to eight months for us to figure out the best
solutions. We are expecting something for the Indian market in 2013," Vish Sivaswamy, head, Global
Practices, Anthelio Business Technologies, told IANS.
The company is already in talks with a few hospitals, including a 1,000-bed hospital. They want
economically good solutions. We have to find out what they are, he said.
Anthelio, which is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has over 2,000 employees in the US and in India,
is also looking at the European market. It recognizes the fact that the requirements for both Indian and
European markets are different from the US market, which it is currently serving.
Sivaswamy points out that the use of IT in the Indian healthcare sector is limited as the country is
focusing more on reaching medical technology to people. A good electronic health record system in the
US will cost anywhere between $10 million and $30 million. In India, you can build 10 hospitals with that
money, he said.