In top gear

Mumbai, July 6: Ford India will launch a premium car in India by the end of this calendar year under a strategy revamp to be steered by its new chief, Aravind Mathew.

Mathew takes over from David Friedman, who led the company since September 2001, some time next month. Friedman is taking up a new executive position at the parent?s ? Ford Motor Company ? Asia-Pacific region.

The car will be first launched in India with exceptional styling and a high level of local-content, officials said.

The model was designed and developed for the Indian market, though it would be sold in other parts of the world too.

Mathew said Ford Motor?s international product development team was behind the design. The car, which will roll off the assembly line at the company?s Chennai plant, will help rev up Ford India sales.

?With a robust foundation of exciting models, a strong distribution network, world-class suppliers and a base of over 1,00,000 customers, we are set to capture our fair share of the growth unfolding in India,? Mathew said.

The 45-year-old Mathew was the vice-president overseeing manufacturing and supply at Ford India. He was instrumental in development of new vehicle and played a lead role in building a robust supplier base for localisation programmes in India. He also boosted exports from the country.

Mathew has held a range of positions in engineering, product planning and new product implementation in North America, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the UK. He has worked on Mazda vehicle programmes too.

He will steer the company?s growth at a time when Ford nears a decade of business in India.

Peter Daniel, vice-president and chief operating officer of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, said: ?Ford is accelerating its growth throughout Asia, and with the rollout of the new model later this year in India, we will be building a stronger presence for Ford here?.