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This entry-level light car is exported from India to Europe and the UK as the Ka + and also to Mexico and South Africa as the Figo , but does not come to Australia .
The cars in these spy shots taken over the fence at the proving ground appear to be the Indian version of the Figo fivedoor hatchback and Figo Aspire fourdoor sedan .
A giveaway is the bob-tailed Aspire that is not sold in Brazil as the Ka or in Europe as the Ka +. Almost 260mm shorter than the five-door hatch and even shorter than the Ka sedan sold in Brazil , the Figo Aspire has been a dramatic flop .
The Figo development ‘ mules ’ in Australia appear to be a variety of specifications , with one undisguised hatch running on plain steel wheels and sporting basic black exterior mirrors ,
John Mellor ’ s
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PUBLISHER : John Mellor EDITOR : Terry Martin MANAGING EDITOR : Tim Nicholson JOURNALISTS : Daniel Gardner , Ron Hammerton , Tung Nguyen , Robbie Wallis , Ian Porter , Byron Mathioudakis , Daniel DeGasperi , Haitham Razagui PRODUCTION : Haitham Razagui , William Vicente EDITORIAL ASSISTANT : Justin Hilliard Produced by GoAutoMedia : Ph : ( 03 ) 9598 6477 newsroom @ goautomedia . net
SUBSCRIBE FREE : www . GoAutoMedia . com while an Aspire is seen with alloys and body-coloured mirrors .
The test cars are wired up with test equipment . In one of these shots , a wire can be seen running from the rear underside of a five-door hatch and into the cabin via a back door .
Coincidentally or not , Ford has had current-generation Fiesta test mules running around the You Yangs for what appears to be chassis testing for some time .
As we have previously speculated , these could be early development cars for a replacement Figo / Ka or perhaps a new budget light car for China to sit below the Australian-developed , Focusbased Escort .
Like the Escort in China , the original Australian-developed Figo was a huge success in India where its combination of cheap price and relatively sophisticated – by local standards – features and performance drove it to number one in its class and a 2011 Indian Car of the Year award .
Exports also took off , with about 50 countries in Africa , Asia and the Middle
East clamouring for stock .
The current Figo has failed to maintain these high levels of success over the 19 months since launch , partly because the new Figo is not seen as such a bargain and also because the Indian market has moved on significantly , with a greater number of direct competitors wrestling for market share .
As previously reported , Ford Motor Company president and CEO Mark Fields flew into Melbourne three days before Christmas last year to announce the funding increase for the Australianbased product development centre , from the previous $ 300 million a year to $ 450m from 2017 .
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