Ford Ikon- The ikonic story of the Josh Machine

Ford motors is a big name in the automobile industry and it has produced some really good cars for the Indian market. One of them is the Ford Ikon also called India’s Josh Machine. Ford Ikon was the sedan version of the Fiesta hatchback car. Ford Motors launched its Ikon at the end of the year 1999. It was specially designed for the Indian market. The Ikon car did well for some time at least. Further, Ford Motors produced it in two generations before its discontinuation in 2015. 

Read on to know the story of the glorious start and decline of Ford Ikon. 

Generation 1 Ford Ikon

Though Ford is one of the majors in the automobile manufacturing industry, its global cars were not doing very well in the Indian market. Ford motors then launched a sedan-type luxurious car in 1999 based on the globally sold fourth generation of Ford Fiesta. It had the same front-end designs as the fourth-gen Ford Fiesta. In India, Chennai was the production center of the Ikon car. 

Specifications of Gen 1 Ford Ikon

The iconic Ford Ikon was powered by a 1.3 liter 1299 cc single overhead camshaft (SOHC) petrol engine. Further, the engine produced a power of 70 hp and a peak torque of 100 Nm.  In addition to this, the 1.6-liter petrol variant in 2002 and the 1.8-liter diesel variant in 2003  were also launched. It gave a mileage of 10.3 kmpl.  

Moreover, it was available in nine variants. Apart from this, it competed against Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Honda All New City, Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid TSI, Ford Freestyle, Ford Aspire, and Maruti Suzuki Baleno.  

Further, Ikon featured power steering, 5- speed manual transmission, power windows, air conditioner, anti-theft alarm, child safety locks, central locking, power door locks, day and night rear-view mirror, and a lot more. In 1999, this car was one of the best 5-seater cars in India. 

The prices of the gen 1 of Ikon car started at 2.83 Lakhs. 

Also, Ford Motors sold its Ikon in the Chinese market as well in 2003. Moreover, the Ikon in China featured 4-speed automatic transmission gearbox,  ABS and EBD, CD player, electric mirror, remote central locking, and front airbags to suit the local needs of the Chinese market. 

But Ford’s did not introduce these features in India strictly to maintain low prices. 

Further, Ford motors made attempts to launch a seven-seater Sedan car in India which failed. 

Ford Ikon generation 2

The Ford Ikon car got a revamp in 2005 to meet the fast-changing technology in the automobile market. Ford launched the second generation  Ikon car v in India in 2005. Its design was inspired by the fifth generation of the Ford Fiesta. Further, it was a five-seater, four-cylinder car with both diesel and petrol variants. 

It underwent a facelift in 2008 with the introduction of a new engine from the Duratorq family. The engine was 1299 cc In-line type. The car was bolder and bigger this time. The major change was shunning the grille and semi-transparent rear lamps. The engine was of a 1.3-liter and 1.6-liter petrol unit and produced a power of 68 hp (51 kW) power and 160 Nm (120 lb-ft) of torque. Moreover, the car offered 5-speed manual transmission with a mileage of 14.20 kmpl according to ARAI. The fuel tank capacity was 35.0 L and 45.0 L in the Ikon variants.  

Along with this, it had CD/MP3 player, redesigned seat covers, rear spoiler, alloy wheels, remote-controlled central locking, a new instrument cluster with LCD odometer display, and internally adjustable door mirrors. Ford motors gave the exterior of the car a new look. It included redesigned headlamps, clear taillamps, new 15″ alloy wheels, and no moldings on the doors. Also, it offered a decent boot space of 400 liters (14 cu ft). 

The showroom prices of the Ford Ikon ranged between ₹ 4.69 Lakh- ₹ 7.93 Lakh.  

The downfall of the Josh Machine!

The Josh Machine failed to keep up with the fast-changing technology in the automobile industry. Yes, the Josh subsequently went down due to its static features. Ford motors introduced the facelift to Ford Ikon very late. Further, the modifications were not enough to bring the car back into the competition.

Further, the Fiesta Classic replaced the Ford Ikon in India. Fiesta Classic was the fifth generation of Ford Fiesta and with the launch of the sixth generation of Ford Fiesta, the sales of the Ford Ikon cars almost came to a halt. Hence, Ford discontinued its Ikon in 2011. But this was not the end of the Ikonic story of the car. But the Ikon model is still in use in the ‘used car’ market. The price of the ‘used’   Ikon models is approximately between Rs. 50,000-80,000. Yeah! So Josh is definitely not dead and the legacy of Ford lives on!

Also Read: CAR MAINTENANCE TIPS FOR FORD CARS on AutoFlipz Blog page.