Carmakers in India are busy equipping their offerings with safety features, and the latest to join the bandwagon is Ford. The US auto major has updated the mid-level trim variants, Trend, of its hatchback Figo, and the Aspire sedan with anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) in India.
The Trend variants of the Figo and Aspire already come with dual airbags. With the rollout of safety features such as ABS and EBD on the mid-level trim of Figo and Aspire, the lower-end trim Ambiente becomes the only variant to miss these features. However, Ambiente offers dual airbag as standard. The Figo and the Aspire are sold in three engine options — 1.2-litre petrol, 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel. The 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol motor develops 87bhp and 112Nm of torque, while the 1.5-litre petrol engine generates 112bhp and 136Nm of torque. The 1.5-litre diesel mill can churn out 99bhp and 215Nm of torque.
The government of India is expected to make safety features such as airbags and ABS mandatory for all cars in the coming years. Recently, Volkswagen equipped its Polo and the Vento with ABS as standard across all trims. Volkswagen is the second carmaker in India to offer airbags and ABS as standard across all variants after Toyota. Japanese carmaker Honda also updated its Jazz hatchback in India with airbags as standard across all trims. The addition of the new safety feature has also resulted in an increase in prices of the Jazz, which now comes with a price tag starting at Rs 5.81 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
