FORD’s passenger car lineup has benefitted from a bumper 2016 in Saudi Arabia, seeing a tremendous boost in the sales of its compact Ford Figo models, with the number of units sold increasing nearly five-fold in the Kingdom.
New regulations set out by the Saudi Standards, Quality and Metrology Organization (SASO) regarding corporate averag
e fuel economy (CAFE) hope to improve fuel economy in small vehicles by four percent – to around 19 kilometers per liter, making smaller cars more desirable. It’s also estimated that around 12 million vehicles are on Saudi roads on any given day – of that, according to experts*, light vehicles account for approximately 82 percent.
And Figo’s sophisticated 1.5-litre petrol engine offers excellent fuel economy, matched with the small car’s smart technology and capability, making it an ideal choice for customers in Saudi Arabia looking for a capable, nimble compact sedan with impressive levels of sophistication and safety. The sub-four-meter sedan has been in demand by car rental and leasing agencies in the Kingdom, thanks to its class leading features with sales growing by nearly 480 percent – a growth that contributed to the nameplate’s overall Middle East sales to almost double.
Saudi Arabia continues to be Ford’s biggest market in the Middle East, with over 60 percent of Ford passenger vehicles – Figo, Focus, Fusion, Mustang, and Taurus – sold in the Kingdom.
The new Figo proves that you don’t need to sacrifice quality, design or functionality to have an affordable, powerful compact car. It is the ideal urban mobility vehicle from Ford, built to high global standards, offering more quality and advanced technologies than one would expect for the money.
The Figo offers new levels of sophistication, smart technology and safety in a compact saloon. The Figo is the first compact saloon with standard driver and passenger airbags to help protect occupants in collisions and with two airbags available for even greater protection.
True to Ford’s commitment to delivering a fun-to-drive experience, the Figo has been designed and engineered to offer precise, agile and responsive steering, and stable, predictable handling. For the ultimate combination of performance and fuel economy, the Figo is also available with a refined and sophisticated 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol engine, offering an impressive 112 PS of power and 136 Nm of torque at 4,250 rpm.
Figo is part of the world-class Ford sedans family which is also available at Al Jazirah Vehicles Agencies Co, the Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer in Saudi Arabia.
The lineup features various models suiting almost every walk of life, such as the sporty Ford Focus, the smart mid-size Ford Fusion, the legendary Ford Mustang, and the all-time favourite full-size Ford Taurus.
The premium look and feel of a luxury car; the space and versatility of a family car; the agility of a sports car: The new Focus is much more than much-better looking. Choose from a 1.5-litre EcoBoost with either 150 or 182 PS automatic, or a 2.0-litre Turbo manual (Focus ST) with 250 PS and 345 Nm of torque. Each combine advanced fuel injection and emissions technology to extract the maximum amount of energy from every drop of fuel.
The Fusion is available with a host of advanced technologies, including Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Lane-Keeping System, Adaptive cruise control, Active park assist, and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with cross-traffic alert. Those driver assist aids are complemented by the latest iteration of Ford’s award-winning SYNC® communications and entertainment system, with a 2.5-litre Ti-VCT engine boasting 171 PS and 237 Nm of torque.
Mustang GT comes with the latest edition of the throaty 5.0-litre V8, now featuring an upgraded valvetrain and cylinder heads that help boost output to GSO-rated 421 PS and 530 Nm of torque. A new intake manifold features charge motion control valves to partially close off port flow at lower engine speeds. This increases the air charge tumble and swirl for improved air-fuel mixing resulting in improved efficiency and idle stability.
A 3.7-litre V6 engine with 304 PS and 380 Nm of torque on tap, and the newest member of Ford’s global family of EcoBoost engines, the 2.3-litre, which leverages state-of-the-art technologies including direct fuel injection, twin independent variable camshaft timing and turbocharging to produce big-engine power and torque with improved fuel efficiency, are also available.
Two engine choices make up the Taurus line-up for the Middle East, including two front-wheel drive and two all-wheel drive options. A 3.5-litre Ti-VCT engine produces 272 PS and 342 Nm of torque. The range-topping 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine boasts a powerful 370 PS and 475 Nm of torque, giving customers a wide range of power options to choose from. — SG
