Ford Vietnam clinches big deal to supply new taxi firm
HO CHI MINH CITY - Ford Vietnam has sealed the biggest deal ever to sell 800 Ford Focus vehicles to Future Star Corporation to develop the latest premium taxi service in Vietnam to be named Taxi Future.
The two sides yesterday signed the contract in HCMC, under which Ford Vietnam’s authorized dealer Western Ford in HCMC will supply the five-seat cars.
The cars are Focus 1.6L MT Comfort and Focus 1.8L MT Ghia ones with European design and German engineering. The two sides, however, declined to reveal the value of the contract.
The Taxi Future will hit the streets early next month.
Vo Ba, general director of Future Star Corporation, said that the company would put 400 cabs into operation in HCMC this year. The rest 400 Focus will be delivered by Ford Vietnam by April next year.
The taxi corporation also has plans to expand its fleet to 1,000 and launch this service in other big cities in the long term. Ford cars will be also the vehicles of choice for Future Star, said Ba.
Tim Tucker, general director of Ford Vietnam, said that with the deal of 800 Focus units, the new taxi corporation is the largest fleet customer of Ford Vietnam so far.
He said that the deal demonstrates Ford’s effectiveness and success of the program “Special Fleet Package” launched by the automaker since early May last year.
Tim said in this deal, Future Star receives full support from Ford Vietnam in marketing campaigns, sales and financial assistance, and preferential charges for genuine spare parts and man-hours.
In terms of service support, it will have a goodwill warranty policy by Ford Vietnam that will offer discounts on parts and components that are not covered under a general warranty.
Ba of the taxi operator said he was confident in the expanding travel market.
“After Vietnam’s official WTO membership, we realized that the opportunity has come and the market demand is high enough for us to register and establish our company last February.”
The company plans to set the taxi fare at some VND9,000 a kilometer.
Some 1,000 Ford Focus have been sold in Vietnam, including this latest contract, since its launch in late 2005.
By Quoc Hung - Saigon Times Daily - April 19, 2007.
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