Ford
India and Autocar India are
on an epic 20,000km drive across the country. The 'Ikon
Cross Country Drive' will pass through 26 state
capitals and three union territories of India and will
take a total of 46 days to cover the entire distance.
The drive was flagged off from Ford’s manufacturing
facility in Chennai on 22nd April 2009.
A Ford Ikon with the new 1.4-litre DuraTorq, common-rail
TDCi engine under its hood, is the chosen vehicle for
this pan-India drive. The car is a standard Ikon diesel,
without any modifications what-so-ever. The car will be
undergoing service checks at stopovers at Ford's widespread
authorized service centres en-route the 20000km run.
The journey will test both man and machine as it traverses
through varied and extreme conditions. From the sapping
heat of Rajasthan to the numbing chill of the Himalayas;
from rutted mountain trails to smooth expressways; from
the gridlock of Hosur Road to the runway-like Rajpath;
the drive will encounter the complete tapestry of climatic,
geographical and road conditions.
The car is manned by a two person crew from Autocar India
who are rotated every six days. KPMG have been appointed
as independent auditors to validate the proceedings and
the end result of the drive program.
The team will monitor and log every parameter of the car’s
performance including fuel consumption, tyre wear, and
consumables like engine oil, brake fluid etc to establish
its true-world fuel efficiency and cost of ownership after
20,000km.
The drive will end on 6th June 2009 at the Ford India's
manufacturing plant in Chennai. |
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