Ford Motor's global CEO Alan Mulally today introduced the auto giant's new four-door hatchback, the new Ford Figo, to be produced in India.

The new Figo, colloquial Italian for ''cool,'' and a major addition to the Ford India brand portfolio, was unveiled at a bress briefing in Delhi, where Mulally said the new Ford Figo had been designed and engineered to compete in the Indian car market.

The  event marked the first public preview of the exterior design of Ford's new small car. Ford is reserving further details about the vehicle until closer to its production launch early in 2010.

However, Mulally's visit to introduce the introduce the vehicle personally, at a juncture when most US carmakers have been hit hard by the economic downturn, underscores the strategic importance that Ford attaches to the Indian market for it's future plans.

''Our exciting new Ford Figo shows how serious we are about India,'' Mulally said. ''It reflects our commitment to compete with great products in all segments of this car market. We are confident the Ford Figo will be a product that Indian consumers really want and value.''

The small car will be manufactured at Ford's expanded integrated manufacturing facility near Chennai, which is undergoing a $500-million makeover to become a regional export hub for, what the company calls an "eco-friendly volume production".

The investment, which will double the plant's production capacity to 200,000 units per year, incorporates advances in high-quality automation and innovative, and eco-friendly production techniques, where.

The plant is also being modified to produce diesel and petrol engines for local vehicle production and export within Ford's Asia Pacific and Africa region.

Ford Figo will compete in the small car segment, which accounts for more than 70 per cent of the new vehicle market. It uses Ford's small-car platform architecture, sharing underlying technology with the Ford Fiesta, already familiar to Indian drivers.

Sharing key elements of Ford's kinetic design language with vehicles like the globally renowned Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo and the Ford Fiesta, Ford Figo features a fresh, contemporary shape that will be a distinctive alternative to traditional brands in this segment. The design language conveys a dynamic spirit of energy in motion.

Quality, substance and generous proportions are clearly evident in the design of the new Ford Figo, which features a solid stance, an invitingly large interior and a vibrant, youthful character. Its package is right-sized for the market, which is predominated by congested urban driving conditions.

From its modern headlamps, grille shapes and sculpted bonnet of its distinctive face to the subtle integrated spoiler and chamfered window shape at the rear, the Figo is filled with kinetic design touches.

These also include sculpted shapes to the body side – chiseled front fenders, a ''comet tail'' undercut in the doors and additional light-catching sculpting in the lower bodyside – which combine to communicate the solidity, substance and protective safety of its design.

The large side window shape is another key kinetic design feature hinting at the comfort and spaciousness awaiting occupants' front and rear. The side window graphic is executed with a blacked-out B-pillar, an elegant design touch that unifies the side windows into one shape visually.

Its wheels are positioned at the four corners of the vehicle with minimal overhang.

''We're confident that the new Ford Figo will be extremely attractive to Indian car buyers,'' said Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India. ''It's going to be very competitive with the current market leaders and offer a tremendous value story for our consumers. We believe Ford Figo is a big game-changer for Ford that will help transform our brand into a volume player in India.''