Since Ford came to India in late
90’s things have never been so interesting in Ford India. The reason for it is
the Ecosport mini SUV which will be launched in India early next year.
According to the latest news, the Ecosport will be launched by Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa who has agreed for the invitation by Ford India.
Ford pins lots of hopes on the
Ecosport, and why not, the muscular looking mini SUV could be a new blockbuster
car in India after the Maruti Swift. In fact we feel the Ecosport looks to be a
perfect mini SUV when compared to Duster and Quanto. The rear tailgate mounted spare
wheel adds to the rugged SUV looks of the vehicle.
If you are thinking just about
the looks of the Ecosport making an impact you might be wrong. The Ecosport
under its hood will feature the latest Ecoboost 1.0L petrol engine which in
spite of its smaller capacity can produce 125 Bhp of power. According to Ford,
this small wonder of an engine produces high power with great fuel efficiency,
both of which are inversely proportional. The Ecoboost engine manages to drive
the Ecosport to over 20 Km with a liter of petrol. The Ecosport will also be
available with the Fiesta’s 1.5L diesel burner which too has a good record of
fuel efficiency.
Ford is working hard on pricing
the Ecosport competitive and few days ago an official from Ford had mentioned
about Ecosport being priced less than the Renault Duster, which means the base
petrol and diesel could be priced at Rs. 6.5 and 7.5 lakh respectively.
Currently there is a change of
guard at Ford India. Mr. Michael
Boneham, President and
MD of Ford India is being replaced by Mr. Jogindar Singh and Ford maintains that in spite of leadership
change the plan to launch value for money products remains the same. Ford plans
to launch 8 new products in India in next 3 years. Ford’s second plant at
Sanand will commence operation from 2014.
