Tanya Sachdev
The Ford motor company founded by Henry Ford and based at Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, is the second largest automaker company in the United States and the fifth largest in the whole world, based on annual car sales. Ford is ranked eighth among the Fortune 500 company list. Ford produces SUV’s, MUV’s, as well as luxurious Sedans. The latest Ford production which is yet to hit the market is the Ford Ecosport which falls under the urban SUV category. Powered by the smallest EcoBoost engine yet – 1.0-liter 3cyl engine that fits on an A4 paper, the Ecosport has just been unveiled at the auto expo at New Delhi. No definite date for launch of the Ecosport has been officially announced but Ford has made it clear that it would go into production within the next six months.
Powered by a 1.0L EcoBoost petrol engine with a turbocharger pumping 100 horses and a 1.5 Duratorq from the new Fiesta, the Ecosport might start a compact SUV revolution in India. According to Ford, EcoSport will be offered to over a hundred markets over the world. Ecosport is smaller than the 2013 Ford Escape and similar to the Nissan Juke. Ford is now concentrating on offering smaller and highly fuel efficient vehicles. The EcoSport compact SUV will feature a 3 cylinder 1.0 liter EcoBoost engine. It will house the smallest direct injected and turbocharged engine. The US EcoSport will have four cylinder options, while the three cylinder EcoBoost will be offered in India. Ford EcoSport will be manufactured in the Chennai plant. For this Ford India, the company’s wholly owned arm, is going to invest US$ 142 million to manufacture this vehicle. Ford is also setting up another plant at Sanand, Gujarat at a cost of US$ 1 billion. Experts believe it could be a game changer provided Ford can develop the new EcoBoost engine within acceptable cost. Ford plans to introduce the car at a price of Rs 8 to 10 lakh. However, further technical details and availability of the vehicle are yet to be revealed. You will have to wait for further details, most likely to be released by later half of this year. For the moment, you can view the interesting aspects and innovative features of this compact SUV.
With eco – friendliness being an indispensible criteria for almost everything we use nowadays, it’s no different with cars. This eco-friendly SUV will be launched alongside seven other new Ford models in India by the middle of the decade. With its stylish and sleek design the Ford Ecosport is more aimed for the urban buyers looking for a little more than a hatchback and a little less than a traditional SUV.
The aggressive high-mounted trapezoidal grille between slit-eyed LED headlamps is definitely a catch and will attract a lot of buyers. India is an increasingly important auto market and it is believed the Ford Ecosport will boost Ford’s aggressive global plan to achieve a 50 percent increase in worldwide sales by mid-decade to 8 million vehicles a year. All said and done, the Ford Ecosport is definitely a toy to look forward to and with simulation rides already available at the Delhi auto expo, get ready to experience a hell of a ride!
Tanya Sachdev
