One year after the introduction of the front wheel drive EcoSport compact SUV, Ford do Brasil has launched a four-wheel drive version hoping to boost sales at home and finally enter the United States market, writes Rogério Louro.
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Ford already sells around 2,850 EcoSports a month in Brazil and expects the 4WD version to increase that to around 3,300 units. It also plans to export the new version to Canada by the end of the year as part of a strategy to enter the US market by stealth.
Ford Brazil always planned to send the EcoSport to the USA but the carmaker has come under pressure from its US unions not to sell a foreign-made vehicle there.
The EcoSport 4WD is equiped with the same Control Trac II traction system used in the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute. It is offered with only the Duratec 2.0-litre 16-valve petrol engine imported from Mexico.
The EcoSport is produced in Ford’s Camaçari plant, in Bahia state which also makes the Fiesta hatchback model and, from the end of the year, a new Fiesta-based sedan.
