The Indian unit of Ford launched its Endeavour SUV on Tuesday aiming to win buyers in a new emerging market segment, Reuters reported.
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Company officials reportedly said in a news conference that the Endeavour was priced at $US28,228 in Delhi, the cheapest among such SUVs launched in the past year – the Hyundai Terracan, the [Subaru-built] Chevrolet Forester, the Suzuki Vitara and the Honda-CRV.
“It is the latest SUV in the Ford stable introduced this year and is especially designed for Indian markets,” Ford India managing director David Friedman told Reuters.
Friedman reportedly said Ford expected to sell about 150 Endeavours a month, adding that India’s utility vehicle segment had grown 50% this year.
Reuters said the Endeavour will be assembled at Ford’s plant near the southern city of Madras from completely knocked down (CKD) kits imported from its plant in Thailand.
The vehicle is powered by a 2.5 litre turbo-diesel engine and 20% of its parts will be made locally, the report said.
Reuters said Ford, in India since 1996, makes several versions of its [previous-generation European Fiesta-based] Ikon sedan at its plant, on which it has spent $US373 million, and also imports the Mondeo family car from Belgium.
The car maker is aiming to sell about 20,000 Ikons and Mondeos in the domestic market and exports vehicles in knockdown form – it sold 14,970 cars in 2002 and exported 28,915 complete knockdown kits, Reuters said.
