Ford’s new EcoSport compact SUV has made its global media debut here in New Delhi two days ahead of the public opening of Auto Expo 2012.
The attractive new SUV is built on the Fiesta platform and will be manufactured with the Figo and Fiesta at the automaker’s Chennai plant, which has capacity for 200,000 units a year, while the new Sanand plant in Gujarat is under construction.
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“We will launch the vehicle with a high percentage of localisation,” Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally told just-auto. Asked about launch timing for India, he said only: “It will be sometime before the end of 2012.” This is the second of eight new vehicles Ford plans for India by 2015.
The EcoSport will initially be available with petrol engines with diesel and hybrid versions to follow.
“The is the first [Indian] vehicle from the Ford family with an EcoBoost engine,” Mulally said.
The model, previously built only in Brazil, was developed after considering market needs in India and other developing markets such as Brazil and the ASEAN region. The vehicle will expand Ford’s presence in these markets and the B-class platform on which the EcoSport sits is expected to underpin over 2m units a year by mid-decade.
Like its predecessor, the EcoSport was developed in South America (in Camacari, Brazil) in conjunction with teams from Asia, Europe and North America.
The previous EcoSport was launched in South America in 2003 as the regions first affordable SUV and sold 700,000 units in nine years.
It will again be made in Brazil as well as India with other locations to be announced later.
Ford declined to comment on pricing – that will be announced closer to launch time.
