Wednesday, November 16, 2011
By Pranjal Gera
Ford EcoSport ready to launch in India next year
Ford Motors, the US based leading car maker, is likely to launch its next generation EcoSport model in the Indian market very soon. It the recent media reports are to be believed, the next generation of the Ford EcoSport model will be showcased at the forthcoming Delhi International Auto Expo in January 2012. The major competitors of the car will be Premier Rio and up to some extant Mahindra Bolero.
Codenamed as B515 internally, the EcoSport model will be initially launched in the Brazilian market by the first quarter of next year. The current model of EcoSport has been well received in the Brazilian market, with registering considerable sales figures. Now as India has similar market Dynamics as of Brazil and buyers have kind of similar cost and fuel economy consciousness, Ford India is looking forward to replicate the success of this car in the Indian market.
Based on Ford’s global compact car platform (B2E), which is an award winning platform of Ford, the car has been developed with Mazda’s association. The EcoSport is expected to be launched in a range of body styles including a saloon version, a mini- MPV which is expected to be named as B-Max (code: B516), hatchback version of Fiesta, etc.
In a bid to qualify for the lesser excise duty segment, Ford Motors has kept the length of the car under four meters. Though the car will be carrying a tailgate mounted spare tyre, which is not counted in the car’s length as per the regulations for small cars.
The Ford EcoSport will be carrying a 1.5-litre diesel engine which is capable of generating a peak power of 90 bhp. This is the same engine which has been debuted in the hatchback version of Ford Fiesta model. The major attractions of the car include 16 or even 17-inch wheels, inverse ‘V’ shape nose, aggressive high bonnet, and many more.
