Ford India has brought the EcoSport to Mumbai, putting it on display at Irorbit Mall in Malad. The Ford EcoSport will be on display till the 25th of January at Infinity Malad, later shifting to Inorbit Vashi on the 27th. Ford India has gone into top gear with its marketing activities, ensuring customers stay inquisitive in the EcoSport. To be launched in the second half of 2012, the EcoSport benefits from lower excise duties thanks to the sub 4-meter length of this compact SUV. Ford has given us cues that the EcoSport would be priced on similar lines as the Figo, thus we can expect prices to start around Rs. 8 lakhs for the base variant, going upto Rs. 10 lakhs for the top end diesel Titanium variant.
The Ford EcoSport will be powered by both petrol and diesel engines. We usually are big fans of oil burners but in the case of the EcoSport the petrol motor is what really is the one to look out at. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine produces 120 PS of power and 170 Nm of torque. These figures are what a 1.6-litre engine produces. The advantage of the EcoBoost motor is the low displacement, high power and low fuel consumption. The diesel engine will be from the new Fiesta, having a displacement of 1.5-litre, producing 90 BHP of power and 200 Nm of torque. Expect sharp handling which is part of Ford’s DNA.
Ford stresses that the EcoSport will be a world-class product having high quality and safety. The high ground clearance of the EcoSport ensures it has balanced performance both on and off-road. Ford is investing an additional Rs. 750 crore in its Chennai facility to pump out the EcoSport, which will also result in 400 jobs being created. The same plant will be the base for export and international orders for the compact SUV. Other than India, Ford will also produce the EcoSport in Brazil.
