Ford has noticed an apparent rise in the sales of their automatic cars above a particular price point.
The number of cars plying on the road is rising by the minute. The city roads have remained the same in width leading to dreadful traffic conditions. Buyers who commute majorly in the city are increasingly opting for automatic transmission cars for an easier driving experience.
Ford India has observed this trend especially in the cities of Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi where the cars sold with automatic transmissions (AT) accounted for 40% of the sales. In India, 20% of the sales were accounted for cars with an automatic transmission. Consequently, Ford India will be offering an AT option for their petrol-powered Freestyle that was launched in April this year.
As for a diesel automatic, Ford is unlikely to offer the Freestyle with such an option as oil-burners are becoming less popular thanks to crude oil prices and regulations. The company has even predicted a positive shift towards petrol engines owing to the upcoming emission norms that require diesel engines to be fitted with extra hardware that doesn’t come cheap.
The Ford Freestyle is powered by a new 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder Dragon series petrol engine that churns out 94 HP of power and 120 Nm of torque. There’s also the tried and tested 1.5-litre diesel mill that produces 99 HP of power and 215 Nm of torque. Both the powertrains come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. It comes with a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with SYNC 3, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for mobile connectivity.
Ford Freestyle Automatic Launch
– Freestyle is a crossover based on the Figo
– It gets a new 94 HP 1.2-litre Dragon series petrol engine with a 99 HP diesel engine option
– It is currently offered with only a manual gearbox while an AT option is expected in the coming months
Source – ETAuto.com
