Ford had announced eight new models for India by 2015, one of which (the all new Fiesta) has already been launched. This leaves us with seven models in the next three years, few of which are certain (Focus, Mondeo, Fiesta Hatchback). Ford has clearly mentioned that they plan to expand market share by launching new models which will help them increase their sales. Cars like the Mondeo will not contribute much to Ford’s India operations and thus the company plans to launch vehicles on the Figo and Fiesta platform. The Ford EcoSport is scheduled to arrive in India early next year and can do to the compact SUV segment, what the Figo did to the compact car segment.
The Ford EcoSport is a compact SUV, which is built to a price. It largely uses components from the Fiesta and is based on the same platform. The EcoSport was first launched in 2004 and is a huge suceess in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. The EcoSport’s main competitors are the Fiat Palio Weekend/Adventure and Volkswagen CrossFox in the abovementioned markets. However in India, the EcoSport will battle it out with the Renault Duster. The car features front-wheel drive and will feature the 1.5-liter DuraTorq engine from the new Fiesta, producing 90 BHP of power and 204 Nm of torque. This diesel motor is high on efficiency and should return decent mileage on the EcoSport. If Ford prices the EcoSport around Rs. 8 lakhs, they will successfully be able to do a Figo in the compact SUV segment.
