Ford has been taking every measure to strengthen its services in the country; but the company still needs to touch the more emerging and aggressive compact MPV and compact sedan segments to rule the roost in terms of volumes. Ford has managed to bring forward efficient products and concepts recently and it has now come to notice that a compact MPV is also under development for emerging markets.
The upcoming Ford MPV will be based on the ‘Ka Concept 4-Door’ platform that was showcased in Brazil soon after we were shown the Figo concept sedan. The Ka Concept 4-door is essentially the Figo concept sedan, albeit much longer and proportional than the latter, considering the country does not exercise sub-4 metre regulations like ours. Expect the styling on the Ford MPV to resemble the design language showcased on the Ka concept. Expect the Aston Martin-like new corporate grille and sharper edges. We do hope the designer’s take inspiration from the B-Max MPV, which is such a thing of admiration.
Nonetheless, the Ford MPV will certainly be stylish much like the Figo concept sedan while also offering decent performance and handling. The MPV could be available in 2+3+3 or 2+2+3 seating configurations when launched and will be equipped with state-of-the-art Ford wizardry available on the other models. Expect the engines options to be the 1.0-litre Ecoboost petrol engine with 90 or 125 BHP on tap, while the 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine will be good for 90 BHP. The engines are expected to be frugal and return higher fuel efficiency.
The Figo concept sedan will make its production debut by mid-2015, after which Ford is likely to launch the compact MPV by 2016. Ford has shown interest to be a brand of the masses and bringing products to emerging segments will surely help the company achieve their business plan. The upcoming compact MPV will be competing against the Maruti Ertiga which enjoys the top spot (in terms of sales), followed by the upcoming Honda Mobilio, Mahindra Xylo and the Hyundai compact MPV in the segment.
Source – Overdrive.in