Ford India is planning to launch the EcoSport, the Fiesta based compact SUV in 2012. The new car will conform to the length restriction of less than 4 meters to qualify as a small car. It will be a five-seater and its price would vary from Rs. 6,00,000 to Rs. 8,00,000 across various model variants. The new SUV is a part of Ford’s ‘One Ford’ strategy according to which the company plans to manufacture global vehicles rather than vehicles for limited markets.
Built on the Fiesta hatchback international platform model, the compact SUV will feature large wheels and high ground clearance to make it suitable for off-road conditions. It is being speculated that the EcoSport will have spacious interiors in terms of headroom, shoulder room and legroom as well as sufficient boot space.
The EcoSport may be powered by the 1.2 liter engine currently used in the Figo petrol car and may feature a 5-speed manual transmission with a mileage 15.6 kmpl as per ARAI certification. The diesel version of the EcoSport is expected to have the 1.5 liter engine found in the Fiesta sedan which offers ARAI certified mileage of 23.5 kmpl.
The EcoSport SUV will be manufactured at Ford’s Chennai facility and will be exported to markets like South Africa and Asia Pacific.
