The Indian subsidiary of the US based leading car maker Ford Motors on Wednesday unveiled its much anticipated compact Sports Utility Vehicle – Ford EcoSport – in the Indian market. Though the company hasn’t revealed the price range of this model, but it is expected to be shelved in the price segment of Rs 7 to 9 lakh, where it will be competing with the Maruti’s upcoming Ertiga SUV.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Alan Mullaly, Ford Motor Company CEO, said on the occasion, "Majority of our growth now in terms of production facility and volumes will be focused on serving the Asia Pacific customers starting with India."

Before launching the EcoSport SUV, the company has conducted intense study of the Indian market with researching considerably on customers of this segment in India. Carrying a length of less than 4 meters, the new EcoSport Sports Utility Vehicle is qualified for the lesser excise duty segment, enabling the company to price the model more competitively.

Powered by highly fuel efficient 1-litre Ecoboost petrol engine, the SUV is capable of delivering a peak power of 120 PS along with a peak torque of 170 NM. The 1.0 liter Ecoboost engine is claimed to be about 30 percent more fuel efficient as compared to the 1.6L petrol engine used in the Ford Fiesta model. In addition to this the Co2 emission is about 20 percent less. A 1.5 liter diesel version of the car will also be launched in Indian later this year.