It seems that buyers will be put at halt as Ford India has decided to temporarily stop the bookings of its premium compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), EcoSport. The news is disheartening for avid customers in a queue to own the fabulous car. The decision was unanimously taken by the officials of Ford India due to their incapability of meeting high demand for the car. Ford dealers across the country have suspended bookings of the model and sources speculate that some dealers are not accepting orders for the diesel variant of the car while others have ceased the bookings for top-end petrol version. Amidst the ambiguity, it is still unclear as to which EcoSport variant is put at halt but experts are believing that with such a decision, the car will soon lose its charm in the domestic market.
Ford India says that since the launch of EcoSport in Indian market, the company has successfully sold its more than 30,000 units. Initially too, the company faced hindrance in meeting the demands of customers and the model was offered with a waiting period of 3-5 months. The current situation, however, seems perplexing as the company has not divulged any further plans. Vinay Piparsania, Executive Director of Marketing, Sales and Service of Ford India informed the press by saying, “Of the 40,000 plus bookings Ford has received for the EcoSport so far, it has managed to sell 10,000. But in July, Ford sold 4,715 EcoSports, outselling Renault’s Duster by 1,600 units. We did not anticipate this kind of demand. The orders we received are higher than the base plan and we are working with our suppliers to stretch production to its best.”
At the time when Ford India disclosed its plan to enter the compact SUV segment and revealed EcoSport, audience had largely anticipated that the car would be an immense success. The same happened after it arrived in the market and domestic buyers accepted it with contentment. The factors contributing to the car's unparalleled feat were its powerful engine, reasonable pricing and exclusive designing. But the car constantly saw a waiting period of usually 4-6 months before it finally reached the road. Experts are saying that with such a news coming from the American auto maker again, the company's marketing growth will be hampered massively.
Ford has been manufacturing EcoSport at its Chennai plant and earlier it was announced that all its models will see a 5 per cent price increase, making it steep by around Rs. 45,000. But all seems to be in a vain when keen buyers won't get a glimpse of the car in market. Industry experts are of a view that with company's image at stake, Ford India fears losing its vast customer base and such a situation would be a window of opportunity for EcoSport's rival, Renault Duster, to make a fortune. The French auto maker has seen an equal success as the EcoSport and the duo has been dominating the respective market currently. With the unavailability of EcoSport, customers will tend to join the Renault Duster club and the former will certainly be vanquished in its segment.
