News has been doing rounds lately stating that country's popular compact SUV, Ford EcoSport is likely to be launched in North America sometime in the early 2016. Initially it was believed that the local Indian plant shall manufacture the North American version of Ecosport, but the latest report indicate a possibility of the vehicle being produced by the Thailand production facility. In case, the SUV was being produced here, production numbers of about 55,000 – 70,000 units to be exported would have been expected.
The compact SUV has been on a pretty long waiting list in the country, and with the additional demand being passed onto the Thailand facility, it goes on to show that the car-maker is focused on delivering to customers expectations locally first rather than shipping more outside the country. Ford EcoSport has recently earned the title for being India's most awarded passenger car and has accumulated about 30 awards in the Indian market.
Sources have also indicated a possibility of the SUV being launched in the Indian with a fresh face. Cosmetic changes on the exterior front will be done to render a raw and aggressive look to the SUV. Additions of exclusive and premium features like sun roof could also be done to up the luxury quotient of the SUV. A host of changes will also be made inside the cabin, among the upgrades a redesigned dashboard, use of high quality materials and a couple of advanced equipments are expected. The top end version is likely to get daytime running lights as standard feature.
The current version of Ford Ecosport is available in petrol and diesel variants. The petrol version is powered by 1.5 Litre and 1.0 Litre petrol engine that generates about 112 Ps of power with 140 Nm of torque and 125 Ps of power with 170 Nm of torque respectively. The diesel version is powered by 1.5 Litre engine that generates about 91Ps of power with 204Nm of torque. The 1.0 Liter petrol variant delivers around 18.9 kmpl, the 1.5 Liter petrol variant delivers around 16.15 kmpl and the diesel variant with 1.5 liter engine delivers around 22.7 kmpl. The compact SUV gets a EPAS with Pull Drift Compensation technology for steering for maximum control.
Source: ET
