Ford EcoSport revealed

Here are the first ever images of Ford’s all new global vehicle, the EcoSport. This next-generation compact SUV will take centre stage at Ford's high-tech interactive stand which will cover around 1,400 square metres.

The EcoSport is the latest ‘One Ford’ global product, a vehicle designed to help expand Ford's footprint in the world's fastest-growing auto markets, including India. It will be the second of eight products Ford plans to bring to India by mid-decade for which the company will invest US$ 2 billion in the development and production of the new vehicles.

Known internally as the B515, this next-generation EcoSport is built on Ford’s award-winning global compact car platform (B2E) developed with Mazda, which majors on weight saving and torsional rigidity.

Though the EcoSport shares plenty of bits with the new Fiesta saloon under the skin, it looks completely different, and you would be hard-pressed to tell that the two have anything in common.

What is plainly clear is that the design definitely has SUV written all over it. The five-door EcoSport gets chunky, technical styling, and a very space-efficient interior. A large trapezoidal front grille dominates the front end, while the front headlights are slimmer and more technical than on the Fiesta.

The lower front bumper and side sills get cladding, while there are also muscular wheel arches and a fixed spare wheel at the back to further emphasise its off-road intentions. The roof gets chrome rails and the rear side windows have the familiar Ford upwards kink in the window line.

Ford will debut a new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, direct-injection turbo-petrol motor in the EcoSport – a world debut – that will be capable of developing power similar to a bigger, 1.6-litre motor. It will also deliver class-leading fuel economy. The car will also get the 1.5-litre diesel engine that currently does duty in the Fiesta.

The EcoSport, which cleverly combines the charm of an SUV, the frugality of small engines, cutting-edge styling and a very affordable price tag somewhere in the region of Rs 7-9 lakh, has the makings of a winner. At that price, it will provide a genuine alternative to a midsize car or even a premium hatchback.

Though the Premier Rio was technically the first compact SUV in the market, the EcoSport will be the first serious player in this virgin niche. This could give Ford a big first-mover advantage in a segment that could explode.

Ford confirms Auto Expo plans

Ford has confirmed that it will preview an all-new global vehicle at the Auto Expo.

This vehicle, the EcoSport, will be sold in India and other global markets. This next-generation vehicle will take centrestage on Ford's high-tech and interactive stand which will cover around 1,400 square metres. The EcoSport will be the latest One Ford global product, a vehicle designed to help expand Ford's footprint in the world's fastest-growing auto markets, including India. It will be the second of eight products Ford plans to bring to India by mid-decade.

The EcoSport will be among a showcase of 12 vehicles on the Ford stand including the Figo, the All-New Fiesta, the Classic and the Endeavour.

The All-New Ford Fiesta four-door saloon, soon to be available with the new PowerShift automatic transmission, is another step in Ford's strategy to bring the latest technology to India. Ford says, compared to traditional four-speed automatics, the PowerShift transmission can improve fuel economy by up to nine percent

The company’s other expo highlights include comprehensive safety and quality displays, a 3D theatre, live shows and a crowd-sourced, interactive driving game.

Ford India Discover Smart Drive season two kicks off

Ford India kicked off its second season of the Discover Smart Drive (DSD). The show will cover 28 cities, 6400km across India in eight days and will conclude in Nepal. The winner gets the chance to drive the Figo in Nepal and will also get a helicopter ride over the Himalayas. The drive kicks off simultaneously on December 5 from Jammu, Lucknow, Mumbai and Chennai and comprises four legs. 

Ford India selected the participants from a contest held on its Ford Figo Facebook page. Participants were asked to submit videos to convince the jury of their candidature.

Flagging off the drive from Mumbai today, Ford India executive director marketing, sales and service Niger Wark said, “We’ve tried to make the second season of DSD exciting and challenging at the same time. The winners also get to see that the Figo is a popular car beyond India’s borders and cherish the experience of a lifetime by visiting an exciting tourist destination.” 

SCOOP! Ford EcoSport coming next year

The new Fiesta may not have taken off quite as strongly as Ford expected it to, but the American carmaker still has a couple of aces up its sleeve. One of them is the yet-to-be-revealed EcoSport.

Known internally as the B515, this next-generation EcoSport will be unveiled at the 2012 Auto Expo, followed by a launch in Brazil in the first few months of the year. The current EcoSport is quite popular in Brazil and since India has similar market dynamics to Brazil, Ford is hoping to replicate that success here.

The EcoSport is built on Ford’s award-winning, global compact car platform (B2E) developed in association with Mazda, which majors on weight saving and torsional rigidity. Ford wants to milk this platform as much as possible and hence a wide range of body styles will be spun off it. Apart from the saloon, there’s a hatchback version of the Fiesta (expected in India in the not-too-distant future), the EcoSport and finally a mini- MPV (code: B516) which could be called the B-max.

Though the EcoSport shares plenty of bits with the Fiesta saloon under the skin, it looks completely different, and you would be hard-pressed to tell that the two have anything in common. In fact, as per these illustrations, the new EcoSport could pass off as a proper soft-roader, but it’s nothing of the sort. This is in fact a sub-four-metre car with hatchback dimensions, and a tailgate-mounted spare wheel that sticks out past the four-metre mark. Small-car regulations don’t count the spare tyre in the length of a car and Ford has taken maximum advantage of this rule.

What is plainly clear is that this car definitely has SUV written all over it. The upright stance, the high bonnet, generous ground clearance and subtle cladding make you think off-roader, and what’s even better is that it is fresh, boldly designed and well proportioned, all at the same time. There’s an attractive and striking inverse ‘V’ in the nose, the chin has a pair of menacing intakes and the tipped-forward stance makes it look like an alert slip fielder, always ready for action. It looks great from the back as well, with its pillar-less rear windscreen and sharply cut tail-lights. Large wheels are a must for an SUV and the EcoSport for India could get 16 or even 17-inch wheels.

The Fiesta DNA will ensure that this car rides and handles very much unlike an SUV, and the tall stance and high ground clearance will be perfect for Indian roads. Just don’t expect acres of space on the inside, for the EcoSport will be only slightly roomier than the Fiesta, primarily because passengers are sat at a greater height off the floor.

To keep in line with the regs, Ford will use the new 90bhp, 1.5-litre DV5 diesel which debuted in the new Fiesta saloon. Ford may bump up the power of the engine to make this slightly heavier (and less aerodynamic) car perform better, and we expect the overall gearing to be shorter too. But don’t expect the power hike to be significant; the IB5 gearbox carried over from the Fiesta is not rated to handle much more torque, and this will serve as a limiting factor. Also, since the EcoSport will use the identical platform and running gear to the Fiesta, it will be front-wheel drive only, with no
4x4 option. 

Introducing a petrol version, however, will be much more difficult. A 1.2-litre petrol motor, needed to comply with the small-car rules, would be too underpowered and a 1500 or 1600cc engine would attract a higher excise duty and also make it more expensive and less efficient. So we expect the petrol, if at all, will come only later, once the EcoSport has been well established in our market.

The EcoSport, which cleverly combines the charm of an SUV, the practicality of diesel, cutting-edge styling and a very affordable price tag somewhere in the region of Rs 7-9 lakh, has the makings of a winner. At that price, it will provide a genuine alternative to a midsize car and even a hatchback.

Though the Premier Rio is technically the first compact SUV in the market, the EcoSport will be the first serious player in this virgin niche. This could give Ford a big first-mover advantage in a segment that could explode. This could be the car to watch out for in 2012.

Ford Motor May Build Electric Cars in China With Partner, CEO Mulally Says

Ford Motor Co. (F) may make electric cars with its partner in China as the auto industry moves toward producing more fuel-efficient vehicles, Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally said.

“Our plan is to make the vehicles people want and value, in China and around the world,” Mulally, 66, said in a Bloomberg Television interview on Sept. 24 in Chongqing, China. “As we move to more electrification you’re going to see more hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric.”

Mulally, who was in China to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of an engine transmission plant at its venture with Changan Automobile Group, didn’t provide a schedule for building electric cars. Rivals Daimler AG (DAI) and General Motors Co. (GM) have announced plans to add alternative-energy vehicles in China as the country, the world’s largest polluter, seeks to reduce emissions. The government aims to have 1 million electric- powered vehicles on the road by 2015, according to the Ministry of Science.

GM on Sept. 20 signed an agreement to develop electric cars in China with its partner SAIC Motor Corp. GM, which plans to introduce the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt in China in the fourth quarter, will not give SAIC or the Chinese government intellectual property for the Volt as part of the agreement, GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky said.

Ford will also consider introducing its luxury brand Lincoln in China to tap into the growing high-end sedan market, Mulally said. The carmaker currently sells models such as its Mondeo sedan and Focus small cars in the country.

“We have a great luxury brand in Lincoln, which we have recommitted ourselves to,” he said. “There’s going to be tremendous pull from China to have access to these great vehicles.”

Additional Models

Ford is spending $1.6 billion to build four factories in China, where it plans to triple its lineup by offering 15 models by mid-decade. The U.S. carmaker, dependent on the U.S. and Europe for most sales and profits, had 2.7 percent of the passenger-vehicle market in China through June, according to J.D. Power & Associates, while GM controls 10 percent.

China’s demand for luxury cars will grow about 35 percent this year, analysts at J.D. Power forecast. This compares with a 5 percent increase for overall auto sales as predicted by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Expansion in Asia is part of Mulally’s wider plan to boost annual global sales by 50 percent to 8 million vehicles by 2015. Ford’s China sales have risen 11 percent this year to 341,746 units, the company said on Sept. 6.

Overall vehicle sales in China reached 18.06 million units last year, boosted by government tax breaks and rural subsidies.

Delivery Slowdown

Ford is encountering pricing pressure in China as the auto market there slows, Joe Hinrichs, group vice president and Asia chief, said on Aug. 10. Overall deliveries in China are forecast to slow this year from the 32 percent gain in 2010, after the government removed sales-tax breaks in January and the central bank raised interest rates five times since October.

“China has a very good plan to have sustainable growth, to manage the inflation as well as the economic activity and automobile purchases move along with that,” Mulally said. “So, even though it’s lower than the previous year, it’s a lot more sustainable for the long term.”