Endeavour prices may go up: Ford

Global auto major Ford today said prices of its sports utility model 'Endeavour' are expected to go up due to the hike in excise duty on the segment to 30% from 27% earlier.

In the Budget, the government has proposed to raise the the excise duty on sports utility vehicles (SUVs) from 27% to 30%.

"Endeavour prices will be impacted due to this," Ford India President and Managing Director Joginder Singh told reporters here while unveiling its new compact sports utility vehicle 'EcoSport'.

Vinay Piparsania, Executive Director (marketing, sales and services), Ford India, said: "Endeavour prices have to go up because of the duty hike."

When asked whether the excise duty hike would have any impact on the prices of Ecosport, Singh said that the company experts are examining the matter. "But we will try that it does not impact prices," he added.

Commenting on the EcoSport, Singh said that the company today went live with this SUV, unlocking the first of its kind opportunity for hundred consumers to drive the vehicle and share their experience.

"This campaign will start from May and only after its completion we will start booking," he said. However, he did not disclose the prices.

He said that the 100 consumers will be selected by a jury. The participant have to upload their contents about the vehicle on www.Ecosportdiscoveries.Co.In which will be evaluated by the jury.

He said that the company has opened Ecosport Urban Hub to engage people in Mumbai and Delhi - the first two cities of the 12-city EcoSport Urban Discoveries roadshow.

"Consumers across these 12 cities will have the opportunity to see, touch and feel their EcoSport every weekend

leading up to the launch," he said adding "we have taken a step further by giving them an opportunity to drive and experience the EcoSport out in the open and share their product experience."

As part of the 12-city roadshow, this is the next step forward with the EcoSPort Urban Discoveries campaign.

In the following weekends, the EcoSport Urban Hub will be going to several cities including Bengaluru, Chandigadh, Kochi, Jaipur and Hyderabad.

"The Ecosport line-up will include four trims, giving consumers a choice of three engine options including manual transmission and an automatic transmission option in petrol," Singh said adding "Ford will, for the first time offer an SUV with its award-winning 1 litre EcoBoost turbocharged engine."

When asked about its competition with Renault's Duster, he said: "we will create our own niche segment with this".

The SUV will be rolled out from its Chennai plant, in which the have invested $142 million.

Further on the company's new models, Piparsania said that they are on track to launch several products in the coming years.