American automobile major Ford Wednesday launched its compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) EcoSport with a starting price of Rs.5.59 lakh (ex-Showroom Delhi).
According to the company, the new compact SUV will be available in petrol and diesel-powered variants. The petrol-powered versions are priced between Rs.5.59 lakh and 7.89 lakh and the diesel variants are priced between Rs.6.69 lakh and Rs.8.44 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
"EcoSport sets new standards in India's SUV industry classification through its design, development and sensible value proposition. EcoSport's competitive pricing and market positioning underscores our respect and commitment to Indian consumers," said Joginder Singh, president and managing director, Ford India.
The importance of the new SUV in the company's portfolio can be gauged by the fact that it will compete with the likes of Renault Duster and is attractively priced. It can also compete with high-end hatchback and mid-level sedans.
The new SUV is also the outcome of the $142 million investment at the Chennai manufacturing facility. The company has already launched the vehicle in Brazil and China and expects the segment to grow five-fold by 2020.
The company will also be exporting the compact SUV models out of India, it currently ships out Figo. The company's India operations will only be one of the five plants globally where EcoSport will be manufactured.
"We have a very flexible manufacturing schedule which is currently meant to fulfil the existing demand and bookings. The current pricing is what we are offering as of now," Vinay Piparsania, executive director, marketing, sales and service at Ford India told IANS.
The company did not divulge any sales or production targets of the compact sub-four metre length SUV which comes with electric power-assisted steering which helps the driver tackle the stress of city driving like parking in small spaces, manoeuvering in heavy traffic and making tight U-turns.
Another unique feature of the vehicle is its EcoBoost technology with the patented 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine which delivers power and performance of a traditional 1.6-litre engine with an improvement in fuel economy by up to 20 percent at 18.9 km per litre.
The vehicle is also available in 1.5-litre petrol engine or a 1.5-litre diesel engine.
