Ford Shows Fiesta Derived EcoSport at New Delhi Auto Expo

AutoInformed.com

Ford continues to struggle by posting losses in moribund European economies, and – surprisingly – the growth markets of Asia Pacific and Africa.

Ford Motor is now showing its latest version of a Fiesta derived crossover dubbed EcoSport at New Delhi Auto Expo. EcoSport was developed on Ford’s new global B-segment platform, which will be the basis for a claimed 2 million units of production by 2015.

More than 2.7 million passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles were sold in India in 2010, up from just 700,000 light vehicles in 2000. India, a country with a population of nearly 1.2 billion, is expected to reach 11 million light-vehicle sales by 2020. (See India to be Third Largest Auto Market behind China and U.S.)

India is projected to become the world’s third largest light vehicle market by the end of the decade after China and the U.S. Ford lags badly behind competitors in Asia, and is playing catch-up.  

At the EcoSport unveiling Ford CEO Alan Mulally, said the global compact SUV is the second of eight new vehicles that Ford plans to bring to India by mid-decade. EcoSport will be sold in  Brazil, India, and ASEAN markets. A European model is likely, but Ford’s North American management for two generations has refused to offer the compact  cute ute.

The EcoSport has sold particularly well since it was launched in South America in 2003 as the region’s first affordable SUV, selling 700,000 vehicles in nine years. The EcoSport will be produced at flexible assembly plants in Brazil, India, and other markets to be announced at a later time.

Ford recently broke ground in Sanand, Gujarat as part of an investment of approximately $1 billion to build new vehicle manufacturing and engine plants. Ford also announced earlier an investment of $72 million by 2012 to expand its existing powertrain facility in Chennai. Ford’s total investment in India to date is approximately $2 billion.

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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