Ford introduced their all-new Ford EcoSport at India’s Auto Expo 2012 last week. The new compact SUV will strengthen the Blue Oval’s model line up in India, as well as other world markets.
Based on the current Fiesta’s B-car platform, the EcoSport is the latest in Ford’s ‘One Ford’ strategy that sees shared platforms being used to rationalise the company’s product portfolio, while simultaneously streamlining manufacturing and achieving larger economies of scale. This trend is set to continue for all Ford’s future products, which the company hopes will give it a competitive advantage when it comes to providing value and quality to their customers.
The Ford EcoSport has been developed in South America at one of Ford’s eight global product development centres, in conjunction with teams from Asia, Europe and North America, to meet the needs of markets across the globe, while production will take place at Ford’s Chennai plant in India.
The EcoSport is the first new vehicle released after the Evos Concept that debuted in Germany last September, which showcased the evolution of Ford’s ‘Kinetic’ design language. Barring the disparity between the sedan bodystyle of the Evos Concept and the CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) style of the EcoSport, key design DNA is apparent in the CUV’s front-end, with the ‘laser cut’ thin headlights and higher positioned trapezoidal grille.
The new CUV’s compact dimensions, roughly 125 mm taller ride height over the current Fiesta and commanding driving position, are intended to make the EcoSport more manageable within city limits than the typical SUV, whilst retaining big car appeal. The EcoSport manages to pull off a sleek and solid baby SUV look, thanks to A-pillars that have been moved forward about 250 mm and a rising window line towards the rear, which give the cabin its tear-drop silhouette. Overall, the EcoSport’s design steers clear of the trend that so often sees smaller vehicles designed to look ‘cute’ or ‘friendly’. Instead the designers opted for more mature lines and focused on creating a car with a premium look, which they hope will retain the EcoSport’s appeal for the next six to eight years.
While the show car gave little away in terms of final interior specification, J Mays, Chief Designer at Ford Motor Co., says “Just as the exterior has evolved from our Kinetic design language, the interior is designed from the Kinetic design language as well… It has elements you could probably recognise from Fiesta, but it’s moved the game on quite a lot. Just as on the exterior, we’re spending more and more time on trying to deliver a premium experience on the interior as well, with the materials and the overall layout.”
The EcoSport uses a front-wheel drive layout, with a 5-speed manual transmission mated to an all-new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, turbocharged engine. The latest in Ford’s EcoBoost engine range, the small capacity unit promises outstanding fuel economy and reduced emissions whilst delivering performance usually associated with larger 1.6-litre engines.
The lightweight and compact three-cylinder, (the cylinder block fits on an A4 sized page), has the highest power density of any Ford production engine. Direct injection, advanced cooling and a low inertia turbocharger that can spin up to 248 000 r/min, contribute to a power output of 88 kW and maximum torque of 170 Nm from just 1 300 r/min. Performance figures as well as an exact fuel consumption figure are yet to be released, but Ford say CO2 emissions are 140 g/km, making it one of the ‘greenest’ models in Ford’s range.
Engineered for global markets, the all-new Ford EcoSport employs light weight, rigid construction with strategic crumple zones designed to absorb the forces of an impact. Expect a 5-Star EuroNCAP rating when the safety agency finally gets hold of a few units for testing.
While Ford have not announced an on-sale date, the five-seater EcoSport will be sold in 100 markets around the world, including South Africa, where it will go head-to-head with the recently launched Nissan Juke.
