Brazil to get the Ford EcoSport Crossover on the 14th of July, 2012
On July 14th, South American nation Brazil will witness the launch of the hotly anticipated Ford EcoSport Crossover, thus becoming the first country in the world to see a commercial launch of American car giant Ford’s latest compact crossover. The Ford Ecosport that will be sold in Brazil is expected to be available with an all-petrol engine line up, with a 1.6 Liter naturally aspirated petrol engine making up the base model of the EcoSport. This engine will be mated to a five speed manual transmission in the base version and will be able to run on petrol as well as a petrol-ethanol flex fuel as government regulations mandate in Brazil.
2013 Ford Ecosport Crossover Front
While more powerful petrol engines are expected to join the EcoSport line up along with a dual clutch automatic transmission, details of these engines aren’t yet clear. The 1 Liter Ecoboost turbo petrol engine is also a strong possibility for the Brazilian EcoSport. The highly fuel efficient yet powerful 1 Liter, 3 pot turbo petrol Ecoboost engine generates a peak power of 120 Bhp and a peak torque of 170 Nm that can go up to 200 Nm in overboost mode. This tech packed engine will arrive into India when the EcoSport is launched sometime in early 2013.
The Indian EcoSport is expected to measure under 4 meters in length, to enable it to qualify for the reduced excise duty for cars under 4 meters in length. This length could also give Ford India a very good chance of pricing the EcoSport quite competitively. the EcoSport is based on the global B-Car platform that Ford uses for its cars across the world. The Indian version of the EcoSport will also get a diesel engine, ostensibly the 1.5 Liter TDCI turbo diesel borrowed from the all new Fiesta sedan. This responsive and frugal diesel engine outputs 90 Bhp-200 Nm.
2013 Ford EcoSport Crossover Rear
Coming back to the Brazilian Ford EcoSport, the crossover will be available in three variants, Freestyle, SE and Titanium. The starting price of the EcoSport in Brazil is expected to be Brazilian Real 53,490, which equates to about INR 14.56 lakhs. the high price is due to the high tax structure imposed on cars in Brazil. In India though, expect the entry level EcoSport to be priced at about half the price of the Brazilian version. Competitive pricing will be key to the EcoSport’s success in the highly price sensitive Indian car market. If Ford India emulates a Figo instead of the all new Fiesta with the EcoSport’s pricing, expect the carmaker to laugh all the way to the bank.
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2 Responses to “Brazil to get the Ford EcoSport Crossover on the 14th of July, 2012”
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Is the Brazilian Eco-Sport longer than 4 meters? if yes, is it possible to place jump seats at the back?
And with reference to the pricing, the Eco-sport should be well under the Duster by atleast 50,000 for the base model, as the Duster did not qualify for the reduced excise duty. Another point the Duster is a bigger and more spacious vehicle than the Eco-Sport, so if Ford tries to price it in the same price bracket with the Duster, then I wonder if Renault will be laughing all their way to the bank ( they have started to, considering 6000 bookings in 5 days).
So will Ford do the unthinkable and price the Eco-Sport superbly below the Duster, thereby taking Renault’s grin off its face.
Ford has to keep in mind, that in a price sensitive market like India, it is the volumes that count more that the margin of profit for each vehicle, as the volumes will eventually take care of the desired profits.
Would be expecting to hear some test drives from there. Now, who’s doesnt want to head there, apart from the car being the attraction.