Ford launches EcoSport at Rs 5.59 lakh

Car maker Ford today launched one of the most awaited cars of the year, the Ford EcoSport, at a starting price of Rs 5.59 lakh.

The Ford EcoSport will be available with three engines options -- the 1-litre EcoBoost petrol, 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol, and the 1.5-litre TDCi diesel. The 1.5 Ti-VCT will have the option of a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox (same as the one in the Fiesta) while the rest of the variants will sport a five-speed manual.

The EcoSport will be available in seven colours and there will 38 accessories to choose from.

Ford India is betting big on the new compact sports utility vehicle, which is the second-generation version of the model that was developed in Brazil and first launched in South America in 2003.

"We expect the EcoSport to be a game-changer for Ford in India and also set a benchmark in the Indian auto industry," Ford India president and managing director Joginder Singh said at the launch. The company has already started taking bookings of the vehicle and deliveries will start from today, Mr. Singh added.

Ford India has invested $142 million at its Chennai plant to manufacture the EcoSport.

The company had stated that the EcoSport would play a significant role in its aggressive global plan to achieve a 50 per cent increase in worldwide sales by mid-decade to eight million vehicles a year. The Asia-Pacific and Africa regions were expected to contribute 60-70 per cent to that target.

Ford India has already put in plans to export the EcoSport to about 40 countries, which will start within few months of its launch in the domestic market.

Ford is investing $1 billion to set up its second production facility at Sanand that will be operational by 2014. The plant will have an installed output capacity of 2.4 lakh vehicles and 2.7 lakh engines annually.

With completion of the Sanand plant in Gujarat, Ford India will have a total installed capacity of rolling out 4.4 lakh vehicles and 6.1 lakh engines every year.