On the 1st of August, Ford Brazil began production of the EcoSport, a very important model for the American company in that region, at the Camcari plant. Plenty of contribution to the car's design and engineering have come from that part of the world.
The EcoSport is also the first global Ford product that is assembled in that country. IAB readers were told that production of the Fiesta facelift, assumed to be the second global product from Brazil, will begin in the next few months.
The first unit to emerge from the assembly lines was a 1.6i Flex Freestyle trim sporting a silver gray body color. This car is already taken by a customer who made the deposit in the pre-sale bookings.
The EcoSport will initially be offered in Brazil in two trims (FreeStyle and S), and prices range between 53,490 and 59,990 reals (14.65 - 16.43 lakh rupees). Please note that the Brazilian prices do not give away clues to the Indian car's price positioning. In India the EcoSport enjoys the excise benefits of a small car.
Ford has announced China, Thailand and India as manufacturing points and its intent to sell it in 100 countries earlier this year. Ford India has confirmed that the EcoSport will be launched in both petrol and diesel early next year, and volumes earmarked for exports will also be an integral part of the local production.
It was reported earlier this year that Ford is investing over 700 crore at its Chennai plant to get the EcoSport's production underway.
Ford will fit the Indian vehicle with an advanced 1-liter Ecoboost petrol engine. Ford is certainly working on an AT version, but we're not sure whether its a Powershift for the petrol or a simpler unit paired to the diesel mill.
Ford India is unlikely to localize the Ecoboost engine in the initial stages.
[Source - revista.webmotors.com.br]
