Regular Indian Autos Blog readers know that Ford India has promised as many as 8 new products for the sub continent by mid decade, but the cars you see here are DEFINITELY NOT on that model sheet.
The first of the 8 products that graced India is the Ford Fiesta sedan which suffers due to its high pricing. The second product, the EcoSport SUV is just around the corner but Ford India is keeping people in the dark by not uttering a word about the launch date. If it clicks, it is going to make a meal out of the mini SUV market that poses very few threats presently.
If Ford prices the EcoSport well and ensures a smooth supply chain, we believed that it has the mettle to dismantle the Duster or the XUV500 as the biggest SUV launch in recent times.
Team-BHP forum member Mr. Prasadhminna snapped the LHD versions of Ford Fiesta hatchback and the Ford Fusion sedan that were undergoing tests in Chennai. The cars carried promptly visible stickers which read "Engineering Evaluation Vehicle", suggesting that the test mules are here as a part of Ford's global testing program.
Ford put these stickers on the cars knowing well that speculation will flow thick and fast on enthusiast websites and forums around the launch of these models.
The Ford Fusion sedan is an older generation car and carries a flex fuel badge hinting at an ethanol bi-fuel engine under the hood. Whatever it is, these cars are are not going to be launched in India.
Ford will strictly follow the 'One Ford' global strategy according to which all future Ford cars will be global models and won't be region specific. The Fusion spotted here is already phased out and the 2012 Fusion (Mondeo) is in place. The Fiesta hatchback does not have many years left in its lifecycle as well. So it is not possible that these cars, at least the state they've been spotted in today, will be launched in India.
We'd like to see a similar sticker printed on test mules of the Ford EcoSport that reads its launch date and tentative pricing, apart from having them parked in our basement each night with the keys left inside ;-)
[Source: Team-BHP.com]
