The Ford EcoSport for Europe was just unveiled at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show.
Even though the compact crossover SUV which is based on the Fiesta platform is a 'One Ford' global model, it is fully developed in Brazil with inputs from rest of the Ford's subsidiaries. Naturally the car has been engineered with emerging markets in mind and that could result in a slight disadvantage when it comes to developed markets.
For example, the prime markets for the EcoSport are countries like Brazil, India, China and South Africa. Due to packaging bottlenecks Ford decided to mount the spare wheel on the tailgate which may not go well with European customers.
Considering that EcoSport is targeting car buyers in emerging markets, the decision has to be predominantly inclined towards satisfying target customer needs. That explains why the EcoSport looks rugged and tough while its European rivals like the Renault Captur or the Peugeot 2008 look like grown up hatchbacks, more inline with European liking without a hard-edge design.
Ford doesn't have ambitious sales targets for the EcoSport in Europe to start with. However the company says the downplaying of high sales expectation is not because of the lack of demand but due to production limitations. The EcoSport for Europe will be shipped from India where local demand is expected to limit the export volume.
Mr. Martin Smith, executive design director for Ford of Europe says that, "It may not sell in the volumes that it will in India and South America, but for someone who wants a cute, tough little urban vehicle I think it's the answer."
[Source: Autonews.com]
