The 2018 Ford Figo sedan for export markets was officially unveiled recently. Its sub-4 m version sold in India as the Ford Aspire is expected to arrive shortly. IAB's automotive illustrator has created a rendering of the front and rear angle views of the 2018 Ford Aspire facelift.
The front is identical to the 2018 Ford Figo/2018 Ford Ka+. It features a new grille with chrome finish mesh flanked by headlight with minor revisions. The bumper features chrome inserts around the fog-lamp area. Its side profile differs from the 2018 Ford Figo sedan owing to the shorter length but looks identical to the current Ford Aspire.
The rendering of the rear section of the 2018 Ford Aspire is based on a recent uncamouflaged image of the compact sedan. Changes are minor and restricted primarily to the bumper, which gets faux air vents toward the edges.
Changes to the cabin will include a revised dashboard mimicking that of the Ford Freestyle. There will be centrally mounted touchscreen display for the SYNC3 infotainment suite. The steering wheel and instrument console are likely to be carried over with little to no changes. There could be new seat upholstery on offer as well. Spy shots reveal that the Aspire facelift's cabin will continue with a black and beige colour scheme.
Mechanical changes will come in the form of a new 1.2 L 3-cylinder petrol engine. This is the same unit that does duty on the Ford Freestyle developing 96 PS and 120 Nm. It will replace the outgoing model's 1.2 L 4-cylinder unit that makes 88 PS and 112 Nm. There will be a new 5-speed manual gearbox on offer as well. The 1.5 L diesel engine from the current car will be carried forward as is.
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Ford is offering heavy discounts on the Aspire until the June 30. This may indicate that the company intends to launch the new 2018 Ford Aspire in July and is hoping to clear out the existing stock by offering discounts. According to a report from March, the production of the outgoing Ford Aspire has already come to an end. Its hatchback sibling will arrive in October 2018 reportedly, followed by the Ford Endeavour facelift and the new Ford Mustang.