A long line of Chinese-spec Ford EcoSports are snapped at the manufacturing plant, which means two things -
- Ford has engaged test production.
- Ford has already started producing the EcoSport in China
The Ford EcoSport is manufactured in China by the Chang’an-Ford joint venture and CarNewsChina.com updates its readers that the market introduction is sometime in early 2013. The national launch will be held at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November, as the premiere or unveiling was held at the Beijing Auto Show in April.
The variants spied outside the factory are Titanium versions that draw power from a completely new 1-liter three cylinder EcoBoost engine that makes 120hp and 170Nm. CarNewsChina.com says a three-cylinder is associated in China with underpowered, outdated cars, and hence a bigger engine, perhaps displacing 1.8-liters at max, can be expected to debut in China after the launch.
In India the EcoSport will come with a diesel engine right from the time of launch. Ford will certainly sell an AT variant, but whether this is a dual clutch or a single clutch system, we're yet to understand.
Yesterday we showed you spyshots of a fully camouflaged EcoSport testing in the U.S. The vehicle has been put on the Brazilian market and has 100 countries to tick on its travel planner. So then, Ford's B-Segment mini SUV is truly a global product.
The new EcoSport will have a starting price of approximately 100,000 yuan (8.74 lakh rupees) in China.
[Source - AutoHome.com.cn via CarNewsChina.com]
