Ford will launch the new generation Ford Escort at the Beijing Auto Show next Sunday. The C+ segment sedan is made for China to sandwich the Fiesta and the Mondeo, battling the VW Sagitar, Citroen C4L, Hyundai Mistra and the Qoros 3 sedan - all Chinese-specific creations.
The car maybe of interest to Indians as it revives a familiar nameplate. It returning to India depends on the evolution of the D segment sedan market which at the moment is being taken over by SUVs and well-featured C-Segment sedans.
The sub-segment which the Escort targets is the customer who needs a more comfortable rear seat experience than what the Focus offers. Ford has openly not ruled out the possibility of selling the Escort outside China in markets where this need is identified.
From a couple of spyshots published on Chinese website Autohome, we are able to get our first look at the production car, which is one of 15 launches Ford has planned in China by 2015. Nearly identical to the concept presented at Auto Shanghai 2013, the car features an upright grille and the elongated, jeweled headlamps similar to the concept, sans the LED element.
While powertrain details have not been announced, the Chinese website is reporting a 1.5-liter unit in naturally aspirated and turbocharged guise. The latter would be the Ecoboost unit that launched on the Chinese Mondeo last year.
[Source - Autohome.com.cn]
