2017 Ford EcoSport to be exported to US from Chennai plant

American carmaker Ford showcased new EcoSport at the Los Angeles Auto Show that began on 14 November. Despite being sold in over 100 markets, the homeland of the manufacturer never got the pre-facelift version. Now, the new version has been confirmed for the US market and it will be imported from the Chennai plant in India.

The EcoSport will go on sale in the US market in 2018 and it is going to be made in India and imported into the US, reports USA Today. "We build EcoSport in six locations around the globe. We sell it in 100 markets, and so, just like we make Explorers and export from here into other global markets, we are going to export EcoSport from Asia Pacific, and we are going to sell it here in the US," the daily quoted Michael O'Brien, Ford Marketing Manager for SUVs.

Ford Chennai's plant currently manufactures EcoSport for the domestic market as well as for export to markets such as South Africa, Taiwan, Australia and several European countries. The company has already said that it will shift the manufacturing of EcoSport SUV's European-spec batches from its Chennai plant to Romania by the end of 2017. Hence, the US spec will replace the European-spec in Chennai plant.

The new EcoSport features one-piece hexagonal grille in place of the split grille in the current version. The new grille houses two horizontal chrome slats. The headlamps, fog lamps and the front bumper have been reworked at front. The side profile remains untouched barring new alloy wheels. The rear door mounted spare wheel, one of the highlights in the design of the current EcoSport, has been dropped in the US version.

EcoSport will be sold in S, SE, SES and Titanium variants. It will feature more advanced SYNC3 infotainment technology. At the centre of the new dashboard, a new 8-inch screen working in tandem with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto commands, and B&O Play audio settings have been added.

Ford EcoSport will also be sold in SES series that will feature Intelligent 4WD, sport-tuned suspension and steering, copper accents for the interior and sport seats. In the US, the new EcoSport will go on sale with 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine or 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, both with six-speed automatic transmissions.