Ford EcoSport
Ford EcoSportFord

American car maker Ford is inching closer to launching the facelifted avatar of EcoSport. Emerging reports indicate that the premiere is scheduled at Sao Paulo International Motor Show on November 8.

Ford launched EcoSport in India in 2013 and there were no rivals then. Over the last four years, the compact SUV space in India has seen a rapid growth. Being the early bird, EcoSport was well received, but with the arrival of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Mahindra TUV300, sales of EcoSport saw a marginal decline. The facelift is expected to give a breath of fresh air to EcoSport. Here is what we can expect from the EcoSport facelift.

-2017 Ford EcoSport facelift will get a revised front grille with sharp edges in line with the Kuga SUV from the company's international portfolio. The new grille will be flanked by newly designed sweptback headlamps.

-Rear door mounted spare wheel is one of the highlights in the design of the current EcoSport. There were rumours that Ford will drop it in the EcoSport facelift. Emerging reports indicate that Ford will retain the spare wheel on the rear door.

-The cabin will be spruced up with a new steering wheel, instrument panel, centre console and colour display for SYNC 2 infotainment system. The basic layout of the dashboard will remain unchanged.

-In addition to the reworked current engine line-up, a new 1.5-litre 'Dragon' three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine is also linked with the new EcoSport.

-New EcoSport's production for European market will be moved to Romania from the Chennai plant in India. The Chennai plant will now produce the new version for the domestic market, Asian countries and USA.

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