Ford Aspire facelift spotted testing in India; launch likely in 2018

Ford continues to test the facelifted model of Aspire compact sedan in India. A new prototype of the model has been spotted testing, this time near the company's Sanand Plant in Gujarat, where the car is currently being manufactured.

The US carmaker is testing a slew of models on the Indian roads including a new compact utility vehicle based on the Figo hatchback model and 2018 is going to be a busy one for the company considering the launches of these models.

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The latest images of the new Aspire facelift come from MotorBeam and it shows a partly camouflaged test mule of the sedan, indicating the changes are mainly on the front and rear of the model.

Going by the images, the new Aspire facelift is likely to get redesigned hexagonal front grille with new headlamp units and restyled front and rear bumper. The new Aspire could also get LED daytime running lamps and revised taillamp design. The side profile of the Aspire facelift many not go through many changes, except for the new multi-spoke alloy wheels.

There are no images of the interior of the new Aspire so far. However, the cabin of the sedan is also likely to be updated with new and advanced features like touchscreen display with Ford's SYNC3 in-car connectivity. The new facelifted model is also expected to get new upholstery and colour schemes.

As far as the powertrains of the Aspire are concerned, the updated avatar is rumoured to get new 1.2-litre petrol mill from the Dragon family will make it to the sedan. The engine will churn out 94 bhp and 115 Nm of peak torque and the same will also be introduced in the facelifted Figo and the new Figo crossover.

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Currently, Aspire is powered by 1.2-litre Ti-VCT, 1.5-litre TDCi and 1.5-litre Ti-VCT engines. While the former can churn out 87bhp at 6300rpm and 112Nm at 4000rpm of peak torque mated to a five-speed manual transmission, the 1.5-litre TDCi has the capacity to produce 99bhp of power and 215Nm of torque and will come with a five-speed manual gearbox.

The third engine in the line-up, the 1.5-litre Ti-VCT, is tuned to produce 110bhp at 6,300rpm and 136Nm at 4250rpm of torque with a 6-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox.

Ford is expected to launch the new Aspire facelift in India this year. Ford has already announced that it will launch a new model on January 31, which is expected to be the Figo Cross.