American carmaker Ford's Indian subsidiary is inching closer to the launch of Freestyle, a Figo hatchback-based crossover. Ahead of the rumored launch April 18, Ford India has opened online booking for the first 100 units of the crossover on e-commerce website Amazon.
For those planning to book the Ford Freestyle can place an order on Amazon from 2.00pm onwards April 14. The booking is open for 24 hours for a token amount of Rs 10,000. Those placing the order can pick their choice of variant, the color of the car and the engine option online. The customers opting for this facility will be amongst the first few to drive home the Ford Freestyle, according to a company statement.
Ford calls the Freestyle as India's first compact utility vehicle (CUV). The exterior add-ons in the Freestyle include a new black-colored mesh grille, faux silver skid plates, beefy front and rear bumpers, a new bonnet and blacked-out headlights up front. To add to the off-road appeal, the Freestyle gets body cladding, roof rails and also 15-inch alloy wheels. The Freestyle comes with 15mm extra ground clearance, Active Rollover Prevention and it also gets a sporty suspension set up.
The Ford Freestyle will be powered by a new 1.2-liter Ti-VCT petrol engine. The petrol mill is tuned to churn out 95bhp of power and 120Nm of torque. The tried-and-tested 1.5-liter engine is expected to power diesel models of Freestyle, which produces 99bhp and 215 Nm of peak torque.
Ford Freestyle will come in four variants — Ambiente, Trend, Titanium, and Titanium+. The crossover will be offered in Canyon Ridge, Absolute Black, Moondust Silver, Oxford White, White Gold and Smoke Grey color options. Ford Freestyle will be equipped with 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, HLA, and ESP as well as other measures on the safety front.
"Through this partnership with Amazon, Ford is bringing an exclusive opportunity for such customers to own India's first compact utility vehicle Ford Freestyle, from the convenience of their homes, offices or wherever they may be," said Rahul Gautam, vice president marketing, Ford India