It no secret anymore that Jeep Compass SUV's success has prompted many automakers to launch a mid-sized SUV in the price range of Rs 10 to Rs 20 lakh. Toyota reportedly has a plan to bring in CH-R while Honda is seriously considering HR-V here. It seems that is not the end of the story as Ford is also planning to launch a new SUV.
Previous reports had claimed that Ford was considering the Kuga aka Espace SUV to take on Jeep Compass in India. A new report in Carwale claims Ford has another plan. The report claims Ford has realised that bringing the Escape to India as it is, would not be ideal because of the quantum of the segment and huge production cost. Hence, the American company will be developing a new low-cost SUV with a design inspired from the Kuga/Espace.
The SUV is expected to find the sweet spot between the Hyundai Creta and Jeep Compass in terms of price. In that case, we can expect it to be priced from Rs 12 lakh to Rs 16 lakh. At that price point, the new Ford SUV will be a threat to many established rivals here.
This new SUV might be called the Ford Escape as it goes in line with the names of other two SUVs in manufacturer's stable- the Ecosport and the Endeavour. It should ideally measure below five-metre length between 4300mm to 4400mm.
The five-seater SUV is expected to draw power from the 1.5-litre three-cylinder Dragon series petrol unit that debuted with the new EcoSport last year. The new mill develops 123hp at 6,500rpm and 150Nm at 4,500rpm in the EcoSport and it can be mated to either a five-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic. Ford may plonk same powertrain combination to the new SUV as well.
The purported model is expected to make a debut by the end of this year and market launch can be expected in early 2019.
Source: Carwale
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