Ford, recently, updated the variant list of some of its models in India including Figo, Aspire and Freestyle. While that was for the hatchback segment, this time around, the chances are that the variant update will impact the highest-selling Ford product in the country, the EcoSport. The EcoSport has been the most successful product for Ford in India since its launch. Although, Ford has not interfered with the winning-formula too much, meaning, they have not updated the compact SUV too much. This time around as well, Ford is supposedly trying to add another variant to EcoSport. This variant is the one that Ford exports to other countries from India. However, there is a fun fact with this variant, it might not come with a spare wheel at all! Let us look at what this means in a little detail.
Also read: Ford grows 149% YoY – Reshuffles variants of Figo, Aspire and Freestyle!
Ford EcoSport – SE Variant
The SE variant is likely to be placed below the top-spec for petrol, as well as, diesel engines. The talking point of this variant, however, is the absence of a spare wheel, not only from the tailgate but also from the entire vehicle. If you take a look at the Vehicle Regulations, a vehicle with a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, that weighs less than 3.5 tons and has a capacity of upto 9 seats (including the driver), does not require to carry a spare wheel. Instead, in fact, it will come with tubeless tyres and a tyre puncture repair kit. These two factors should suffice to eliminate the need to carry a spare wheel with the car. The design of this variant is the same as the exported variants. This variant is currently exported to various parts of Europe from India and therefore, Ford does not have to specifically manufacture this variant for India.
Also read: Updated 2021 Ford EcoSport might be launched by mid-2021!
This makes a lot of sense to update the lineup without actually having to make changes to the entire fleet of EcoSport. This might help Ford gain back some sales that it lost in January 2021, when compared to January 2020. In January of this year, Ford managed to sell only 2,266 units of the EcoSport as compared to the same month the year before where it sold 3,852 units. However, in December 2020, Ford sold a mere 934 units of the EcoSport. This inclusion should give EcoSport a much-needed boost in the coming months.
Also read: Mahindra and Ford Joint Venture called off!
Ford EcoSport – SE Variant – Engine and Prices
The EcoSport is likely to remain unchanged under the hood with both petrol and diesel powertrains available on offer. The petrol unit is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine making 120hp and 149Nm and the 1.5-diesel making 98hp and 215Nm. The petrol engine comes mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic and the diesel comes with just a 5-speed manual gearbox option. The prices for this variant can be expected to be just below the top-trim variants, which means around Rs 10 lakh for the petrol and around 11 lakh for the diesel. This is a necessary step by Ford to stay in the game of compact SUV segment and compete against the likes of recently launched and the most affordable SUV in the country, the Renaut Kiger and Nissan Magnite.
