2018 Ford Aspire (facelift) spotted undisguised
The Ford Figo and Ford Aspire are set to receive facelifts this year. First to arrive will be the 2018 Ford Aspire (facelift), reportedly in June. A new spy shot shared by Facebook page Auto Adrenalin reveals the rear end of the updated model.
The test mule is devoid of any camouflage revealing all the changes that have been made to the rear and side. The 201 Ford Aspire gets a new rear bumper with faux vents towards the edges. Minor changes have been made to the tail lamp as they get revised detailing. As evident from the lack of chrome garnish on the boot, black door handles, and wheel covers, this here is likely to be one of the entry-level grades of the Aspire. Earlier sightings of test mules have revealed updates to the nose in form of a new bumper, a new mesh grille, and a revised headlight cluster.
Earlier in May, a spy shot surfaced online revealing the changes to the interior. The 2018 Ford Aspire will get a revised dashboard layout similar to the Ford Freestyle's dashboard. The most prominent change will be in the form of the addition of a touchscreen display for the infotainment system.
In late March, it was reported that the production of the current first generation Ford Aspire had come to an end at Ford's facility in Gujarat. Series production of the Ford Aspire facelift may have commenced already with an official announcement regarding its launch expected to take place in the coming weeks.
The current 4-cylinder 1.2 L Ti-VCT petrol engine that powers the Aspire is likely to be replaced with the Freestyle's 3-cylinder 1.2 L unit paired with a new 5-speed manual transmission. The 1.5 L diesel engine is expected to be carried over unchanged.
Ford launched the Figo based Freestyle CUV towards the end of April 2018. Following the launch of the 2018 Ford Aspire in June, the company will introduce the 2018 Ford Figo in October.
Also Read - Ford EcoSport S launched
The company has tied up with Mahindra to develop future products. The resultant products of the Ford-Mahindra partnership will include SUVs and EVs. As per reports, Mahindra is helping develop the Ford Aspire EV for India. Ford will also borrow Mahindra's platform for a C-segment SUV for the Indian market.
[source - Facebook]