Ford EcoSport spied by IAB reader this morning in Chennai; Never-before-known secrets revealed

Holy cow! The testing of the Ford Ecosport has begun in India. IAB’s avid reader Gokulraj G Kanagaraj (the man behind ZapStore.com) has sent us the spyshots of the Ford Ecosport being tested right here on home soil. Gokul was returning home from the gym this morning when he caught the vehicle near Tambaram, Chennai. This means that the arrival of the much-awaited compact SUV era in India is not far from now!

However, that’s not all! Thanks to our friends at Autoblog.com.ar, we bring you some never-before-known juicy secrets of the production version of Ford EcoSport.

Design

• Ford says that the production version of the Ecosport will not be that different from the concept one. However, you already know that because we brought you all the shots of the production version of the Ecosport from Brazil yesterday afternoon.
• No LED headlamps for the production version - A rage kicked up on the internet because of its absence. Readers are asking Ford to design and offer it as an accessory.
• The C-Pillar will be blackened which will make it appear that the side glass is integrated into the bezel.
• The spare wheel will be located on the tailgate. Ford was undecided on the position of the spare wheel at first. So they conducted a research on this subject and the outcome was that the external spare wheel gives the EcoSport a masculine, off roader identity.
• A total of 83 designers worked on the EcoSport design, many were from Brazil.

Interiors

• We all complained that Ford did not reveal any details on the interiors of the EcoSport at the 2012 AutoExpo in New Delhi. Ford now reveals that the concept of the Ford EcoSport did not have any interiors.
• The EcoSport interiors will be influenced by the Ford B-max but at the same time will have its own identity.
• Ford reveals that the build quality will take a big leap.
• It will feature sync entertainment system that allows interaction with the cell phone via Bluetooth and includes input for iPod.

Mechanicals

• The production version has slightly different dimensions than the concept one.
•  The wheelbase remains at 2.49 meters, while the width increased to 1.75 meters (two inches) and height dropped from 1.68 to 1.65 meters, including the trunk. The length has also been lowered to 4.17 from 4.23 meters. So in India the Ford EcoSport will not enjoy any sub 4 meter tax cuts as some may have believed.
• It will have 17-inch wheels with 205/55 profile tyres.
• Just like Maruti Suzuki has Lxi, Vxi and Zxi, the variant list of the Ford EcoSport may have names like XLS and XLT.
• Yes, the Ford EcoSport will also be offered in 4WD variants for all you off-road junkies
• Front wheel drive will have a rigid axle suspension in the hindquarters; the 4 × 4 will have multi-link rear suspension.
• Ford currently has not had the time to test the PowerShift dual clutch on the Ford EcoSport. But the American automaker definitely plans to start work on the automatic transmission for EcoSport very soon.
• In Argentina, the Ford Ecosport will be placed above the Renault Duster in terms of price and positioning. May be similar strategy will be followed in India.

Safety

• Ford has tested the EcoSport for all global safety test and it has come out with flying colors.
• The production version will have ABS brakes, stability control and seven airbags

According to Autoblog Argentina, the Ford EcoSport will be first manufactured and launched in Brazil before any other market. The gap between the SOP in Brazil and India could be a few days. We can hardly wait for the India launch!

Do not forget to check out the full article at Autoblog.com.ar.