UAE - India-made Ford EcoSport to be launched next week

At the Dubai Motor Show which kicks off on the 5th of November, Ford will launch its mini SUV EcoSport, for the Middle East, in three trim levels. The cars are being shipped from the Chennai plant which already supplies to markets like Taiwan, South Africa, Mexico and Australia.

The EcoSport joins a lineup of bigger crossovers and SUVs such as the Edge, Explorer, Expedition, Flex and the Escape.

Ford says the region's compact utility segment is "fast growing" and the EcoSport would compete as a "value-for-money product", with its features as a selling point.

All EcoSport variants earmarked for the Middle East are fitted with a 1.5L petrol engine, paired to either a manual or an automatic transmission. Ford is not offering the Ecoboost and the 1.5L diesel engine.

On the features front, the EcoSport comes with Ford's SYNC®, the voice-activated in-car connectivity system, 60:40 split seats on the two higher variants, keyless entry (on the Titanium variant) and a push button start. Other features such as Pull-Drift Compensation, a 200 mm ground clearance, 550 mm water wading ability, maximum boot space of 705-liters and 20 cabin storage spaces stay the same. Ford is providing ABS and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) standard on all variants.

The new Fusion (Mondeo) also makes its Middle Eastern premiere at the motor show. Besides these two introductions, Ford's booth would have the full local lineup of cars, including the Taurus, Fiesta, Focus, Focus ST, Mustang GT, Mustang Shelby GT 500, Escape, Edge, Explorer, Expedition and Ranger.