Ford and Mahindra to co-develop three sub-4 m SUVs including next-gen Ford EcoSport - Report

Ford and Mahindra will co-develop a number of SUVs for the Indian market, says a new report from Autocar India. These new SUVs will include the next-gen Ford EcoSport as well as two more sub-4 m products.

Ford and Mahindra's recently announced agreement includes co-development of B-SUVs. The report says the next-gen Ford EcoSport will arrive as a jointly developed product by the two companies. Codenamed Ford B680, the next-gen Ford EcoSport will arrive in 2020. It is unclear whether this next-gen EcoSport will be specific to the Indian market or sold globally.

The report further adds that a new Maruti Vitara Brezza rival, codenamed Ford B763, will join Ford's SUV line-up in India before the arrival of the new EcoSport. In addition to that, the report says that the Blue Oval will launch a Mahindra S201 (SsangYong Tivoli)-based SUV as well. All this translates to a total of 3 sub-4 m SUVs. It will be interesting to see how the company positions these three sub-4 m SUVs in relation to their rivals and one another.

Also Read: Ford’s Jeep Compass rival to launch in India around 2021

Ford is bidding adieu to the One Ford strategy in India not only for locally manufactured SUVs but also for EVs owing to the price-sensitive nature of our market. While global markets will advance with high-tech EVs like Ford Focus Electric, India will get more cost-effective products like Ford Aspire Electric (name TBC). This model will use technology borrowed from Mahindra Electric and allow Ford to bid for EESL's EV orders. As the taxation on EVs does not vary as per their length, Ford will go for the longer version of the Ford Aspire for launching the pure electric variant.

[Source: Autocar India]