Ford’s New Compact SUV for India: Fresh Details And Pictures

With rumors of Ford’s comeback to the Indian market growing stronger, we now have more reports suggesting that the American car manufacturer will be introducing a compact SUV in India. Last month, we came across a report where Ford had patented a new design for an SUV, and it didn’t resemble any of the models sold abroad. This is expected to be an all new compact SUV from Ford that will rival the likes of the Maruti Grand Vitara and Hyundai Creta.

Ford C-SUV – Render imageBased on the design images that have surfaced online, we now have several renderings that show what the upcoming compact SUV from Ford might look like. It is rumored to be a crossover that will replace the Ford EcoSport, which was the entry-level SUV from Ford when it was on sale in India.

When compared to other Ford models, this upcoming SUV has a different-looking front fascia. In fact, it looks similar to the prototype that Ford had made back in 2020. The SUV features a large front grille with the Ford logo in the center. The grille is extended in such a manner that it meets the vertically stacked LED DRLs or turn indicators.

The bumper of the SUV is not designed to look rugged. It gets a premium SUV-like finish with vertically stacked headlamps on the bumper. The renderings show chrome portions on the wheel arch cladding. It is just a rendering, and we feel Ford might try to stay away from chrome, especially on this panel.

The lower part of the bumper gets a gloss black finish, and a similar treatment can be seen on the side running board as well. The renderings show a blacked-out roof with no panoramic or regular sunroof or shark fin antenna. The fuel lid of the SUV is placed on the left side, and just next to it, we get a glimpse of the wrap-around tail lamps. It is expected to be an LED unit.

The overall design of the SUV looks premium, and it feels like an improvement from the EcoSport. Ford is expected to offer a premium-looking cabin with features like a large touchscreen infotainment screen, a digital instrument cluster, leatherette upholstery, a multi-function steering wheel, a wireless phone charger, and so on.

The upcoming Ford SUV is expected to be based on Ford’s VX-772 platform. Initially, the plan was to use a 1.5-liter turbo petrol engine from Mahindra, but as the partnership did not go as planned, they have decided to drop the Mahindra engine and are expected to use a new engine developed for this SUV. There is also a possibility that Ford might offer a diesel engine too.

The SUV will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Skoda Kushaq, and Volkswagen Taigun. The SUV is expected to debut in India and will be introduced to foreign markets like South America, North America, Europe and Australia at a later stage. Ford has already imported an Endeavour, which was spotted on a flatbed in Chennai.

Just behind the Endeavour, we also spotted a white Ranger pickup, which Ford might be considering for our market. After exiting the Indian market, there were talks about Ford selling their Chennai plant to other manufacturers. However, they have not done that, which strengthens the rumors of Ford coming back.

Via: Carscoops