Ford to facelift EcoSport crossover in 2016

The Ford EcoSport will get its first major revamp in 2016, four years after its launch. The EcoSport was launched in India in 2012, and the facelift will be made available in India as well. The compact crossover that measures under 4 meters in length is a hot seller for Ford in India, despite production constraints limiting availability of the EcoSport.

A large chunk of the crossover’s (nearly 35 %) production is also exported from Ford’s Indian factory to many parts of the world including Europe. One downside of the large export volumes is that waiting periods of the EcoSport in India have been quite high, and this has been driving away many potential buyers.

Ford India’s focus on exports could have to do with better realizations that exports bring to the table. Battered with losses for many years in India, the American car maker seems to be cashing in on the EcoSport’s success by cranking up export volumes.

Coming back to the facelifted version of the EcoSport, the exact details on what will be changed on the facelifted model remain unknown for now. However, the facelifted model will mark the crossover’s entry into the North American car market, in 2016.

Expect major cosmetic changes and mechanical improvements as the facelift will come at the middle of the crossover’s life cycle. The facelifted model could begin testing cycles from next year as a major facelift usually sees a full year of testing before being launched globally.

In the interim, a minor refresh with additional features such as a sunroof option and daytime running LEDs may be added. Currently, the EcoSport sold in India gets three engine options – a 1 liter-3 cylinder EcoBoost turbo petrol motor, a 1.5 liter-4 cylinder Ti-VCT petrol motor and a 1.5 liter-4 cylinder TDCI turbo diesel engine.

All engines operate with a 5 speed manual gearbox as standard fare while the 1.5 liter petrol engine gets a 6 speed dual clutch automatic gearbox as an option. The EcoSport sold in India is front wheel driven although Ford does offer an all wheel drive mechanism equipped model internationally.

Via TheEconomicTimes