After a sneak peek at a media preview in India yesterday, Ford has lifted the covers on the new EcoSport - a striking CUV that is being put through the pipeline with developing countries and markets in mind - including South Africa.
The EcoSport continues Ford's "Kinetic" design language that creates quite an imposing presence for a vehicle of its size (think Daihatsu Terios and Nissan Juke).
The new three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine at the heart of this model features turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable camshaft timing – all of which contribute to a blend of performance and fuel economy from what Ford claims to be its most technically advanced and efficient engine. Alhtough it has a displacement of just 1 000 cc, this smallest member of the EcoBoost family will produce in the region of 90 kW and 170 N.m of torque – from as low down as 1 700, all the way up to 4 500 r/min. It also emits less than 140 g/km of CO2.
The EcoSport is the latest addition to Ford’s rapidly expanding model line-up for the Asia-Pacific and Africa regions. The company aims to introduces 50 new vehicles to these markets by 2015. Production of the EcoSport will take place at Ford’s integrated Chennai plant , which has a production capacity of 200 000 units per annum.
The EcoSport has also been confirmed for South Africa, but when exactly it can be expected on home soil is not yet known.
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