| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Production | 2004–present |
| Assembly | Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil |
| Body style | 4-door SUV |
| Layout | Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |
| Platform | Ford B3 platform |
| Engine | 2.0L I4 1.0L I4 1.6L I4 1.4L I4 Diesel |
| Transmission | 4-speed automatic 5-speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 2,490 mm (98.0 in) |
| Length | 4,228 mm (166.5 in) |
| Width | 1,980 mm (78.0 in) |
| Height | 1,679 mm (66.1 in) |
| Related | Ford Fiesta Ford Fusion Mazda2 |
The Ford EcoSport is a mini SUV built in Brazil by Ford. The EcoSport is one of Ford's best-seller models in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Mexico. Its main competitors are the Fiat Palio Weekend Adventure, Volkswagen CrossFox.
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The first generation of EcoSport was designed by the Ford-US Truck Vehicle Center (program code BV226) and heavily based on the Cologne built European Fusion - but restyled with sport features to avoid the grey owner the European version is so popular with.
The EcoSport has been available with five I4 engines:
All models have front-wheel drive with manual transmission as standard. The 2.0 L model can also receive a four-speed automatic transmission or four-wheel drive. In the latter case, an electronically controlled system lets the driver engage the rear axle from the dashboard.
Since the EcoSport went on sale, the car has sold well, consistently appearing on the 10 best-selling vehicles on Brazil list.
In late 2007 a restyling was introduced, which renewed the front to bring it closer to modern Ford pick-ups as well as the recent Brazilian Fiesta restyling, and updated the rear lights and interior materials.
The Ford Ecosport arrived in late 2003 to Mexico as a 2004 model. The reception by the public was impressive and continued until 2006. For the 2007 model year, sales of the small SUV began slipping and stopped being a hot seller. Compared to 15,000 units sold in 2004, only 10,000 units of the 2007 model year were sold. This trend continued to worsen for the refreshed 2008 model year due in part to a price increase. Only 6,345 units of the 2008 model year were sold, and 2009 model year sales through July 2009 were a mere 2,135 units. Due to decreasing sales, and heightened competition from the Ford Escape, Ford has announced that a shortened 2010 model year will be the last sold in Mexico. Sources inside Ford Mexico have announced that the Ecosport will be phased out early next year. The Nissan X-trail, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 are amongst the most popular SUVs in Mexico presently, however its popularity as a used SUV has reached its peak and for this, Ford is preparating the next generation of this SUV for this market.
Ford is preparing a new generation of Ecosport based on the 2011 Ford Fiesta platform. It won't be sold exclusively at Latin America and will become to be a global car.
A concept car of Ecosport was presented just a day before the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo, in India on 4th January.
The Ford Ecosport price is expected to be between Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh due to its compact design and segment trend. The EcoSport will be powered by a 1.0-litre, 3 cylinder Turbocharged EcoBoost petrol engine which has a power output of 118 BHP and 170 Nm of Torque. The engine features Ti-VCT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing) which plays a part in the turbocharged engine’s peak torque starting at 1,300 rpm. If the speculated price proves to be same, the SUV might see huge success in the country as has been witnessed in Brazil.
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