2013 Geneva Motor Show: India made Ford EcoSport to be launched in Europe by late 2013

Ford is showcasing the European version of the Ecosport at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show. The compact SUV will be launched in Europe by late 2013 and will be exported from Ford’s Chennai facility in India. Stephen Odell, chief of Ford Europe, confirmed this to Reuters during a media roundtable.

Importing the Ecosport from India will give Ford better margins in the deteriorating European auto market. The company aims to just hold its existing market this year without losing too much profitability. Ford is banking on their utility vehicles to support operations in Europe and has set targets to sell a million SUVs in Europe in the coming five years.

The European spec Ecosport is expected to get few additional features over the Indian version. The export market vehicle will have Ford SYNC AppLink, which lets customer control apps on smart phone via voice command. It will also connect directly with the local emergency services in case of an accident and pre-select the introductory line on basis of the location from the GPS input.

The compact crossover will get the efficient 1.0-litre Ecoboost option in Europe, along with the 1.5-litre 110bhp naturally aspirated petrol and 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel units.