Ford India to launch EcoSport on March 4?

The launch date of the Ford Ecosport has been a mystery for a while and Ford has not said a word in that regards as yet. We are still waiting for their tweet !!!  But for now we have an interesting update from Top Gear India; they claim that the compact crossover will be launched on March 4. TG India says that Ford has been delaying the launch till after the 2013 Union Budget to get the prices -right.

It does make sense to defer the launch till the budget, as any new policy from the government might directly affect car prices.  No manufacturer will want to launch a car and then immediately announce a price. However, even if Ford announces the prices next week, the deliveries for the cars will not commence immediately. The company will be in position to dispatch cars only after the prices are fixed; so in this case the first lot will reach the showrooms earliest by the start of April.

Edit: We have just received a confirmation that Ford will not launch the the EcoSport on March 4 as speculated earlier, however it will be launching the Figo Celebration edition in New Delhi on that day to mark the third anniversary of the hatchback being launched in India. 

Ford had already announced a few months ago that it would price the Ecosport very aggressively to ensure that it sold well and given that it major rival the Renault Duster is likely to be launched in a cut price version, it is imperative that Ford get its pricing for the EcoSport correctly. It is also likely that Ford is banking on the EcoSport to replicate the success of the Figo hatchback and the Ikon sedan; two cars from two different periods that helped it come back from the verge of closing operations.

We already know quite a bit about the Ford EcoSport. It is a sub-four metre compact crossover and will be powered by a 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel mill that currently powers the Fiesta sedan.  Power will be transmitted to the front wheels via five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic.

We got access to spy shots of the interiors and found out that most of the car was similar to the Brazilian-spec model. The kinetic design theme has been used inside and the EcoSport will be the first vehicle to get Ford patented SYNC technology.

The EcoSport has been spotted testing extensively and has now reached dealerships. The company in conjunction with its Asia pacific division also held an EcoSport familiarisation programme for its trainers last month.  We also know that many dealers had begun taking bookings for the EcoSport and were charging between Rs 25000 to Rs 50000 but had to stop due to overwhelming demand and lack of clarity on the launch. 

Click here to read our preview of the Ford EcoSport

Click here to see all the latest developments on the Ford EcoSport

Edit: The Ford EcoSport has been launched for Rs 5.59 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)
Edit: Here is our live coverage of the launch for the Ford EcoSport