Ford EcoSport may hit the roads this festive season with a new petrol engine

The 2018 Ford Ecosport is displayed during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Blinch - RTX2YDO8

Moneycontrol News 

The face-lifted Ford EcoSport will be launched in India during the festival season with a new petrol engine.

The new engine, that is part of the Dragon series of engines developed by the American carmaker, is going to have a 1.5-litre capacity and 120 hp.

The engine will also be installed by Ford in its new mid-sized sedan that is intended to rival other prime mid-level competitors in the Indian auto market such as the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and the Volkswagen Vento.

The updated Ford EcoSport has already hit the international markets with the Dragon series petrol engine.

Ford will also be launching a smaller 1.2-litre petrol engine, again part of the Dragon series, that will be used to power its small cars such as the Ford Figo, Ford Aspire and a new hatchback that Ford is still working on.

Reports suggest that the engine will be made out of aluminium and will work in reducing the vehicle’s weight by 10 percent as compared to the current four-cylinder Sigma unit, to offer a better mileage. The engine is also expected to be compliant with emission norms of the future.

The new 1.5 litre engine made its world premiere in Brazil this year.

The Dragon series is also supposed to have an exhausted manifold, a variable oil pump, a rocker shaft with hydrodynamic bearings and dual-valve independent control.

The revamped Ford EcoSport is expected to be launched in India in late September or early October with deliveries set to roll out from November 2017.

It is expected to be priced Rs 1 lakh higher than the outgoing model of the EcoSport, thus standing to an estimated Rs 7.10 lakh and Rs 10.38 lakh ex-showroom price. The car is expected to give competition to the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Honda WR-V, Mahindra TUV300 and the Tata Nexon in the compact SUV segment.

Further, starting 2018, Ford will start exporting the upcoming Ford EcoSport from India. The engines will be made in the Ford's new plant in Sanand, Gujarat.