Ford unveiled a compact sport utility vehicle, EcoSport that will be made at Ford India's plant near Chennai. The vehicle comes with a new one liter, three cylinder petrol engine with turbo charger and direct injection. The company says it will match the performance of a 1.6 liter engine.

The company did not give a launch date nor did it reveal the price. But, Mr Alan Mulally president and CEO of Ford Motor Company told journalists that it was likely to be introduced in India towards this year end. The new engine would give a 30% increase in mileage and a 20% reduction in CO2 emission.

The EcoSport, built on the same platform as the Fiesta sedan, is the second of the eight models that Ford said it would launch in India by the middle of this decade. The first was the new Fiesta that was launched a few months ago.

EcoSport, according to Mr Michael Boneham president and MD of Ford India will fit into small car segment. It will also have diesel and other engine options.

(Sourced from BL)