Ford and Mahindra have officially announced to end their discussions on the proposed automotive joint venture. This lead to a speculation that the upcoming Ford-Mahindra SUVs including a C-SUV and a mid-sized SUV will also be called off. However, it is now confirmed that the Ford C-SUV based on the Mahindra’s upcoming XUV500 will still be launched in India.
Ford and Mahindra had joined hands to develop the new C-segment SUV under a separate agreement called “Project Black.” The companies had invested heavily on the new SUV, and the project is already in advance stages of development. While the next-generation Mahindra XUV500 is scheduled to be launched by March-April 2021, the Ford C-SUV will be introduced by the end of this year or early 2022.
Not just platform, the upcoming Ford C-SUV will share several components from the XUV500. The new model is expected to share close to 75% of the components from the sibling Mahindra SUV. The C-SUV and the XUV500 will be produced at the same production-line. Ford engineers will tweak the chassis and suspension set-up, and it will have Ford-like driving dynamics.
The Ford C-SUV is expected to be offered in both 5 and 7-seat options. It will directly rival the MG Hector, Tata Harrier, Jeep Compass, Tata Gravitas and others in its category. The SUV is likely to be offered with 2 engine options – a 2.0L turbocharged petrol and a new 2.2/2.0L turbocharged diesel engine. While the former is capable of producing 190bhp and 330Nm of torque, the oil burner is likely to produce around 180bhp and 400Nm of torque. Both manual and automatic versions will be on offer. Front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive system will be on offer.
Not just the C-SUV, Ford will also introduce the EcoSport with Mahindra’s 1.2-litre TGDi turbocharged petrol engine. This engine will come as a replacement for the EcoSport’s 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which was discontinued on the arrival of the BS6 emission norms. This model is likely to be introduced in the next few months.
Source – ACI
