Ford C-SUV Still On Track Despite Ford-Mahindra JV Being Called Off
Ford and Mahindra recently called off their proposed joint venture in a rather surprising move. The partnership would have seen as many as seven different models co-developed by both the brands. One of the most exciting products coming up from this partnership would have been Ford's new C-Segment SUV which would have been a sister car to the next-gen Mahindra XUV500. Interestingly, Ford and Mahindra will still go ahead with the plan to jointly produce the C-segment SUVs, in spite of the joint venture being called off.
Ford and Mahindra have jointly decided to work on the upcoming C-Segment SUV under a separate agreement called "Project Black". Both the brands had already begun work on their respective SUVs a while ago and had also made significant investments. The project is already in an advanced stage of development. Ford's version of the next-gen Mahindra XUV500 will thus see the light of day.
Also Read : Ford-Mahindra Joint Venture Called Off In A Surprising Turn Of Events
Mahindra is expected to launch the new XUV500 by April this year. The Ford C-SUV will come after a period of eight to nine months. That means we are looking at an early 2022 debut for Ford's version of the XUV500. Both the SUVs will have a lot in common, including their powertrain and underpinnings. However, both the models will have completely unique interior and exterior styling pertaining to their brand's respective design language.
The next-gen Mahindra XUV500 has been spied testing on our roads several times, even in close-to-production guise. However, we haven't have had a single sighting of Ford's version of the SUV yet. The upcoming Ford C-SUV will be filling the huge gap in Ford's lineup in India that exists between the Ecosport and the Endeavor. It will be Ford's second three-row SUV for India, after the Endeavor, but will be positioned at a much more affordable price point.
Apart from this C-SUV project, Mahindra will still be supplying Ford with their 1.2-litre TGDi turbo-petrol engine as was announced earlier. Ford will be putting this engine to use on the Ecosport as it will essentially be a replacement for the Ecosport's 1.0L turbo-petrol variant that was discontinued earlier this year as we adopted the BS6 norms. This version of the EcoSport is expected to launch later this year.
Stay to tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for the latest Ford and Mahindra updates and other four-wheeler news.
[News Source - Autocar India]