Ford SUVs for India will have completely different top-hats compared to their respective Mahindra counterparts
We all know that Ford Motor Company has entrusted Mahindra with a significant part of its Indian operations moving forward. As per this arrangement, future Ford products for India will share their underpinnings with Mahindra vehicles and also will be manufactured by the Indian UV specialist.
The Blue Oval’s production facilities at Chennai and Sanand will come under the umbrella of new Mahindra-Ford JV. However, Ford will perform marketing, sales and service operations independently.
The first Ford car to use Mahindra platform, is codenamed CX757. It is basically based on the new gen 2021 Mahindra XUV500 (codenamed W605) which has spied in production guise on our roads. This confirms that the launch of new XUV500 is nearing. Now, a new photo has been leaked, which claims to be of new Ford SUV based on Mahindra XUV500.
Pininfarina styling for India-bound Ford SUV
Ford’s India-bound SUVs will be designed by Mahindra-owned Pininfarina. The iconic 90-year-old Italian automotive design studio which has now emerged into a full fledged engineering firm has a rich heritage to show for itself.
Ford C-SUV
The first of the upcoming Fords to receive Pininfarina treatment will be the C-segment SUV codenamed CX757. It will share its platform with the upcoming Mahindra XUV500 but the top-hat will be completely different from the donor car which may or may not have inputs from Pininfarina.
The Ford C-SUV will be pitted against the likes of Tata Harrier, MG Hector and Jeep Compass in the Indian market. Earlier, Mahindra officials had gone on record to state that Ford products will also be exported to several markets. A 2.0-liter petrol and diesel engines with over 180 hp on tap will power the CX757.
Ford B-SUV
Next up in the line is a Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos slayer codenamed Ford BX745. The crossover which is reported to measure around 4.3 m in length will be inheriting its hardware from the Mahindra XUV400 which is currently under development. A 1.5-liter turbo petrol mStallion developing 163 hp and a 1.5-liter turbo diesel producing 123 hp are reported to be on the cards. The BX745 is expected to be ready in second half of FY22.
Next generation Ford EcoSport
The Ford EcoSport is getting long in the tooth and is more or less due for a replacement. Next generation Ford EcoSport for India will also be designed by Pininfarina. Likely to be introduced towards the end of next year, the new gen sub-4m crossover is said to adopt Mahindra’s 1.2-liter 130 hp turbo-petrol engine.
Before that, the existing EcoSport is set to receive this engine early next year. With a crossover onslaught, Ford India will be hoping to keep its domestic operations justifiable to the HQ.
