Ford Launches New Thunder Variant of EcoSport in Indian Market

As we had already informed you, US carmaker Ford was planning on launching a new trim of their EcoSport sub compact SUV in the market under the name of Thunder. Well, the brand has officially launched the vehicle in India and the prices for Ford EcoSport Thunder variant start at Rs. 10.18 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. The new variant of the car remains unchanged as far as mechanical aspects are concerned, but the company has made a whole lot of visual changes in the new variant of the SUV to keep the EcoSport fresh in the market.

The Thunder variant of the EcoSport is actually based on the Titanium trim of the car but comes with a host of changes in the market. Among the changes on the Thunder variant the most prominent one is the introduction of a new and large 9 inch FlyAudio infotainment system on the SUV. Other changes on the Thunder trim are the introduction a dual tone leather interior upholstery, cover for the spare wheel at the rear, electric sunroof, revised design of alloys, roof and wing mirrors with black finish, and dual tone bonnet. The remaining features on the SUV are the same that are offered on the Titanium trim of the EcoSport. 

Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the Thunder variant of the EcoSport, the president and managing director of Ford India, Anurag Mehrotra stated,

Whether it is the low-cost of ownership or the outstanding capabilities, safety or innovative features on offer, Ford is working relentlessly to deliver greater value to customers. The MY 2019 is a shining example of our efforts. Backed by a strong product development team and ongoing localization efforts, we are not just keeping up with the evolving consumer needs but also surprise them with enhanced value on offer across 2019 model lineup of Ford EcoSport.

Coming back to the mechanical side of the Ford EcoSport Thunder, the new variant comes with a 1.5L petrol engine rated to deliver 123 Bhp and 150 Nm this engine is mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. Then the diesel unit is a 1.5L turbo engine rated to deliver 98.6 Bhp and 215 Nm, this engine too is offered with a 5 speed manual gearbox, as none of the engine variants of Thunder trim come with an option of automatic gearbox.

Ford EcoSport was the one SUV that got the trend of the sub-4 meter compact SUVs going in India. However, over the years, the popularity of the SUV has waned in the Indian market. Not to mention that the arrival of futuristic looking and feature loaded rivals such as the Tata Nexon in 2017 and Hyundai Venue as well as Mahindra XUV300 has only created troubles for the US maker. Ford is also working on an all-new version of EcoSport, which is expected to be launched in India sometime around 2021.