Rumour: North America to get Thai-made Ford EcoSport

Ford is expected to launch the EcoSport compact SUV in North American markets in the first half of 2016. However, for America, the automaker is likely to source the vehicle from its Thailand unit instead of India.

A report by Economic Times claims that Ford Thailand is likely to be offered a chance to supply 55,000-70,000 units of a facelifted version of the EcoSport to North American markets including USA and Canada. It is said that the Thai-built cars have better noise, vibration and harshness levels than the ones built in India, making them more suitable for demanding markets in North America. Additionally, Ford wants better capacity utilisation at its Thailand plant.

India is a major export hub for Ford. The company's Indian factory built more than 1.3 lakh vehicles in FY 2013-14, out of which about 35% were exported. However, the high export numbers meant that the domestic customers, especially for the EcoSport, had to wait for long periods for their vehicles to be delivered. The news that Ford India will not be exporting the EcoSport to North America will be welcomed by Indian customers. India will also get the facelifted version of the car in 2016.

For Ford India however, this is a setback. An export order would have helped it improve capacity utilisation at its Chennai plant and achieve breakeven sooner than expected.