[kartik.virmani]

Well after seeing Renault price Duster , Ford may be smiling to themselves as it gives them a higher price band to operate in due to the price point perception Duster would create .
Or Ford can decide to kill Duster by pricing aggressively and undercutting variant to variant by a lac atleast.....wishful thinking

[Dr.Abhi]

With over the head pricing of Renault Duster, now the ball is in the Ford Ecosport's area. I hope they also dont get carried away and rather price the gem discreetly, Otherwise a new very promising segment will die even before it is born. Over to you Ford now!

[StarrySky]

Ford can price the EcoSport below the Duster (due to excise duty benefits). However, I'm not expecting any Figo-like pricing strategy for EcoSport. Figo is basically "old wine in new bottle", so Ford could afford to price it low. That's not the case with EcoSport.

At < 4m, EcoSport would essentially be only as large as some of the premium hatchbacks, with an advantage in GC and probably headroom. Looks are subjective. To take advantage of the "SUV" looks, Ford might price EcoSport 20-30K more than comparable premium hatchbacks. I would expect top-end diesel EcoSport at very close to 10L OTR in most places.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by Dr.Abhi

With over the head pricing of Renault Duster, now the ball is in the Ford Ecosport's area. I hope they also dont get carried away and rather price the gem discreetly, Otherwise a new very promising segment will die even before it is born. Over to you Ford now!

Renault has made it easy for Ford. All Ford has to do is price EcoSport same as Duster and provide more features, or keep the features similar and peg the pricing ~23 to 50K less.
The whole idea of competitive pricing has been killed. Renault has not bought Ford under any pressure with their pricing strategy.

I hope Ford studies Duster sales and makes a more practical decision.

[sbala]

Originally Posted by chaudhrysan

We seem to be really obsessed by 7 seater concept (in my opinion). A sub 4 meter with 7 seats shall have hopeless last row. For that, one shall have to increase the length (as indicated on the above site), but then the pricing advantage of sub 4 meter goes off.

If they have a plan for 7 seater, obviously, its going to be on the longer version. As you said, it doesn't make sense to have it in sub 4m version.

[anu21v]

I was just trying to compare the dimension of Duster with Ecosport when I stumbled on the below links.

EcoSport not a ‘small car’ | News | Autocar India

In this auto Car verdict Ford has themselves said that this is not a sub-4 metre vehicle, although no specs have been revealed.

This ford Argentina Ecosport vehicle has 4240 mm of length.

2012 Ford (Argentina) Ecosport phase III specs, performance, photo & data


Can someone confirm any reliable sources which confirm India bound Ecosport is sub 4 M vehicle. Unless that is the case its a fat chance Ecosport will get launched with any price below Duster. Seach around the web and one will find Duster is one of the cheapest SUV vehicle even in europe.

[chaudhrysan]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Pricing will be a pleasant surprise.....cant reveal more.

With Duster pricing out the way it is, I am not sure how pleasant Ecosports pricing turns out. Just hope the folks at Ford don't get too carried away!

[anumod]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

I have from very reliable sources that the Ecosport will not be launched in India before May 2013. The first launch country will be Brazil followed by near simultaneous launch in China and India. Pricing will be a pleasant surprise.....cant reveal more. Ford is currently working on very aggressive indigenisation targets and also some minor mods for the RHD markets. The top end will feature the Fiesta DSG box as well, though it is still not decided if it will be offered upfront at launch or as a later release.

This is a very long wait, if this news is true, I will look for some other options. But the problem with me was I was so much in love with Fusion and I am looking for a similar gene car. I don't have any options other than CRV and outlander. Secondly I want a petrol car as well. Duster Petrol seems like a thumps down.

By the way someone from Ford told me that, the booking would start from Deepavali time and Display car would be available from November and the delivery would start from First week of Jan. But this news is almost 1 month old.

[chaudhrysan]

Originally Posted by anu21v

This ford Argentina Ecosport vehicle has 4240 mm of length.

Can someone confirm any reliable sources which confirm India bound Ecosport is sub 4 M vehicle.

Originally Posted by sbala

Here is the link.. Not sure how authentic is this news.. But love to see an Ecosport with 7 seater options as well.

Is a Ford EcoSport 7 seater on the anvil?


Bala

@anu21v

Check out the link given by Bala above. Verbatim quote as below:

"Ford India President and Managing Director Mr Michael Boneham confirmed that the Indian version will be sub 4 meters to enjoy tax benefits."

However, do note that sub 4 meters length referred to is without counting the width of the rear mounted wheel.

[advaitlele]

Completely agree with some of the posts above.
Renault has just done what Tata did with Aria. Completely messed up with pricing.
Its at least 50k more with the localisation and features on offer.

That makes EcoSport a good prospect to watch out for. Hopefully, good sense prevails at Ford think-tank and they price it sensibly to dust away the Duster.

My guess is end of the year launch - as anumod quoted, Diwali launch and Jan 2013 delivery schedule looks to be perfect.

[sumeshmani]

The problems with all the Duster aspirants that find the pricing unrealistic (people like me), have to wait for 5 more months to have a look at EcoSport. That too with uncertainty about the diesel.
Other problems is the one-time tax being planned for diesel cars by our government.

[Ub3r]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

I have from very reliable sources that the Ecosport will not be launched in India before May 2013. The first launch country will be Brazil followed by near simultaneous launch in China and India.

Correct me if I'm wrong,but i thought Ford Ecosport was already launched in Brazil and was a hit too.

[urajkumar]

Now guess its time for this Thread to heat up!

For long Duster thread was on fire till they rained on the parade with terrible pricing! Renault enter level pricing would seem ok since the entry is bare minimum with cab like features but to add 1 lakh for every version with minute increments is absurb! The main reason i am irritated is that Petrol version does not get airbag even as an option.They under-estimated the indian buyer's intellect & will pay a heavy price! I predict a maximum 2000 to 3000 sales at best! ok ok! i will stop cribbing about Duster from now cos its

Now my focus has shifted to Ford! While its a long wait but at least hope its worth it. Heard from souces in Ford that delay was launched based on thier learnings with the Fiesta debacle & so they are looking at aggressive localization to bring down the costs! I think they would cost this on par with Duster and that itself would be aggressive considering its much better interiors & freshness! My only hope is Ford eco-sport at least gives airbags & ABS in its petrol version.

[aravind.anand]

Now EcoSport comes into focus on the radars of all those who were eyeing a compact SUV within 10 Lakhs. Thanks to Renault for messing up with the prices of the Duster! Now the EcoSport petrols may not be cheap - considering that the 1.5 Petrol would be larger than the 1.2L cap set by the government, and the 1.0L Fox engine would not be very cheap to manufacture thanks to all the additional technology that it would be getting.
But what matters here, especially in India is the Diesel engine - the base diesel engine, if priced below the Duster's 7.99 Lakhs price would seal the debate. The EcoSport with more modern looks, Ford's dealer network and image could grab customers! Bring it on Ford - let the game begin

[MaserQ]

If they are looking to sell anywhere near decent numbers, Ford has to price the EcoSport below the Duster. For one, the EcoSport does not look the part of an out-and-out SUV or even a compact SUV like the Duster. More like a beefed up hatch on stilts. Ford bungled with the Fiesta pricing. To repeat the same mistake twice would be plain stupid.