Ford India is bullish about the Indian car market, despite the drop in sales of most of its models. So the American brand is set to introduce three new models, one of which will be a CBU import. Two SUVs will be made in partnership with Mahindra, and while the folks at Mahindra are busy burning the midnight oil, working on the final stages of churning out their new products, we give you some insight on what to expect.

1) Ford EcoSport Facelift

The EcoSport has been quite a popular SUV, right since its launch. In fact, it was the first, successful compact SUV in India (the Premier Rio didn’t take off for various reasons). Customers liked it for its SUV-like stance and that tailgate-mounted spare wheel at the back. It received a number of updates over the years through its lifecycle – and Ford refuses to pull the plug on it. It was once renowned for being the most feature-laden cars in its segment, Hyundai, Kia and the rest came into sight to push it aside and, has since, lost its charm. It even received a proper facelift in 2017, which included a restructured front fascia that features a bigger grille, restyled headlights, larger 17-inch wheels and a punchier 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine which came with the option an automatic transmission – a segment-first feature back then. And when the facelift model was introduced in 2017, it was sold at no extra cost compared to the car it replaced, which helped it to a fair extent.

For 2021, the EcoSport is bound to come with some all-important updates that will include some revisions to the body panels and of course, the nose. It will also be offer in a few more, new colours. The interior is expected to get a major refreshment as well, with new upholstery in different trims, based on the variant along with the last connected car technology. The biggest surprise, however, resides under the hood: a 1.2-litre T-GDI engine from Mahindra’s new mStallion family of petrol engines. This new BS6-compliant engine will produce around 128bhp and 230Nm of torque.

2) Ford C-SUV

Very recently, images of a mystery Ford SUV have been floating around on the internet, and the SUV happens to have been caught in New Delhi, getting loaded off a cargo container of some sort. It features a bold new look, with new lines and styling cues that are sure to be carried over on to future Ford cars. A new design language has been confirmed by the brand, and has already been seen in the details of the made-for-China Ford Equator. At the front, it sports a frameless, wide grille that gets a black finish, giving it a bold look. And there’s the chequered design along with horizontal chrome slats that give it a sporty look. What we also noticed were the DRLs on the sides. The ‘X’ pattern that forms the bumper looks nice and there’s an air intake below the front bumper. It even boasts of vertically-stacked fog lamps. The lower half of the bumper gets a contrast black finish and a faux skid plate.

The Ford C-SUV will be designed by Italian design house, Pininfarina, and will be based on Mahindra’s upcoming XUV500. The Ford equivalent will share the chassis, engine and suspension setup. However, the aforementioned will be tweaked to suite Ford’s needs. Expect engines to be a 2.2-litre diesel and a 2.0-litre petrol motor.

3) Ford Ranger Raptor

Ford has confirmed that it will be importing the Ranger Raptor pick-up truck in limited numbers. It is basically based on the Ford Endeavour, but don’t mistake the Raptor for being the family SUV, for it has been engineered to serve a different purpose.

The Ranger Raptor is not what most Indian customers want, but liked how Ford sensed the pulse of Indian buyer for the Mustang, they probably feel the same way about the Raptor. It is hugely talented off the road and comes with a load-carrying capacity that fit in at least two motocross bikes. It can crush pot holes, and that’s what is going to make it special for our market. And Ford is bullish about its premium products, after having been associated with Mahindra.

The ladder frame or chassis has been toughened in an attempt to deal with sudden drops from high jumps, while the suspension towers have been improved upon to take the extra load weight at the rear. For better stability, it also features a Watt’s linkage similar to that of the Endeavour. The truck also gets purpose-built 2.5-inch off-road racing coil covers made by Fox. And that helps this beast glide over bad road patches seamlessly. We’re not so sure if they’re bringing in the V8 version, but the 10-speed automatic transmission is expected. Also, grab the latest info on the upcoming cars in India, only at autoX.