Ford’s Ecosport, which ruled supreme in its segment, is overnight feeling the heat from the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Within two days of the launch, the Brezza has bagged 5,600 bookings and clearly struck panic in the hearts of the people at Ford. The company today responded by slashing prices of the Ecosport by almost Rs 1,12,300 (ex-showroom Delhi).
Since the Ecosport was launched in 2013, Ford has reigned supreme in the compact SUV segment, with hardly any competition. Its first competition, the Premier Rio, hardly registered a blip and quietly vanished without a trace. A more serious contender was the Mahindra TUV300 but the body-on-frame rugged SUV was targeted for the rural market.
When the Ecosport was launched in June 2013 at Rs 5.59 lakh, it created shockwaves in the industry since it was a contemporary product with the latest cutting edge engines and a striking design. In fact, the queue for it was so long that the waiting list extended till ten months. Interestingly, demand for the Ecosport showed no signs of slowing down despite Ford hiking the compact SUV’s price within two months of its launch.
However, Ford hasn’t been able to capitalize on this first mover advantage. The company couldn’t ramp up production and the Ecosport story is one of lost opportunities. Now at the first instance of serious competition, the tables have turned. From commanding a premium, the carmaker has undertaken a major price cut for the vehicle.
Ford India today significantly cut prices of its compact SUV by Rs 53,700 to as much as Rs 1,12,300 depending on variant. The Ecosport now starts at Rs 6.67 lakh for the 1.5-litre petrol variant going right up to Rs 9.45 lakh for the top trim. The base diesel version is priced at Rs 7.29 lakh going up to Rs 9.75 for the fully specced version. Launched on March 8, 2016, the Vitara Brezza took the market by storm with prices starting at Rs 6.99 lakh going up to Rs 9.68 lakh while also ticking nearly everything off the compact SUV buyer’s checklist. (All prices, ex-showroom Delhi).
The deal has certainly become sweeter for car buyers with the two automakers fighting it out to drive sales in the segment.
All prices ex-showroom, Delhi.
Lenny D'sa
Saptarshi Mondal
Uday Singh
Viraaj Bhatnagar
