American carmaker Ford on Wednesday launched the second-generation of its Endeavour SUV. The vehicle which is a whole new platform has been designed for the Indian market and has been priced to take on the current segment leader the Toyota Fortuner with prices ranging from Rs23.64 lakh to Rs28.15 lakh ex-showroom Delhi.
The new Endeavour will be available with two engine options a 2.2 litre four-cylinder Diesel and a 3.2 litre 200 horsepower five-cylinder diesel. The car is also available with both two-wheel and four-wheel drive options. Unfortunately for Ford India, the car in its current configuration is not allowed to be sold in the NCR, a region that accounts for a third of sales for carmakers in this segment.
Speaking exclusively to The Pioneer, Nigel Harwood, Managing Director, Ford India lamented the unpredictability of the Indian market. “While there is nothing wrong in wanting to combat pollution it is regrettable that engine size is being used as a factor instead of emissions.” Harwood hoped that a positive result would emerge in the Supreme Court tomorrow. He also spoke about the proposed move to Bharat Stage 6 by 2020, “I hope the oil companies will be ready with the fuel soon, as they will need to provide us the fuel a year in advance.”
A Ford India executive pointed out that only 28 per cent of cars in the NCR comply with Bharat Stage 4 norms, and the Government should move towards a higher compliance rating for existing vehicles to combat pollution but agreed that pollution is an issue.
“The incentives for hybrid cars expire in 2020 for example, as manufacturers we need a higher clarity for a longer-term than that. A vehicle life-cycle is seven-eight years, we can’t bring in a Hybrid to India tomorrow only to see the incentives lapse in a few years”, Anurag Melhotra, Executive director Marketing and Sales, Ford India pointed out.