Ford India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company unveiled the Freestyle, what it calls a compact utility vehicle (CUV) in India in January this year. After the unveiling, there was no news about it. But it looks like while the attention was slowly drifting away, the company has been testing the new Freestyle CUV on the Indian roads.
A video of the new Ford Freestyle has emerged online, showing the CUV undergoing testing somewhere in Gujarat. Ford is expected to launch the Freestyle in India in the second quarter of this year. To be specific, the launch could be between April and June this year. The Freestyle is a model based on the Figo hatchback another product of the company and gets changes on the exterior and interiors.
While it features new front grille and bonnet along with the blacked-out headlights, the Freestyle offers 15 mm more ground clearance than the Figo hatchback. The new Ford offering will debut 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol from the Dragon engine family and would churn out 96 hp of power and 120 Nm of torque, mated to a new five-speed gearbox. The Freestyle will also be offered in diesel engine options. The diesel engine in the CUV would be the 1.5-litre TDCi mills, which can churn out 100 hp of power.
Ford Freestyle, which will be pitted against Toyota Etios Cross, Hyundai i20 Active, and Maruti Suzuki CelerioX is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 6.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh (ex-showroom). Ford is also expected to launch the facelifted versions of its Figo hatchback and the Aspire sedan in India this year.
