Mahindra-Ford To Co-develop sub-Endeavour SUV

Mahindra and Ford have announced to work under a joint venture, under where the manufacturers will be sharing technological advancements between each other. The carmakers have planned to introduce a slew of products under this JC. However, the current focus of the carmakers is on a C-segment SUV. 

Also Read - Mahindra Bolero Gets A New Lease of Life, Launch Soon.

The Seltos rivalling Ford-Mahindra SUV will share styling cues from the Ford Edge.

This segment has seen a lot of new entrants in the last year. The successful debut of the Kia Seltos is also a reason for the Ford-Mahindra JV to enter this segment with a potent car. The C-SUV from the JV will carry a Ford badge and will be sold via Ford outlets, however, it will be powered by a Mahindra-sourced drivetrain. The new SUV will be a direct rival to the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta, which have been the best-selling C-SUV in the country.

The duo plans to develop a new platform that will open new opportunities for them in terms of modularity. The platform will also underpin other cars which will be a part of the Mahindra-Ford stable. Apart from the C-SUV, the duo is also working on strengthening their export business by focusing on offering sustainable mobility solutions in the emerging markets. Under this JV, Ford will offer its vast distribution network to the Indian UV giant, while Mahindra will credit a small part of its total profit from the export business to the American carmaker, in return. Currently, Mahindra and Ford have plans to export their cars to countries like South Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal, Chile, Sri Lanka, and other developing markets.

Since Mahindra leads the UV segment in the country, it will help Ford to set up a new product lineup to increase its annual sales figures. Ford would soon be introducing a Marazzo based MPV in the country as a part of this JV, while a mStallion powered Ecosport is also on cards. With the Mahindra-sourced 1.2L mStallion turbo-petrol engine Ford Ecosport and Mahindra XUV300 will be the most-powerful compact SUVs of the country.

Also Read - Mahindra XUV300 To Get More Powerful Than New Hyundai Creta And Kia Seltos.

Ford would soon be introducing a Marazzo-based MPV.

The 1.2L 3-cylinder mStallion engine was recently showcased on the Sportz trim of XUV300 at the 2020 Auto Expo, which would soon be launched in the country. It will have a peak power output of 130 HP and produces a max. torque of 230 Nm, which is segment-leading.