Ford's topselling SUV EcoSport generated huge interest since its inception a year ago. The car created a stir in the compact SUV segment. Ecosport has everything going in its favor – Eye-catching design, good performance, reliability and efficiency were its unique selling proposition. Moreover, the compact SUV was offered at a very lucrative price that made it a hot seller.
Currently reports state that delivery times are stretched up to eight months! This huge demand has forced helpless Ford dealers to ask customers to either cancel bookings or consider switching to any of the other four models that the company has to offer. As per sources, Ford India has stopped taking bookings for eight of the ten variants in Ecosport that were offered since August last year. The company's domestic manufacturing plant in Chennai is unable to meet the numbers faced due to major crunch in supply of parts.
One of the not-so-happy buyers from Mumbai, was quoted as saying, “From six months, the waiting period on my EcoSport has gone up to ten months. Now the dealer is hard-selling the Figo in place of the EcoSport. I would rather cancel my booking.” As per sources, bookings for only the diesel variant of the EcoSport is open, whereas the bookings for two petrol models (1.5 and 1 litre) has been stalled. An order backlog of over 30,000 units has been reported. The domestic market has witnessed a big setback whereas exports for the same car has not been affected considerably. As per the data received from the Society of Indian Automobile, one in every five units of the SUV produced is exported. Of the 45,727 odd units of the mini SUV produced till December, Ford has exported 9,647 units.
It is also worth noting that the pricing for Ecosport has grown by 11% since its launch a year ago. The hike is steep especially when it is reported in a span of less than seven months. New interested buyers may try to get the diesel version, but for ones on the lookout for a petrol version we suggest you may stall your purchase decision, or choose waiting for nearly eight months to drive your favorite car. The choice is all yours!
