Photo: Andrei Tobo?aru for Ford Romania
Introduced in 2012 with underpinnings from the 2011 Fiesta, the subcompact utility vehicle that Ford calls EcoSport is a bit of a hit and miss. Introduced stateside for the 2018 model year, the supermini-based crossover will be discontinued in this part of the world after MY22.
U.S. vehicles are produced at the Chennai plant, which is going to shutter this year because the Blue Oval still doesn’t understand what kind of products actually work in the Indian market. Ford Authority understands that May 29th, 2022 is the final day of the petite crossover at Chennai.
Given that U.S. order books closed in January 2022, the cited publication’s report may hold water. Despite its unceremonious discontinuation in the United States and India, the frowny-looking EcoSport will continue to be produced at Craiova in Romania where the Puma is also manufactured.
Be that as it may, Ford will discontinue the RO-built EcoSport in 2023 at the latest because Craiova has been confirmed to welcome a light commercial vehicle. FoMoCo hasn’t announced any plant expansion, and the Puma is too young to be killed off in 2023. Alas, the writing is on the wall for the ill-favored EcoSport. If you would ask me why it has come to this, I would instantly tell you that rear legroom is close to nonexistent.
Another weak point would be third-rate plastic for the interior, and finally, its pricing isn’t competitive. Over in the United States, the most basic configuration is $20,395 sans destination while the Maverick pickup truck – which is a compact with a standard 2.5-liter hybrid – costs $19,995.
Heading over to Romania, we’re dealing with a starting price of 20,300 euros or $23,210 at current exchange rates. The Hyundai Bayon is way more affordable despite not being produced in Romania. Heck, even the Volkswagen Taigo undercuts it with an MSRP of 19,011 euros ($21,735). That said, are you even surprised the EcoSport is a commercial flop?
Given that U.S. order books closed in January 2022, the cited publication’s report may hold water. Despite its unceremonious discontinuation in the United States and India, the frowny-looking EcoSport will continue to be produced at Craiova in Romania where the Puma is also manufactured.
Be that as it may, Ford will discontinue the RO-built EcoSport in 2023 at the latest because Craiova has been confirmed to welcome a light commercial vehicle. FoMoCo hasn’t announced any plant expansion, and the Puma is too young to be killed off in 2023. Alas, the writing is on the wall for the ill-favored EcoSport. If you would ask me why it has come to this, I would instantly tell you that rear legroom is close to nonexistent.
Another weak point would be third-rate plastic for the interior, and finally, its pricing isn’t competitive. Over in the United States, the most basic configuration is $20,395 sans destination while the Maverick pickup truck – which is a compact with a standard 2.5-liter hybrid – costs $19,995.
Heading over to Romania, we’re dealing with a starting price of 20,300 euros or $23,210 at current exchange rates. The Hyundai Bayon is way more affordable despite not being produced in Romania. Heck, even the Volkswagen Taigo undercuts it with an MSRP of 19,011 euros ($21,735). That said, are you even surprised the EcoSport is a commercial flop?
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