Reference Auto

Ford’s Fusion had failed miserably (and had to be discontinued) but the American auto major got a foothold in the market with the help of the Figo, and now with the roll out of a new variant of the SUV Endeavour, the Alterrain, Ford is unlikely to dent the market much as the new car is priced at a steep Rs 23.2 lakh (even higher than the Toyota Fortuner).

The Ford Endeavour range starts from Rs 19.11 lakh.

The new variant, the Endeavour Alterrain, comes with various additional features including, front nudge bar, roof tray and rear spoiler.

It has a new grille and 16-inch chrome alloy wheels.

Interior upgrades which come with the new SUV are steering-mounted audio controls, similar to that of the Figo, auto up and down power windows, new dash trim, a reverse camera and a touch-screen GPS, which can also be used as a screen when the DVD player is playing.

This new special edition variant has the 3.0-litre AT version engine. Power is available from the 3.0-litre diesel motor, which offers 156 ps and 380 nm of torque and is mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox and shift-on-the-fly four wheel drive system.

Design of the Alterrain is also highly aerodynamic than the previous Endeavour models. This new SUV has been developed by the company’s SUV specialist who designed the iconic Ford Explorer.

Brushing aside the steep price, an official of Ford revealed that five celebrities, namely, Chetan Bhagat, Gul Panag, Vijender Singh, Nagesh Kukunoor and Rajeev Khandelwal would drive through myriad terrains across India and their experiences would be telecast on National Geographic from around May.

“Real people and their experiences have been synonymous with Ford India as well as National Geographic and the viewers of this show would be able to relate to that spirit of adventure in the series,” he said.

The auto giant is eyeing to expand presence in Tier-I and Tier-II cities. The company currently has nearly 260 sales and service touch points across the country.

Ford’s mini SUV, The EcoSport, with simply mind blowing looks, could roll out in the first fortnight of the month and may be priced around Rs 7-10 lakh, which is a steal for an SUV.

As mentioned earlier, pricing of the new Endeavour Alterrain could become a hindrance factor in its sales, as the GPS seems to be the only upgrade which justifies the steep price of the SUV (the other upgrades are more to spruce up the car rather than make it more hi-tech), even though Ford has pinned hopes on the new Endeavour by planning the ‘unique’ ad blitz.