Ford Motor Company and Mahindra & Mahindra have dissolved their joint venture that was announced in October 2019.  In the official statements issued separately by Ford and Mahindra, both automakers have mutually decided to part ways and function as separate entities.

Overview

On the 1st of October 2019, Ford India and Mahindra had signed an agreement in Mumbai to create a joint venture that will develop, market and distribute Ford vehicles in India along with Mahindra vehicles in high-growth emerging markets overseas. The JV was to see Mahindra having the 51 percent controlling stake and Ford owning a 49 percent stake. Ford

was to transfer its India operations to the JV, including its personnel and assembly plants in Chennai and Sanand. Ford was to retain the Ford engine plant operations in Sanand as well as the Global Business Services unit, Ford Credit and Ford Smart Mobility. The JV was planned to be the next step in the strategic alliance forged between both brands back in September 2017.

The main aim of the joint venture was to grow the Ford brand in India and export its products to Ford entities globally. Both manufacturers were to share components, platforms, technology and engineering capabilities on their new cars.

Reason for dissolving:

According to the companies, the reasons to call off this JV were “Fundamental changes in global economic and business conditions; caused, in part, by the global pandemic over the past 15 months.”

Upcoming products:

Ford has already been developing its next big launch, the new C-SUV ( C757) based on the next-gen  Mahindra XUV500 (W601). This new SUV was already planned for an early-2022 launch. Therefore, it's likely that Ford will enter into a contract manufacturing arrangement with Mahindra to build the C-SUV in its Chakan plant. Ford is also likely to source the 1.2L TGDI engine from Mahindra for the upgraded 2021 Ecosport compact SUV. The Ford C-SUV too will use the same 2-litre petrol and 2.2 diesel engines that will power the next XUV500.

Stay tuned for further updates.

Coming to the looks-The most noticeable change is at the front. The new re-designed bumper gets a new grill that integrates the central air vent. The side and rear profile of the Swift Dzire 2020 remain unchanged. The car’s exterior dimensions and boot space too remain the same. In terms of Interior changes- the only evident change was a lighter tone of the wooden look-alike elements.

Other features include dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, LED headlamps and Auto AC with rear AC vents. The2020 Dzire gets a new 4.2-inch coloured MID from the Suzuki Baleno and a new 7-inch touch

screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The new Dzire also gets auto folding ORVMs (outside rearview mirrors) and cruise control. The AGS variants (automatic transmission) from the previous models missed a most crucial safety feature like Hill Hold Control and Electronic Stability Control (ESC). These however have been updated in the new model.

Speaking of the most interesting part of the update-the 2020 Swift Dzire comes with a new engine. Instead of the earlier 1.2-litre unit (83PS/113Nm), it borrows Suzuki Baleno’s new 1.2-litre DualJet engine that produces 90PS and 113Nm mated to either a 5-speed MT or a 5-speed AGS. The new engine also gets idle auto start/stop (switches off the engine whenever the car is idle), making it a more economical car than it already was. The mileage of the updated Dzire also seems to have improved as claimed. The old model with manual transmission returned a mileage of 21.21 kmpl whereas the new model is expected to deliver 23.26 kmpl. Similarly in the case of the AGS variant, the old model returned 21.2 kmpl whereas the new model is expected to deliver 24.12 kmpl.

What comes with the updates of the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire 2020 is a hike in prices of the car. Prices for the base LXI variant have been increased by Rs. 5000 and it now costs Rs. 5.83 Lakhs (ex- showroom Delhi) whereas the prices of ZXI and ZXI+ variants have been increased by Rs. 16000 and Rs.6000 respectively. The price hike is also applicable to its AGS variants. Details of the new prices are mentioned below.

Price:

Variant	Old	New
LXI	Rs 5.83 lakh	Rs 5.89 lakh (+Rs 5,000)
VXI	Rs 6.73 lakh	Rs 6.79 lakh (+Rs 6,000)
VXI AGS	Rs 7.20 lakh	Rs 7.32 lakh (+Rs 12,000)
ZXI	Rs 7.32 lakh	Rs 7.48 lakh (+Rs 16,000)
ZXI AGS	Rs 7.79 lakh	Rs 8.01 lakh (+Rs 22,000)
ZXI+	Rs 8.22 lakh	Rs 8.28 lakh (+Rs 6,000)
ZXI+ AGS	Rs 8.69 lakh	Rs 8.81 lakh (+Rs 12,000)

Suzuki has filled in the blanks for the Swift Dzire by loading it with much needed features. But would the hike in price make you think twice before choosing this car? Do let us know

Ford India is developing a significantly updated version of the Ecosport compact SUV. Prior to that, Ford India has silently updated the pricing of the existing version for 2021. Surprisingly, prices have been reduced as against to the hike announced by every other manufacturer. Along with that, Ford India has also updated the variant line-up and features on the Ecosport 2021.

Feature updates:

The 2021 Ford Ecosport offers electric Sunroof , EBA, TCS, HLA, ESP from the Titanium Variant itself. However, despite the additional feature, the Titanium Variant is only Rs.1000 pricier than before. The Titanium+ Variant is expected to get new

updates as well.

Variant updates:

The 2021 Ford EcoSport variant range starts from Rs.7.99L. Some variants have been axed from the previous line-up though. The Titanium Variant is no longer available with an Automatic gearbox and the Titanium+ doesn't get a manual transmission option. The Thunder special edition has also been discontinued.

As of now, the 2021 Ford Ecosport is available in the following variants:

Petrol MT

Ambiente     Rs.7.99L

Trend            Rs.8.64L

Titanium       Rs.9.79L

Sports            Rs.10.99L

Petrol AT

Titanium+     Rs.11.19L

Diesel MT

Ambiente      Rs.8.69L

Trend             Rs.9.14L

Titanium        Rs.9.99L

Sports            Rs.11.49L

 The EcoSport Ambiente MT petrol is now cheaper by Rs.20,000 and costs Rs 7.99L. The Trend MT petrol is now 35,000 cheaper at Rs.8.64L. The Titanium MT is available at Rs 9.79L, with only Rs.1000 increase in price. The Sports petrol MT is now priced at Rs.10.99L; Rs.24,000 cheaper than before. The Titanium+ Automatic though is Rs.39,000 cheaper than before and is available for Rs.11.19L.

In the Diesel range, the Trend variant is cheaper by Rs.35,000 and the Sports variant is more affordable by Rs.24,000. The Ambiente and Titanium trims remain the same in terms of pricing though.

Engines:

Just like before, the Ford Ecosport is available with a 1.5l, Dragon series 3-cyl Ti-VCT petrol engine producing 122PS of power, and 149NM of torque through either a 5 speed manual or a 6 Speed Torque converter automatic with paddle shifters. The 1.5L, TDCi 4 cyl turbo diesel produces 100PS of Max Power and 215NM of Max torque through only a 5 speed manual gearbox. 

These price reductions and feature updates have made the Ford Ecosport better value for money than before. Adding Sunroof on the mid level trim will also increase the appeal to the sunroof-loving Indian buyers. With the numbers of rivals increasing with the newly launched Nissan Magnite and the upcoming Renault Kiger, this is a timely update by Ford India.

Stay tuned for further updates.