EcoSport: Ford's new enigma
The company's new car is being fully developed at the Camaçari factory in Bahia; expectations are high, but Ford hasn't released a single line about the vehicle.
Luciana Rebouças_Bahia 247 – In a week marked by the launch of the 2012 Ka, where car enthusiasts focus their attention on Ford, Bahia 247 investigated another project that is already generating expectations even among salespeople at dealerships in Bahia. Regarding this one, the political climate continues: nobody knows, nobody has seen. Project B515, which will give rise to the new generation of the Ford EcoSport, is sparking interest among car enthusiasts and is a source of pride for Bahia's engineering team, as it is being completely developed at the Ford factory in Camaçari. The entire new design and project were developed by the automaker's drawing boards in Bahia, but it remains a closely guarded secret by the company.
When questioned, Ford's press office did not hide the sensitivity of the matter. The company has not yet officially commented on the car and is keeping the project secret as part of the marketing strategy for the new EcoSport. However, the press office is aware that there have been numerous news reports about the project in the press and reiterates that they have already created a veritable Frankenstein.
The only time Ford president Alan Mulally spoke about the subject was during a meeting with former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the governor of Bahia, Jaques Wagner, on April 08, 2010. On that occasion, Mulally announced that Ford would invest R$ 4,5 million in the country by 2015, with a large part of this amount being allocated to the new EcoSport project.
We are now at the stage where the car, scheduled to arrive on the market in 2012, can already be seen in nighttime tests inside the factory in Camaçari and at the Tatuí Proving Ground in São Paulo. However, it is still completely camouflaged so as not to spoil the surprise. Despite being born in Bahia, the expectation is that the new EcoSport will be manufactured in other Ford plants around the world and exported to several countries.
According to Auto Esporte magazine, the biggest change to the car will be in its architecture. The platform is the B2E, from the New Fiesta, with modifications to the suspension, increasing the car's resistance. Changes have also been considered to meet the European market, such as a more rigid body that meets the requirements of the continent's impact standards. Another aspect is the suspension, which has been adapted to meet the driving level of European Fords. Finally, a source told the magazine that the new EcoSport is likely to be better than the Focus. And a point for the engineering in Bahia!