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At least, that’s what Automotive News thinks when the North America spec Ford EcoSport goes on sale in 2018.
Demand for subcompact crossovers have been on the rise lately with some automakers cashing in early including the Jeep Renegade, Honda HR-V, Subaru Crosstrek, Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore. But the EcoSport will still do well even if it’s hitting showroom floors a bit later than its competitors. That’s because the subcompact crossover market has been on a steep incline. In fact, Ford says it has quadrupled since 2011 and they’re expecting the market to double by the end of the decade with a slight cool down by 2020.
"I don't think you can ever get in the crossover market too late. Ford could have sold a good chunk if it would have been there one or two years ago, but they'll sell plenty when it gets here," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for AutoTrader and Kelley Blue Book.
Stephanie Brinley, another analyst, thinks Ford will be able to move around 60,000 EcoSports, not a hard goal to achieve when you have a good product to work with.
Once it goes on sale, buyers will have a choice of engines: a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Both will be paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and the 2.0 liter option comes standard with all-wheel drive. There will be four trim levels to choose from S, SE, SES and Titanium.
Pricing has not been released yet, but we could see a starting price comparable with its competitors, which is around $20,000.