Recently it was reported that Ford would return to India with the company recruiting for several roles at its Chennai-based manufacturing facility. The icing on the cake was the American carmaker filing design patents for the fourth generation Endeavour, internationally called Everest.
Now, another patent image filed by Ford has gone viral on the internet. By the looks of it, this new model is expected to cater to the compact mid-size SUV space rivalling the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota HyRyder, Honda Elevate, and others.
Given the popularity of the mid-size SUV segment, it makes sense for Ford to introduce a model in this space and accumulate some volumes. Despite the popularity and legacy of Endeavour, the D-segment, full-size premium SUV won’t churn out large sales volume, especially considering it is likely to land in India either as a CBU or a CKD import.
Ford compact SUV patent filed
With Ford re-starting operations at its Chennai facility, a locally-assembled, mid-size SUV could make inroads for the American car brand in India. Highlights of the design patent include mesh-like inserts for the front grille, flanked by boomerang shaped headlights with a sleek LED DRL on top.
The side profile is dominated by prominent creases and flared-up, circular wheel arches with black claddings filled up by multi-spoke alloy wheels. The flat roofline and tall pillars give the SUV a boxy silhouette. Other highlights include a trapezoidal secondary air-dam, a silver chin, and a contoured bonnet. Several visual attributes appear similar to the Ford Explorer available in China, however, it is noticeably smaller than the Explorer.
As of now, all details mentioned above are mere speculations. Moreover, filing of patents doesn’t guarantee a launch in the market. However, it surely indicates the direction of future for Ford in India. Besides this and the fourth-gen Endeavour, Ford is also planning to bring the all-electric Mustang Mach E to India which has been trademarked in the country.
