A new compact family SUV will be the first love child between the Ford and Mahindra joint venture.

In October 2019, Ford and Mahindra announced a $275-million joint venture with the intention of developing, marketing and distributing Ford-branded vehicles in India and other “high-growth”emerging markets around the world. The JV forms part of Ford’s $11-billion restructuring plan which also includes a $500 million investment in electric pick-up start up, Rivian.

Once fully operational, the joint venture will see the development of no less than 3 Ford-branded utility vehicles as well as the co-development of electric vehicles.

New SUV in the works

This is a design sketch of the Ford Kuga, but the new mid-size SUV from Ford will feature the brand's latest design language.

The first model to spawn from the JV is a mid-size compact family SUV which will ride on the same front-wheel-drive monocoque chassis as the next-generation Mahindra XUV500 which is due for reveal in 2020/21.

The nameless SUV, which is codenamed B745, will rival products in a bustling segment such as the new Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, Nissan Qashqai and Suzuki Vitara, to name a few. That means the new SUV will sit above the Ecosport in the Ford lineup but below the Kuga. Ford South Africa has tentatively indicated it mayintroduce the new Kuga, but considering the lack of local trust in the Kuga nameplate, a different model in the mid-to-compact SUV market may yield better sales.

The new Ford SUV will share its powertrain with the new forthcoming XUV500 which is likely to include a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 142 kW and 380 Nm and a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with 134 kW and 400 Nm. A 6-speed manual transmission and a 6-speed automatic transmission is expected.

As Ford already imports products such as the EcoSport and Figo from India, there’s a strong chance that these new products may be offered in South Africa.

You can also expect to see the development of electric cars from Ford and Mahindra in time to come.

We will keep you updated as soon as more details become available.

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