Ford Motor Company is struggling in the world's largest auto market - China, and as part of the company's turnover strategy the automaker has unveiled the new midsize compact SUV to take on the growing segment. The Ford Territory is the American automaker's answer to the Hyundai ix25 (Creta for India) and a host of other compact SUVs in the Chinese market. Unlike the company's 'One Ford' strategy of developing global products, the Ford Territory is a China-only model and has been developed in collaboration with its local partners Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC).
In fact, the Ford Territory is positioned as a budget model offering more value and space for Tier II and III markets in China. Unlike other offerings though, the Territory is actually a Yusheng S330 SUV underneath and will be manufactured at a plant in Xiao Lan. This is the first such product launched under the new joint venture.
(The 2019 Ford Territory is targeted at Tier II and III markets in China)
The Ford Territory is positioned above the EcoSport in the automaker's line-up. The company is yet to reveal official specifications on the model, but the compact SUV is likely to use the same 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 162 bhp from the S330. The SUV will most likely be offered in the seven-seater configuration to maximise value for customers.
Interestingly, the Territory nameplate isn't new to Ford. The automaker used the name for a compact SUV in Australia between 2004 to 2016, where the car was sold as a budget offering. The original Ford Territory was the company's first locally developed compact SUV for the Australian market.
The Territory is also expected to open new avenues for Ford China, which for the larger part has been catering to the premium customers in in the country. The automaker aims to tap into the potential of fast growing cities with the Territory that are currently not served by the automaker. The Ford Territory will go on sale in China by early 2019.
(The 2019 Ford Territory shares its underpinnings with the locally developed Yusheng S330 SUV)
China promises to grow twice the size of the US market by 2025, and Ford is looking to bring its domestic operations back on track to tap into the potential the market has to offer. Apart from the Territory, Ford also plans to introduce up to 50 new vehicles in China by 2025, which includes the new version of the Focus and Escort models.
Meanwhile, Ford India has tied-up with Mahindra in a MoU to develop a new compact SUV for the market here. The company also has a host of other offerings in the pipeline with the most immediate being the Figo and Aspire facelift, followed by the launch of the Endeavour facelift.
