With the Sao Paulo Auto show just around the corner, Ford decided to send over the new Ford Territory for a preview by Brazilian journalists. Ford aims to gauge the demand and feedback for the new SUV in different emerging markets, in order to determine whether or not to add the Territory to their line-up in these countries.
The Territory has been built by Ford in partnership with JMC (Jiangling Motors Corp.) to cater to the Chinese market under the ‘Ford Market Operating Model (FMOM)’, which, in essence, means the carmaker is partnering with local companies to share parts, platforms, etc., to build cost-effective cars. This is specifically for countries where cars based on their five global platforms are too expensive.
The ford Territory is essentially a re-skinned JMC Yusheng S330, but it has been heavily restyled by Ford on both, the outside, with its completely restyled front and rear end, as well as the inside, with a premium dual-tone interior, wrapped in leather, with faux-wood inserts dotted around the dashboard; this makes the car much more upmarket than the car it’s based on. In China, the Ford Territory will be offered with a 48V Mild-Hybrid petrol and a Plug-in Hybrid petrol powertrain. Internationally, the SUV is a direct rival to the Hyundai Tucson and Jeep Compass.
While this new SUV may make its way in many emerging markets, it might not be the case for India. Ford has inked multiple JV’s with Mahindra for engine and platform sharing and both companies have already announced that they are working on two new future SUVs for our market.