The Ford Figo is set to soon get an automatic gearbox option. As we had first reported last year, the Maruti Swift rival will get the option of a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox paired with the petrol engine.

• Figo 1.2 litre petrol to get an automatic gearbox for the first time
• Ford to also introduce updated EcoSport later this year

Ford Figo automatic: What’s to know

Unlike on previous iterations where the automatic gearbox came paired with a larger displacement petrol engine, this time around the unit – borrowed from the EcoSport - is paired with the existing 1.2-litre petrol engine.

The 1.2-litre unit currently delivers 96hp and 119Nm of torque and offers healthy performance at high engine speeds along with having a strong mid-range though low end responses are lacking. The new torque converter could help mask this weak bottom end making the car feel more responsive on the down low.

As a brief recap, the Figo was previously offered with automatic gearbox options since its launch in 2015. At the time of launch the petrol automatic Figo was powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 110hp paired with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox. When the facelift arrived in 2019, this was replaced by a torque converter unit when Ford introduced the more powerful 1.5-litre Dragon petrol engine. This option though was dropped around the time of the hatchback being upgraded to meet BS6 norms.

The new petrol-automatic engine-gearbox combination could likely be offered on the mid-spec Titanium trim as with the facelifted BS4 hatchback though Ford could also offer the unit on the fully-loaded model. Expect the automatic gearbox variants to cost a fair premium over their manual counterparts.

Ford Figo automatic: Rivals

The new Figo automatic will go up against rivals such as the Maruti Swift and Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. Both the Maruti and Hyundai are powered by 1.2-litre petrol engines that come paired with 5-speed AMT gearboxes on select variants. Ford is also readying an updated EcoSport for the Indian marketwith the launch expected to take place later this year.