The partnership between Ford and Mahindra is expanding as the two companies have announced plans to develop a new mid-sized SUV.
Designed for India and other emerging marketing, the SUV will be based on a Mahindra-sourced platform and use Mahindra powertrains. It should also slot between the Ford EcoSport and Endeavour.
Little else is known about the SUV, but Ford’s President of New Businesses, Technology and Strategy said the partnership will “help us deliver a vehicle that will meet the expectations of customers in India as well as other emerging markets.”
Interestingly, it appears more jointly developed models could be in the pipeline. There’s no word on specifics, but Mahindra & Mahindra managing director Dr Pawan Goenka said “Today’s announcement is another significant step in the collaboration between our two companies. Having identified several areas for joint development, both companies will continue to work together to develop products using common product platforms.”
The decision to share platforms and powertrains has a number of benefits as both companies gain greater economies of scale and Ford doesn’t have to spend a ton of money developing a new model from scratch. It also helps to expand Ford’s limited lineup in India which currently consists of six different models including the Mustang.
Ford and Mahindra have been working together for awhile as the two companies formed a strategic alliance in 2017. More recently, the companies signed a powertrain sharing agreement which will see a Mahindra-sourced “low-displacement petrol engine” installed in Ford vehicles beginning in 2020.
Note: Ford Endeavour pictured
