The Ford EcoSport is India’s most exported car. Ford India exported 90,599 units of the EcoSport in the past 12 months, between April 2017 and March 2018. In the preceding year, Ford exported 79,539 units of the EcoSport, which means that the exports of the compact SUV have grown by nearly 15 %. The high number of EcoSports exported has allowed Ford to become India’s top exporter, beating other automakers such as Nissan, Volkswagen and Hyundai in the process.
Ford manufactures the EcoSport at its Chennai factory. The sub-4 meter compact SUV has a high amount of localization, which in turn has created a lot of jobs in autoparts makers across the country. Some export versions of the EcoSport get additional features and more powerful engines compared to the domestic version. Ford will soon introduce a top-end S variant of the compact SUV, with a 1 litre turocharged petrol engine, a 6 speed gearbox and a stiffer suspension set-up. The new variant will also get modified interiors and a sunroof as a major feature edition.
General Motors has already exited domestic car sales in India but the automaker continues to run a factory at Talegaon, near Pune. This is an export oriented unit that mainly produces the Chevrolet Beat. General Motors exported 83,140 units of the Beat hatchback to markets around the world between April 2017 and March 2018, making the Beat India’s second largest exported car. The Beat that is exported around the world is the second-generation model that was never introduced in India.
Coming to other highly exported cars, the Volkswagen Vento is India’s third largest exported car. The India-made car sells as the Polo sedan in many parts of the world. 77,005 units of the Vento were exported to global markets from India between April 2017 and March 2018. This is a lot more than what Volkswagen has been able to sell in India. In fact, Volkswagen exports more cars from India than it sells here. Big export numbers have allowed Volkswagen to absorb the losses caused by domestic operations in India.
The Ford Figo, with exports of 61,241 units is the fourth largest exported car from India. The hatchback is quite popular in many developing countries around the world. The Hyundai Creta, which is a massive hit in India, is the 5th most exported car, with FY18 exports standing at 50,820 units.
[“Source-cartoq”]
