Bangalore: American car maker Ford today (Aug 25, 2004) said it would launch in India "Fusion", a vehicle targeted at consumers planning an upgrade from small car to mid-sized sedans and utility vehicles in India.

Ford India Managing Director David Friedman told reporters in Bangalore that the company plans to create a new segment called the Urban Activity Vehicle (UAV) with Fusion, for which the prototype is ready and would be unveiled for driving assessment in the next two to three weeks.

Declining to specify the pricing of the new vehicle, he said, Fusion would have a 1.6 ltr, dynatech, 16 valve petrol engine, which is aimed at the "small car owners wanting to upgrade to a higher version".

According to Ford, there are 1.8 million small car owners in India. Friedman said Ford has created this UAV segment for the first time in India and does not have a similar segment in other Ford markets.

He said the prototype of the vehicle was ready which has 70 per cent localisation including the engine produced at Ford's plant near Chennai and the company aims to produce 500 to 1,000 units per month. "Fusion will have robustness of a SUV, comfort level of a mid-sized car, versatility and practicability of a MPV and the manoeuvrability of a compact car," Friedman said, of Ford India's fifth offering in the country.