Ford’s EcoSport is long in the tooth and its future unclear, so it shouldn’t be a strong seller, should it? Well, South African buyers seem to disagree.

The BK-generation Ford EcoSport was revealed a full decade ago, before hitting the South African market a year later. Locally, the small Fiesta-based crossover quickly skipped up the sales charts, endearing itself to South Africans with its compact exterior dimensions, penchant for fuel efficiency and attractive entry price (back in 2013, you could have one for R199 000).

Over time, the EcoSport supplanted the Fiesta and Figo as the Blue Oval brand’s most consistent volume driver in the passenger-vehicle space, playing a crucial support role to the popular light-commercial Ranger. Thing is, the little crossover has been afforded just a single major update (along with a smattering of minor tweaks and an obligatory special-edition variant) over the past 10 or so years, with its mid-cycle refresh having rolled around in 2018.

Today, the landscape in this part of the market looks markedly different, having since erupted with pint-sized, high-riding competitors, most of which are imported from India (and are a little more compact at around four metres long). In addition, the EcoSport’s local future seems somewhat uncertain since the Chennai plant from which base-spec derivatives are sourced is currently winding down its operations, with the doors scheduled to shut in the second quarter of 2022.

The Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite appear to have risen to the top of the segment’s sales charts.

So, with more – not to mention exceedingly fresher – competitors than ever and a starting price that’s crept to the wrong side of R300 000, one might think EcoSport sales would falter. Based on December 2021’s sales statistics, the opposite is in fact the case. Ford registered as many as 765 units of the EcoSport during the month (up 135 units on November’s figures), which was enough to make it the sixth best-selling passenger car in the country. That’s no mean feat.

Sifting through Naamsa’s detailed sales figures and picking out its slightly smaller rivals shipped over from India, we see the closest competitor was the Nissan Magnite (679 units), which couldn’t quite match the EcoSport despite boasting a lower starting price of R269 800. The Renault Kiger – which is closely related to the aforementioned Magnite but starts at just R204 900 thanks to the option of a lower-spec powertrain – ended the month on 555 units.

Toyota’s Urban Cruiser was next on 488 units, slipping slightly from a strong effort of 699 units in November but just managing to keep its nose ahead of the Hyundai Venue (482 units). The Kia Sonet range – which is tipped to grow with the addition of 1.0T derivatives and perhaps even a new flagship GT Line trim level at some point in 2022 – ended the month on 360 units. Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza wasn’t far behind, finishing on 332 units. The Honda WR-V, meanwhile, could muster only 38 units, while Mahindra registered a mere two examples of its XUV300.

What about rivals originating from countries other than India? Well, the Spanish-built Volkswagen T-Cross found 766 owners (yes, one more than the EcoSport) in the final month of 2021, while the giant-killing Jolion from China contributed 390 registrations to Haval’s cause.

We should point out, of course, that Ford’s local division currently sources its EcoSport units from two plants. The Ambiente variants fitted with Ford’s atmospheric 1.5-litre three-pot come from the soon-to-be-shuttered Chennai facility, while the mid- and top-spec Trend and Titanium derivatives powered by the brand’s 1.0-litre turbo-triple engine are shipped in from Romania.

So, what does the future hold for this ageing product? Well, a local Ford spokesperson confirmed to us the EcoSport would “remain on sale in South Africa throughout 2022”, which would suggest the company has at least secured some additional stock from the ill-fated Indian plant and will continue to import units from Europe, too. Don’t be surprised to see the EcoSport outperforming its more youthful rivals on the sales charts for a few more months yet.

Ford EcoSport versus Indian-built rivals in December 2021

1. Ford EcoSport – 765 units

2. Nissan Magnite – 679 units

3. Renault Kiger – 555 units

4. Toyota Urban Cruiser – 488 units

5. Hyundai Venue – 482 units

6. Kia Sonet – 360 units

7. Suzuki Vitara Brezza – 332 units

8. Honda WR-V – 38 units

9. Mahindra XUV300 – 2 units