manufacturing operations in India is not without casualties. The Ford EcoSport is a compact SUV that will be discontinued as a result of its sole production in India. The Ford EcoSport was quite successful in India before it’s list of rivals expanded.

According to

Fox Business

, Ford has racked up $2 billion in losses in India over the past decade. For that reason, the automaker plans to discontinue the Indian-made EcoSport in 2022. Currently, the subcompact SUV is the only automobile imported from India to the U.S.

The Ford EcoSport is getting laid to rest.

Ford plans to pull a subcompact SUV from its lineup

It is now official that Ford is parking its smallest SUV. The company's India head Anurag Mehrotra said:

"Despite efforts, we have not been able to find a sustainable path forward to long-term profitability."

The Ford EcoSport will also be removed from the product catalog meant for U.S. customers. Note that the SUV's assembly plant in India will be closed in 2022. That is when Ford plans to drop the EcoSport from its lineup.

Part of the reasons for shuttering the subcompact SUV's plant in India is to reduce the automaker's costs in under-performing markets. It is also worth mentioning that the Ford EcoSport is the least expensive SUV in the automaker's lineup.

The automobile costs $21,500 in the U.S.,

Autotrader

reported. The amount affords one a fairly basic and decidedly city-sized SUV. Additionally, the Ford EcoSport is powered by a 1.0-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine and comes with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

As much as that is the case, the vehicle's range-topping SES trim level will cost you almost $30,000, but discounts are common.

Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds

No spam · No long forms · No fees

Find insurance savings

Realizing success becomes a challenge for the EcoSport

MORE: Consumer Reports Says to Avoid this Popular Ford SUV

The Ford EcoSport entered the U.S. market in 2017. Although the SUV captured the hearts of some individuals, the love is not enough to continue production in the American market.

According to

Detroit Free Post

, in the U.S., the automobile went from 24 clients just before the close of 2017 to 54,348 in 2018, 67,708 in 2019, and 60,544 during the pandemic in 2020. In 2021, the subcompact SUV's sales dipped 22% from January through August compared to 2020.

The success of the Bronco may also have come at the expense of the EcoSport. It is also possible that the EcoSport's styling may not have been what U.S. customers prefer. Moreover, the vehicle does not have much rear-seat space, which, in turn, has earned it several critics.

The Maverick hybrid pickup is expected to replace the EcoSport in Ford's lineup this fall, and its price may be a bit lower than that of the subcompact SUV.

Will the vehicle be available outside the U.S. market?

MORE: Ordered a Ford Maverick? FWD Won't Be Available

First, understand that apart from the recently introduced electric Mustang Mach-E, the EcoSport was Ford's lowest-selling SUV through the first half of 2021. The SUV was introduced in the Indian market in 2013 and arrived in its home market in 2016.

Note that the automobile is also offered in particular European markets, although the units available there come from the plant in Romania.

That means that the EcoSport will continue in business in Europe. Apart from the European market, Ford builds the EcoSport at multiple factories worldwide. The implication here is that the automaker will continue selling the subcompact SUV in markets outside the U.S.