Ford will add two hybrid versions of the C-Max people mover, shown here at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show.
Ford will launch a hybrid version of its C-Max people mover in 2013, making it the first of five hybrids the automaker plans to offer in Europe.
Two separate battery-based versions of the C-Max will be offered: a full hybrid, capable of running for just brief distances on electric power alone, and a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle, or PHEV, that will be able to make longer runs on battery power.
The $410 million project will be based at Ford’s Valencia plant, and is getting off the ground with the assistance of grants from both the Spanish government and Valencia regional authorities.
The C-Max is being updated for the 2011 model-year and will be offered in five and seven-seat versions – though the hybrids will use only the smaller configuration. Along with the two electric drivelines, Ford offers the people mover with several gasoline and diesel powertrains, as well.
The plug-in version will use a larger lithium-ion battery pack than the conventional C-Max hybrid. And though Ford has not yet disclosed specific details, insiders say the PHEV people mover should get up to around 30 miles a charge, about 20 times more than the standard hybrid could get on pure battery power. That will, however, require the plug-in version to be charged up for somewhere around 4 hours using Europe’s 220-volt current.
The C-Max uses the same platform as the Ford Focus, a new version of which will be launched in the U.S. for 2011. Ford, meanwhile, is looking to introduce a version of the people mover in the States, though it will opt for the larger Grand C-Max, which it feels is better suited to the American market.
The company won’t say whether a U.S. version will also get a hybrid or plug-in drivetrain, though Ford has said it will rapidly expand its battery-based line-up here in the coming years. A pure battery-electric version of the Transit Connect van will launch late in 2010, to be followed by a battery-electric Focus. And Ford does say that several PHEV models will be offered in the States, as well.