The B-Max is the newest - and smallest - member of Ford's growing "people-mover" line-up.
While it may have walked away from the classic – and fast-shrinking — minivan market, Ford is betting big on the growing “people-mover” niche, with an all-new offering set to make its debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
The Ford B-Max will be the smallest in the fast-growing array of minivan alternatives from the Dearborn maker, slotting in beneath the C-Max, S-Max and Flex.
Geneva show-goers might get a sense of déjà vu when Ford CEO Alan Mulally lifts the covers next month. A concept version of the Ford B-Max appeared on the PALExpo stage last year. This image offers the first look at the production version.
Ford’s people-movers have, in general, delivered a surprising amount of room in a small package. To further enhance the functionality of the new B-Max, the maker has removed the traditional B-Pillars between front and rear doors – they become part of the doors themselves. With the reverse-opening latest of the rear portals that makes for a positively cavernous opening that eases the way if you’re loading in oversized cargo.
The B-Max will be powered by the latest – and smallest – member of the EcoBoost family, at a mere 1.0-liter displacement. A downsized DuraTorq diesel will join the line-up, as well.
The Ford B-Max will reach European showrooms later this year. With Ford rapidly switching to a global product strategy dubbed OneFord might there be a place in the U.S. line-up, as well? We’re about to get the new C-Max, which shares its underpinnings with the Ford Focus. But, at least for now, there are no plans to bring the smaller B-Max to the States, too.
Nevertheless, the pint-sized people-mover shares its own platform with the Fiesta, which is now on sale in the U.S., so it would be possible to add the B-Max to the same assembly line. That is, of course, an option that just might be revisited if rising fuel prices – and toughening mileage regulations – lead to a further downsizing of buyer demand.