Ford Begins Taking Orders for C-MAX Hybrid – America's Most Affordable, Fuel-Efficient Hybrid Utility Vehicle
 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid |
Editor's Note: At the Detroit Auto Show I asked a Ford product manager why the new 2013 Ford Escape would not have a hybrid option and was told that the C-Max Hybrid would fill the needs of buyers looking for a small CUV hybrid. I thought that it was much smaller and more compact than the new Escape, and that the third row was only useable for small short children. What do you think? Comment below please
DEARBORN, Mich., May 17, 2012 – Ford dealers are starting to place orders for America’s most affordable and fuel-efficient hybrid utility vehicle – the 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid – with innovative technologies such as a hands-free liftgate, spaciousness for five passengers and cargo as well as the fun-to-drive character shared with well-handling cars including Ford Focus.The C-MAX is a compact hybrid utility vehicle and the company’s
first dedicated line of hybrids. The 2013 C-MAX Hybrid will be available
this fall with a base price of $25,995 – approximately $500 lower
than the Toyota Prius v’s base price.
The C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid will follow later this year with
better electric-mode fuel economy and overall driving range than the Prius
plug-in hybrid.
“C-MAX Hybrid offers better fuel economy, performance,
technology and functionality than Prius v – and C-MAX Hybrid
customers will pay less at the dealership and at the pump,” said Ken
Czubay, vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “Ford is
delivering the power of choice for leading fuel economy across its lineup
– from EcoBoost to electrified vehicles – because customers
increasingly want to save money at the pump, even as gas prices rise over
time.”
The C-MAX Hybrid blends fuel economy with performance, with projected
best-in-class horsepower and torque along with Ford’s
third-generation powersplit technology that allows for higher speed
while in electric mode than Toyota Prius v.
C-MAX Hybrid benefits from 20 years of research and innovation behind
the software and hardware technology driving it, with many of Ford’s
almost 500 hybrid vehicle-related patents contained within.
That means that along with SYNC® with MyFord
Touch®, drivers get class-exclusive features like hands-free
liftgate (offering hands-free cargo access with a simple kicking motion),
SmartGauge® with EcoGuide, regenerative braking and an advanced
lithium-ion (li-ion) battery pack that is being used for the first time in
a Ford hybrid.
C-MAX Hybrid – being built on Ford’s global C-segment
platform – also benefits from a proven design and nameplate with more
than 156,000 units of the gasoline version sold in Europe since its 2010
launch.
Room to move
C-MAX Hybrid is a compact hybrid utility vehicle jam-packed with
features and room for five people and cargo.
The vehicle has a high roofline (63.9 inches) offering ample interior
space and flexibility. C-MAX Hybrid offers 99.7 cubic feet of passenger
space compared with 97 cubic feet in Prius v. The spacious C-MAX Hybrid
also provides greater headroom in both front and rear seats than Prius v
(41/39.4 inches vs. 39.6/38.6 inches).
For cargo, C-MAX Hybrid has 60/40 split-fold rear seats that easily
fold flat with 54.3 cubic feet of space behind the first row and 24.5 cubic
feet behind the second row.
Tech-savvy
C-MAX Hybrid features the company’s innovative hands-free
liftgate, allowing for quick and easy access to the cargo area without
messing with keys. A gentle kicking motion under the rear bumper opens the
liftgate when used in combination with a key fob the user keeps in his or
her pocket or purse that tells the car it’s OK to engage. The same
motion can close the liftgate.
The vehicle also features the newest version of MyFord Touch to help
inform, enlighten, engage and empower drivers. MyFord Touch offers multiple
ways for customers to manage and control their phone, navigation,
entertainment and climate functions through voice commands, menus accessed
through controls on the steering wheel, touch screens, buttons or
knobs.
C-MAX Hybrid also offers the next generation of SmartGauge with
EcoGuide. Designed to help drivers get the most from the C-MAX Hybrid,
information such as instantaneous fuel economy can be displayed on the left
cluster to help drivers more closely monitor how their driving behavior
affects the vehicle’s efficiency.
The left cluster also shows Brake Coach, a feature that helps drivers
optimize their use of the braking system so that driving range can be
enhanced through proper braking techniques. In the right cluster,
redesigned imagery of green leaves shows overall driving efficiency –
as drivers improve their efficient driving, they are rewarded with more
leaves.
Quality and ingenuity
The 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid is new, but its software and hardware
technology have been evolving for nearly two decades.
C-MAX Hybrid is powered through the combination of a gasoline engine
and a battery-driven electric motor. When powered by gasoline, the C-MAX
Hybrid uses the all-new 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine
– a powerful and fuel-efficient engine and among the most advanced
non-turbocharged four-cylinder powertrains Ford has ever offered.
The electric motor of the C-MAX Hybrid is powered by an advanced
li-ion battery system designed to maximize use of common, high-quality
components, such as control board hardware that has proven field
performance in Ford’s critically acclaimed hybrid vehicles.
C-MAX Hybrid also offers Ford’s next-generation powersplit
architecture that allows the electric motor and gasoline-powered engine to
work together or separately to maximize efficiency. The engine also can
operate independently of vehicle speed, charging the batteries or providing
power to the wheels as needed. The motor alone can provide sufficient power
to the wheels in low-speed, low-load conditions and work with the engine at
higher speeds.
In the C-MAX Hybrid, the li-ion battery pack is recharged when the
gasoline engine is in operation. Further, the regenerative braking system
can recapture more than 95 percent of the braking energy that would
otherwise be lost, and is able to use that power to help charge the
battery. C-MAX Hybrid requires no plug-in charging.
Made in U.S.A.
C-MAX Hybrid is being produced at Ford’s Wayne, Mich.-based
Michigan Assembly Plant alongside Focus, Focus Electric and Focus ST. More
information about MAP can be found online here.
It is one of five electrified vehicles Ford plans to produce in North
America in 2012. In addition to C-MAX Energi, the other vehicles include
Focus Electric, Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid. More
information about Ford’s electrified vehicle lineup can also be found
online here.