Not content with unveiling the Focus Electric (see article), Ford appears to have caught the green car bug after it revealed two next-generation hybrids at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and the C-MAX Hybrid are based on the C-MAX five-passenger multi-activity vehicle and will use Ford’s C-platform and feature innovative next-generation driver information features as well as advanced lithium-ion battery systems.
The Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid.
One of the goals of the C-MAX Energi is to achieve Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle status by pairing a high-voltage lithium-ion battery and electric traction motor with a high efficiency Atkinson-cycle petrol engine that allows it to run in electric mode before using the petrol engine.
It is hoped that it will deliver better fuel economy than the 41mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid, which is currently the most fuel efficient saloon car in America.
The C-MAX Energi will offer more than 500miles of overall driving range and will be the first production plug-in hybrid from Ford following more than 200,000miles of road testing in collaboration with 10 utility companies. Its owners will have access to a suite of information systems that will help manage the recharge process and the most eco-friendly route on-board. These will include a MyFord Touch driver connect technology that displays information on fuel levels, battery power levels and average and instant miles per gallon.
Both the C-MAX Energi and C-MAX Hybrid will be built at the all-new Ford Focus and Focus Electric’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, for the North American market while the new models will be built in Valencia, Spain, to be sold in Europe in 2013. The vehicles will be sold in more than 120markets and will account for more than two million units annually.
