Ford reveals compact minivan at Frankfurt show

[rickaren]

Ford reveals compact minivan at Frankfurt show

Posted Tuesday, Sep 15, 2009, 11:15 am in Employee News

Ford unveiled a new compact minivan for sale in the United States in 2011 at the Frankfurt Auto Show on Tuesday as the company announced plans to build a family of ten different vehicles based on its 2011 Focus compact.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the seven-passenger Grand C-Max minivan will be a key part of Ford’s growing compact family. The Grand C-Max will use a four-cylinder engine with Ford’s Ecoboost combination of turbocharging and direct fuel injection to boost fuel economy about 20% versus a conventional engine, Ford of Europe chairman John Fleming said and the paper reported.

While the Grand C-Max’s accommodations for seven passengers and sliding doors may appeal to American families looking to combine maximum kid-carrying and minimum fuel bills, Ford has no plans to bring the five-passenger C-Max minivan it sells in Europe to the United States, the story said.

Over the next three years, Ford will use the new Focus’ underpinnings to launch a new lineup of small hatchbacks, minivans, sedans and coupes that it hopes will fetch two million sales a year. (The Detroit Free Press)