New Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX Live from Frankfurt, 7-Seater Model Confirmed for the U.S.A

An all-new, two-model Ford C-MAX range that consists of the five-seat C-MAX and the longer, seven-seat Grand C-MAX with sliding rear-doors made its world premiere at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show where FoMoCo also confirmed that the Grand C-MAX will indeed be launched in North America in late 2011. Set to go on sale in Europe in the second half of 2010, the C-MAX minivan is the first model of the next generation Focus family that will include hatchback, sedan and coupe-convertible variants and are scheduled for production in the next few years.

The C-MAX range, which will compete head on with the Renault Scenic / Grand Scenic and Citroen C4 Picasso / C4 Grand Picasso (see a naming pattern here...) in Europe, will be the first Ford to get the firm's all-new 1.6-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engines with direct injection, turbocharging and twin independent variable valve timing.

The 1.6-liter unit will be offered with outputs ranging between 150 and 180 horsepower and will be joined later on by a smaller displacement engine with up to 130HP as well as a 2.0-liter turbo engine producing 200HP and above.

Whereas the five-seat C-MAX retains the seating arrangement from the current model with three individual 40/20/40 folding seats, and the option of a Comfort system that allows the outer seats to slide diagonally backwards and inwards to create a 2+2 layout, the longer Grand C-MAX features three rows of seats in a 2+3+2 layout that can be switched to a 2+2+2 layout.

Naturally for an MPV, the second- and third-row seats can be folded down to create a flat load floor, irrespective of how many seats remain in use.

Furthermore, the C-MAX's conventional back doors have been replaced on the Grand C-MAX with sliding rear doors on both sides of the car.

Ford Announces New Ecoboost 1.6 Turbo with 150-180HP and 2.0 Turbo with Over 200HP in Frankfurt

Ford is finally joining the 'turbo bandwagon' in the small engine category with the release of a new family of four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines that will make their debut in Europe in 2010. The initial range will comprise of 1.6-litre and 2.0-liter petrol units featuring direct injection, turbocharging and twin independent variable valve timing while a smaller capacity EcoBoost unit will be introduced later to expand the range of applications within the firm's small (e.g. Fiesta) and medium-car line-up.

The company claims that that the new engines provide up to 20 per cent better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions compared to conventional petrol engines with a similar power output.

"The new family of Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder petrol engines coming in 2010 is a key element of Ford Motor Company's global blueprint for sustainability," said John Fleming, Chairman & CEO, Ford of Europe.

"We believe that these engines will provide customers with a genuinely attractive alternative to diesel or hybrid power units, delivering highly competitive fuel economy and cost-of-ownership, along with the responsive performance and wide rev range which have made petrol engines the favoured choice for so many drivers," Fleming added.

The 1.6-liter turbo engine, which be launched on the all-new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX MPVs that are making their world debut in Frankfurt, will be offered with outputs ranging from 150 to 180 horsepower while the 2.0-liter turbo unit will cater for applications of 200HP and above in models such as the Mondeo.

Furthermore, Ford re-confirmed in Frankfurt that the new 2.0-litre EcoBoost will be available globally, launching in North America in 2010 and, for its first rear-wheel drive application, in the Ford Falcon in Australia from 2011.

Ford Grand C-MAX: Early Unveiling for 7-Seat LWB Version of C-MAX

Official photos of the long-wheelbase version of Ford's all-new C-MAX compact minivan that receives the Grand moniker circulated on the net today. Due to be revealed alongside the five-seat C-MAX at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Grand C-MAX gets a 150mm boost in length to make room for a third row of seats that can accommodate two more passengers, while Ford also equipped it with a pair of sliding doors at the back to provide easier access to the rear seats.

Ford's new five- and seven seat MPVs are based on the underpinnings of the next generation Focus that is expected to be launched in 2010. Both models will be offered with the company's all-new EcoBoost 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine.

The image gallery also provides us with our first glimpse of the car's interior, with the dashboard (same for both MPVs) featuring a similar design language - though somewhat more cluttered, to the European market Mondeo. Unless Ford plans to surprise us, buyers should expect to see the same console sans a few minor changes, on the 2011MY Focus.

FoMoCo's new Renault Scenic and Grand Scenic rivals are scheduled to go on sale in Europe during in mid-2010.

Via: Autoblog.nl & WCF

Ford's Seven-Seater MPV to be Named Grand C-MAX

It appears that Ford's marketing team took a liking to the naming system used by their French colleagues at Renault on the longer versions of the Scenic and Espace MPVs as according to Carscoop sources, the seven-seater version of the all-new C-MAX will employ the 'Grand' moniker. While Ford has already published the first photos of the five-seater C-MAX, we'll have to wait a few more days for the Grand C-MAX that's also planned to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

In addition to being longer than the five-seat model, the Grand C-MAX also makes use of a pair of sliding doors at the rear to provide easier access to the two last rows of seats that can accommodate three and two passengers respectively.

The Grand C-MAX will be available with the same diesel and gasoline engine range with its five-seater sibling including Ford's brand-new 1.6-litre turbocharged direct-injection EcoBoost unit.

2010 Ford Grand C-MAX Spy Shots

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2010 Ford C-MAX