Future Cars, Concept Cars, & Future Vehicle Photos

Monday, 18 July 2011

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid

It may have been GM's Alfred Sloan who famously called for "a car for every purse and purpose," but it's Ford who's reinventing the mantra for the new millennium. Following the recent reveal of the upcoming Ford Focus Electric, Ford has unveiled not one, but two hybrid models of the upcoming C-Max at the 2011 Detroit auto show.
The first will be familiar two you. The C-Max Hybrid will be to the C-Max what the Fusion Hybrid is to the Fusion. Ford has reworked its hybrid technology from the Fusion Hybrid and fitted it into the C-Max Hybrid, but it's also made some improvements. While Ford's release is light on the details, the company promises that the C-Max Hybrid will get better fuel economy than the Fusion Hybrid, which already returns an EPA-estimated 41 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. Like the Fusion Hybrid, the C-Max Hybrid will be able to travel on electric power only up to at least 47 mph, though Ford hints the improved C-Max Hybrid may have an even higher EV top speed thanks to a larger battery.
The second model is the real head-turner. Called the C-Max Energi, it will build on the technology found in both the C-Max Hybrid and the Focus Electric and will be Ford's first-ever production plug-in hybrid.
As with the C-Max Hybrid, Ford doesn't delve deep into the technical specs, the company is aiming for a 500 mile total driving range (150 miles more than the Chevy Volt), AT-PZEV status and, perhaps most importantly, a quicker charging time and better charge-sustaining (engine on) fuel economy than the vaunted Chevrolet Volt. All Ford will say for certain is that the C-Max Energi will reach a full charge overnight on a 120-volt outlet. Does that mean it will take less than the 10 hours the Volt requires? We think so. Though Ford doesn't specify the availability of a 240-volt charger, it's likely the Energi will use the same charger as the Focus Electric. The Focus Electric and the Volt both charge in four hours on 240-volt circuit and the C-Max Energi will likely share its battery with the Focus Electric and C-Max Hybrid, so we expect a similar charge time.

The C-Max Energi will get its charge from a port located on the front fender between the front wheel and the driver's door. If you read our First Look on the Focus Electric, you'll recognize the same blue ring around the charging port to tell you what's going on. When plugged in, the light loops around the ring twice to indicate it's connected, or the entire ring will flash if there's a problem. While charging, the ring will light up in quarters to indicate the charge level until the whole ring is lit and the battery is fully charged.
Like the Volt, the C-Max Energi will start out on electric power only until its lithium-ion battery is depleted. Ford hasn't specified an electric-only range, so it could be anywhere from the Volt's 40-mile range to the Focus Electric's expected 100-mile range, though it'll probably be closer to the Volt. Once the battery is drained, a small, Atkinson-Cycle gasoline engine will kick in, presumably the same engine from the Fusion Hybrid. The gas engine will also kick in when "certain conditions are met," suggesting that it could work more like the Fusion Hybrid than the Volt, meaning the gasoline engine may kick-on to help during hard acceleration or hill climbing regardless of the battery charge whereas the Volt's engine won't come on at all until the battery is depleted.
This all suggests that the C-Max Energi will act more like a traditional hybrid than a "range-extended electric vehicle" like the Volt. The big question, which Ford doesn't address in its release, is how the power actually reaches in the ground. In a hybrid like the Fusion, both the electric traction motor and the gasoline engine can directly drive the wheels. In the Volt, the wheels are always driven by the electric motor, though the gasoline engine can indirectly power the wheels under very specific conditions. The C-Max Energi appears to operate more like the Fusion Hybrid, but with better EV range and better overall fuel economy.

Inside, the C-Max Energi will again pick up a few tricks from the Fusion Hybrid and Focus Electric. Like the Focus Electric, the Energi will borrow the Fusion Hybrid's dual-LCD instrument cluster and incorporate the latest MyFord Touch features including MyView, which shows you detailed energy use throughout the vehicle, and Brake Coach, which shows how much energy was recaptured after each full stop and how much EV range it added. While the Focus Electric uses butterflies to graphically reward economical driving, the C-Max Energi will stick with vines and leaves like the Fusion Hybrid.
The C-Max Energi will also come with the latest MyFord Mobile app for your smart phone, or a website you can access from your computer. This program will allow you to monitor the car's systems remotely and see the current battery charge. It will also let you schedule charging, warn you if the car needs to be charged or if charging has been interrupted and allows you to schedule "pre-conditioning," which activates the climate control system and warms or cools the interior before you get in. Even better, the system works with MapQuest to locate charging stations and points of interest and can transmit the information directly to the car's nav system. Finally, it also works like a key fob allowing you to lock or unlock the doors and start the car remotely and can use a GPS system to help you find the car in a large parking lot.
While this all sounds good, there's an important distinction we must make. While all of the variants will share the C-Max name, there will be major differences between the conventional gas-powered C-Max and its hybrid and plug-in variants. The gas-powered C-Max will be a three-row, seven-seat mini-minivan with sliding rear doors based on the Grand C-Max concept. The Hybrid and Energi will be smaller cars based off the C-Max concept and will only have two rows, five seats and conventional rear doors. Overall, the Hybrid and Energi will be five inches shorter both in length and wheelbase and 0.7 inches shorter in height. It will retain the same hatchback shape as the gas-powered C-Max.
We'll likely know more about the new C-Max, C-Max Hybrid, C-Max Energi and the Focus Electric as they're all unveiled at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show later today. Ford hasn't announced pricing for any of the vehicles, but we expect starting prices to be significantly higher than the gas-powered C-Max's estimated $20,000 starting point, possibly well into the $30,000 range. Ford says all three will go on-sale in 2012 in the U.S. Stay tuned for more

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid

2012 Ford C-Max U.S. Spec

Ford expects its share of the growing c-segment, or compact category, in the United States to reach 200,000 units per year in the next couple of years. Yes, it's well on its way even with the current, outdated North American Focus. However, One Ford, which makes universal the vast majority of Ford's front-drive models around the world, will soon expand the next-generation Focus into a number of variants and different bodystyles.
With Ford's retooled, uber-flexible c-car factory online now building the 2012 Ford Focus in Wayne, Michigan, it can afford to gamble on sub-segments that haven't done well here before. Ford product chief Derrick Kuzak says the company can shift production from a slow-selling variant to a new, hot variant cheaply and quickly.
So, are we ready to buy small minivans? Mazda sells about 15,000 to 20,000 of its four-cylinder Mazda5 minivans per year in the United States. While that's a very small number, it's done with virtually no marketing effort here.
The '12 Focus launches early in '11 with two bodystyles, the four-door sedan and four-door hatchback. Next up will be the 2012 Ford C-Max, recently introduced in Europe. At 178 inches overall on a 109-inch wheelbase, it's 22.2 inches and 10.3 inches shorter, respectively, than the new Toyota Sienna minivan. For young families who feel compelled to buy a minivan as soon as they have their first child, the Ford C-Max may fit the bill. It seats up to seven people, which means mom or dad can drive her or his kid and five classmates and be a responsible car-pooler.
A competitor for such models as the Opel Zafira, Renault Scenic and Chevrolet Orlando in Europe, the C-Max features American minivan-like sliding rear doors on both sides, complete with visible rail openings between the rear doors and the taillamps. The one-box look is sleeker than most of the competition, however, with a rakish a-pillar and header.
Ford calls the three rows of seats a "5+2" arrangement, with two extra seats that fold down and out of the way in the rear cargo compartment. While a first-drive of the North American model is still a ways off, we've driven the European version, and those two extra seats are best suited for kids on their way to and from school or soccer practice, or for a particularly affectionate couple coming along for the short ride to a concert or restaurant.
The center row features a neat feature: the middle seat flips forward and then to its right. Then you flip up the seat-cushion of the passenger-side second row seat, and the middle seat folds neatly underneath, for 2+2 seating. Both outboard second row seats slide and recline.

But that's not all. Ford has added a second "oh, wow" feature in the form of an automatic rear gate opener. If you have the keyless fob in your pocket and your hands are full with groceries or shopping bags, as you approach the rear liftgate, wave your foot under the rear bumper twice, and the liftgate opens ... presumably, not in your face.
Finally, Ford has a new-age answer to its 1965 Country Squire dual tailgate feature.
Other features designed to make the C-Max feel like a premium model include ambient lighting. Standard safety features will include AdvanceTrac and Curve Control. Ford expects five-star safety ratings for the vehicle.
While Europeans will be buying the C-Max with turbodiesel engines, North America of course will have a choice of two gas engines. The bigger four-cylinder will be the base engine, a 2.5-liter preliminarily rated at 168 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque. The optional engine is Ford's new 1.6-liter EcoBoost four, the first Ford to get the 1.6-liter turbo for the American market. The engine is estimated so far by Ford at 168 horsepower (180 when running on premium) and 173 pound-feet. Both engines hook up to a six-speed automatic, for optimal fuel economy.
Ford has declined to announce the North American on-sale date and pricing, and won't say whether it will be built at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, near Dearborn, along with the Focus, though that would be a good bet. We'd expect the C-Max base price to be about $20,000, just north of the Focus, with typically-to-well-equipped models in the $25,000 to $30,000 range. Look for it to go on sale here as early as Fall '11 and probably no later than Spring '12.
Will Americans embrace European-sized minivans? Too early to tell, though if gas prices rise above $4 per gallon again, the C-Max will look like a better buy next to larger, V-6 minivans. And if it is a hit, don't be surprised to see Chevrolet rethink its decision not to sell the Orlando here.

2012 Ford C-Max U.S. Spec

2012 Volkswagen Passat

Volkswagen's Passat replacement, still called the Passat, grows to large-midsize, will sticker for as little as $20,000 and gets an optional 2.0-liter turbodiesel. The car, which is making its debut at the 2011 Detroit show, goes on sale by this September. VW's spin on the Accord-sized and -priced 2012 Passat is that it represents "accessible German engineering." It's a key component in VW's quest to sell 800,000 cars and sport/utilities in the United States by 2018.
2012 Volkswagen Passat Cabin
VW has a long way to go to those sales volumes, part of VW's world domination plans that entail passing Toyota to become the largest automaker by mid-decade. VW, exclusive of Audi, sold about 260,000 cars and sport/utilities here last year, and expects to sell about 300,000 here in '11. The 2012 Passat should sell in more or less equal numbers as the new Jetta, a model that has long been the bestselling European nameplate in North America, selling in the low 100,000s.
To appeal to a wider audience, mostly Toyota, Honda and Hyundai owners, VW is replacing the smallish-midsize Passat with an Accord-sized 191.7-inch long four-door sedan on a 110.4-inch wheelbase. VW claims best-in-class rear-seat legroom. Strictly speaking, the new Passat doesn't share its platform with anything else sold in North America, though VW has commonized its transverse-engine models (which is just about everything) into the MQB component set. That means the Passat will share many components with the Mexican-built Jetta, among others.
2012 Volkswagen Passat Rear Three Quarter Driver Side
Base engine will be the unimpressive 170-horsepower 2.5-liter inline five, the Jetta's volume engine, supplied out of Mexico. The German-built 280-horsepower, 3.6-liter VR6 engine will be optional, as well as an updated version of VW's 2.0-liter turbodiesel four with 140-horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, which Volkswagen expects will earn a 43-mpg highway fuel mileage number from the EPA. Built in Poland, the TDI relies on urea aftertreatment to clean emissions.
A five-speed manual will be offered with the 2.5 and the turbodiesel will be offered with a six-speed manual, while the VR6 will be offered with the sequential manual gearbox. A six-speed automatic will be optional with all engines. While the Passat goes from being a midsize car on the small end of that spectrum to one on the large side, it loses almost 80 pounds, VW says.
The chassis features a multi-link rear suspension, with MacPherson struts up front.
2012 Volkswagen Passat Side View
Just like the 2.0-liter base '11 Jetta, the '12 Passat will start with a low-priced version featuring the 2.5-liter five, for about $20,000, "a breakthrough price for VW," one executive says. Intelligent crash response, automatic climate control and a three-year, 36,000-mile free maintenance plan will be standard.
The heart of the new Passat will probably be in the $25,000 to $28,000 territory, with such features as keyless entry, remote start and wheels as large as 18-inches, options that VW says don't matter as much to European buyers. Upper trim levels will be available with any of the three engines, and VW isn't saying whether the diesel or the VR6 will be the more expensive powertrain.
Assembly begins in VW's new Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant later this year. The factory has a capacity of 150,000 cars per year on two shifts, although with minor changes such as the addition of more robots, it can expand annual production to 250,000. And there's room to double the factory's footprint, for up to 500,000. That leaves room for potential engine production in the new Tennessee plant, and for future models off the new Passat's platform, like, possibly, a new Honda Pilot-size three-row crossover, larger than the Touareg.

2012 Volkswagen Passat