First look: Ford hones new ‘kinetic’ look with C-Max

FORD has released official images of the production version of its all-new C-Max, a mini-MPV that carries the Blue Oval brand’s new ‘kinetic’ design language that will extend across a number of new small cars, including the 2011 Focus.

To make its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show next week, the C-Max is not under consideration for sale in Australia given the lack of consumer interest in people-movers – big and small – and the alternatives Ford has on sale in Australia, such as the new Mondeo wagon and its Broadmeadows-built Territory SUV.

However, the C-Max has a striking front-end design and a number of new features – including an all-new 1.6-litre EcoBoost direct-injection petrol engine – that should appear on the new-generation Focus when it is launched in Australia in 2011 after a European debut late in 2010.

Ford Australia has told GoAuto this week that the decision not to build the all-new Focus in Australia has had no affect on the small car’s launch timing or the prospect of the C-Max being sold here.

The latter issue was raised, along with the Kluger compact SUV, when Ford Australia management revealed that derivatives of the Focus could have been built here, once the production facilities for the global C1 platform, as it is known, were established.

“At this point, we have no plans to introduce the C-Max into Australia as we don’t believe there is enough of a market for it here, particularly when you consider the other ‘family transport’ options we have here, especially Territory,” a spokesperson told GoAuto. “Our decision not to manufacture Focus here has had no bearing on the C-Max decision.

“(And) our timing for new model Focus introduction didn’t change as a result of us not producing it here.”

The first official images of the C-Max show that Ford has kept intact the fundamental design of the concept car – the Iosis Max, shown at the Geneva motor show in March – and cues such as the large trapezoidal lower grille, long triangular headlights, sharp crease lines along the side profile, and the sweeping roofline.

Ford maintains that, despite the coupe-like roofline, the C-Max still retains “established Ford C-Max hallmarks of comfort, space and practicality”.

Other technologies to debut in the C-Max will include semi-automatic parallel parking and a blind-spot detection system.