}} Alongside the third-generation
Ford Focus Mk III, the second-generation C-Max (C344) is built on Ford's new
Global C platform. The appearance is inspired by the
Iosis Max concept, shown at the 2009
Geneva Motor Show. In addition, Ford added a long-wheelbase, seven-seat
minivan variant of the C-Max, the Ford Grand C-Max. The vehicle was presented at the 2009
Frankfurt Motor Show. Early European models include 5 seats, and 7-seat models entered the market at the end of 2010 (except Russia, where there is only the 7-seat model). At the 2011
North American International Auto Show, Ford announced a seven-seat C-MAX for the North American market, but this model was cancelled prior to launch. Ford unveiled the Ford C-Max Energi
plug-in hybrid and the C-Max Hybrid at the 2011
North American International Auto Show. Like the conventional C-Max, the C-Max Energi and Hybrid are five-seat only. They replace the
Ford Escape Hybrid and
Mercury Mariner Hybrid since Ford discontinued the
Mercury brand after the 2011
model year and the Escape Hybrid after the 2012 year model. The C-Max is Ford's first hybrid-only line of vehicles. Both the plug-in and hybrid versions are based on the European gasoline- and diesel-powered versions. The C-Max Hybrid was released in the United States in September 2012 as a 2013 model, Production of the C-Max Energi in the United States ended in September 2017, while Hybrid production ended in 2018.
Features The new Mk III platform is the first in its class to support
torque vectoring control. The redesigned C-Max features flat folding third-row seats, a hands-free power lift gate, rear-view camera, park assist, and panoramic sunroof. HD radio, Sirius XM, Sync, dual-zone climate control system, and a navigation system come as standard or as available options on the different trim lines. The aerodynamics (
drag coefficient,
cw) of the car has been improved, being 0,30 for the five-seater and 0,32 for the Grand C-Max.
Specifications plant The front-wheel drive hybrid has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder
Atkinson cycle engine mated to an 88kW electric traction motor and a 1.4
kWh lithium-ion battery for total system power output of . The top speed in
all-electric mode of and the car's top speed in hybrid mode is . The hybrid has a maximum cargo volume of with rear seats folded flat, and in the cargo area behind the rear seats, providing more room than the regular Prius liftback, but less cargo room than the
Prius V, which provides with the rear seats folded. The
Hybrid is offered in two trims: The
SE features
eco-friendly cloth seating surfaces,
Ford SYNC system with A/M-F/M stereo with single-disc CD/MP3 player,
USB and
auxiliary input jacks, six speakers, a multi-informational gauge cluster and color display screen, keyless entry, alloy wheels, and split-folding rear bench seat, plus a security alarm. The
SEL adds leather seating surfaces,
MyFord Touch with AM/FM
HD radio stereo with single-disc CD/MP3 player and
USB and
auxiliary input jacks, a
Sony premium
surround sound system,
SIRIUS Satellite Radio, power dual front seats, keyless access, push-button start system, and other luxury features. For the 2017 model year, the SEL trim level on both the C-Max Hybrid and Energi were renamed to the Titanium trim level and also all the 2017 Ford C-Max Hybrids and plug-in Energis were expected to have restyled headlights and taillights. The
Energi Plug-In Hybrid was only available in
SEL trim, but for the 2017 model year, the C-Max Energi was also available on the SE trim level.
EPA ratings Ford's design aimed for the C-Max Hybrid to deliver better
fuel economy than the Toyota Prius V. The
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initially rated the hybrid model at with the same rating for combined/city/highway cycles. These ratings allowed the C-Max Hybrid to improve the fuel economy of the
Toyota Prius v by on the city cycle, by on the highway cycle and by combined. However, after criticism and lawsuits about worse-than-expected real-world fuel economy, in August 2013 Ford voluntarily lowered the EPA ratings and issued customer rebates. The revised fuel economy ratings were reduced to for city driving, for combined and for highway. The revised rating for the updated 2013 C-Max Hybrid is still better than the combined rating for the Toyota Prius v. A second downward revision was made during June 2014. Ford boosted the on-road
fuel efficiency of its three 2013 model year hybrids through changes in the cars' vehicle control software in an effort to improve customer satisfaction. The upgrade was offered free of charge to existing owners of these hybrids. Some of the changes include: • Increasing the maximum pure electric speed from , allowing increased use of electric-only mode on the highway • Optimizing the use of active grille shutters to reduce aerodynamic drag under more driving and temperature conditions, including cold weather, during air conditioner use, and when the engine coolant temperature is higher • Reducing the electric fan speed as a function of coolant temperature to minimize the fan’s energy consumption • Shortening engine warm-up time by up to 50% to enable electric-only driving and engine shutdown at stops sooner after cold starts • Optimizing the climate-control system to minimize use of the air-conditioning compressor and reduce the energy used in cold-weather operation
Sales A total of 969 units was sold during September 2012, allowing the C-Max Hybrid to rank as the ninth-best selling hybrid car in the United States that month. During October, its first full month in the market, 3,182 units were sold, outselling the Prius V by more than 400 units, which had ranked as the fourth-most sold hybrid in the previous months. Sales of the C-Max Hybrid also led Ford to achieve its best October hybrid sales month ever with a total of 4,612 sales, up 142% over October 2011. Ford reported that 25% of C-Max Hybrid sales took place in California, with
Los Angeles and
San Francisco as the top-selling regional markets. A total of 10,935 C-Max Hybrids were sold during 2012, Since its inception, a total of 72,330 units had been sold in the United States through December 2015. After running both vehicles through Consumer Reports real-world tests, the magazine found that C-Max hybrid achieved a combined fuel economy average of , with and for city and highway. The problem lay with EPA's rules that allowed automakers to group similar vehicles and apply the same ratings, which Ford did with the Fusion hybrid and C-Max hybrids. Ford Motor Co. officials said the real-world fuel efficiency in the C-Max Hybrid depended on driving style and other factors, and that the company did not expect the car's fuel efficiency numbers to change, as they followed EPA's test guidelines. Ford said they were working closely with the EPA to determine if their hybrid vehicle testing procedures needed to be changed. They explained that several factors could affect hybrid fuel economy more than that of regular gasoline engines, including speed (as the difference between could produce a 7 mpg difference in fuel economy); outside temperature (the difference between could result in a 5 mpg difference); and vehicle break-in (a 5 mpg difference could occur from the difference ). Due to the criticism and lawsuits, in July 2013, Ford announced it would boost the on-road fuel efficiency of the C-Max and its other two 2013 hybrids through changes in the vehicle control software, in an effort to improve customer satisfaction. In June 2014, Ford found some glitches in their internal tests and had to drop the MPG ratings by 1-2 miles per gallon for a few models like the 2013-2014 Fusion and C-Max hybrids, including the plug-ins. To mitigate customers' concerns, the automaker provided financial compensation. Depending on whether the vehicle was bought or leased, owners got from $150 to $1,050 to help cover the increase in fuel costs due to the new ratings.
Plug-in hybrid The C-Max Energi
plug-in hybrid started at including the destination fee. According to its battery size, the plug-in car qualified for a
federal tax credit of , and it is eligible for
additional incentives at the state and local level, such as
California's rebate.
Specifications The C-Max Energi was designed with total in hybrid mode delivered by a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder gasoline engine plus an electric motor powered by a 7.6
kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which is smaller and lighter than
nickel–metal hydride batteries used in previous Ford generation hybrids. Via a button mounted in the center stack, drivers could select between three modes - electric-only driving without gasoline engine power ("EV Now" setting); normal hybrid mode where the powertrain blends electric and gasoline engine power as appropriate ("EV Auto" setting); or a battery-saving mode that reserves the battery power for later use ("EV Later" setting). Initially, the EPA rated the Energi combined city/highway fuel economy in
all-electric mode at 100 MPG-e (). Later, when owners complained of not achieving the sticker fuel economy, and following a technical review, the official EPA rating in EV mode was downgraded to 88 MPG-e (). but it was later downgraded to . EPA's rating for combined EV/hybrid operation is 51 MPG-e (4.6 L gasoline equivalent/100 km), which allows the C-Max Energi to rank in sixth place, together with the Fusion Energi, among the top ten EPA-Rated Fuel Sippers since 1984. The C-Max Energi has an
all-electric range of , for a total EPA certified range of ,
Sales Ford released the C-Max Energi in the U.S. market by mid October 2012, and during that month 144 units were delivered to U.S. retail customers, and ended with 2,374 units delivered in 2012. 967 units in Canada through December 2016, and 1,229 in the Netherlands in 2015.
C-Max Solar Energi concept Ford Motor Company announced the C-MAX Solar Energi concept, a
solar PV-powered vehicle to run electrically without depending on the electric grid for fuel. The C-MAX Solar Energi Concept was unveiled at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas. This is a collaborative project of Ford,
SunPower Corp. and the
Georgia Institute of Technology.
Production For the North American market, the C-Max Hybrid was assembled alongside the 2012 Focus and
Ford Focus Electric at
Ford's Wayne plant in Michigan. The C-Max Energi was also assembled in Michigan. Since 2015, all European versions are built in the Saarlouis Body & Assembly, Germany. Ford of Europe announced that it would end production of both the C-Max and Grand C-Max in Germany by the end of the second quarter of 2019. ==Recognition==