GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Ford unveils new B-MAX
B-MAX could be coming to Australia after all, a vehicle about the size of a Focus hatch but with clever packaging that makes it bigger on the insideFord used the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as a launch pad for its all-new B-MAX city car. It is equipped with a suite a high-tech safety features, not to mention a pair of sliding rear doors that create a giant 1.5 metre opening.
The Ford B-MAX measures just over four metres in length, about 110mm longer than the Fiesta five-door, and can be optioned with leather seats, rear view camera, dual-clutch transmission and even a new 'Active City Stop' auto-braking safety system -- a first for the class.
The new tall-bodied car was thought to be a European-only vehicle but Ford's global boss, Alan Mulally, explained to the media in Geneva that the new model is destined for a lot of international markets.
"I think the B-MAX will go to most markets around the world. Remember that probably about 55 per cent of all the vehicles going forward will be in the B and C size. So, like the B-MAX and C-MAX, they're very fuel efficient and that's what people really do want," said Mulally.
"I don’t think we've announced where it will go next [after its European launch], but clearly this is going to be very popular around the world.
"All of those B and C sized vehicles and all the platforms and 'top hats' off those platforms, they'll be everywhere around the world," confirmed the Ford CEO.
If the Ford B-MAX did make it to Australia in the future, the local operation has a number of engines to choose from, including a 70kW 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine, which uses sips fuel at a miserly rate of 4.0L/100km.
The latest 1.0-litre EcoBoost turbopetrol engine is also offered in the Euro zone, outputting 88kW and using just 4.9L/100km when paired with an auto stop-start system. Two other petrol engines are paired with the Ford B-MAX in Europe -- 1.4- and 1.6-litre naturally aspirated units.
"Customers told us they needed a new kind of compact car, one that works well in congested cities and with busy lifestyles," said Mulally of the new Ford B-MAX. "We listened and now we are opening doors to a new approach in compact cars."
Read the latest news from the Geneva Motor Show at motoring.com.au
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