Next year, Ford will grow its electrified vehicle production capacity when it launches the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in vehicles. Both five-passenger hybrids will provide another fuel-efficient option for customers.

 

The next generation of the Escape Hybrid's award-winning powertrain moves to the five-passenger C-MAX Hybrid and features the first hybrid transmission and lithium-ion battery system Ford is building in-house.

 

Ford's new hybrid powertrain will be available exclusively in C-MAX, and it will deliver more than 25 percent improvement in fuel economy versus the outgoing Escape Hybrid while still offering hybrid customers the five-passenger capability they expect.

 

The Ford C-MAX Energi targets more than 500 miles of driving range using the battery and engine, more than any other plug-in or extended-range vehicle. It also targets AT-PZEV status and delivers better charge-sustaining fuel economy than the Chevrolet Volt.

 

"The C-MAX family of electrified vehicles will provide versatile, practical options for customers who need utility while reducing carbon output and significantly lowering fuel costs," Kuzak said. "No other company is providing this type of choice in a hybrid or plug-in hybrid."

 

Ford developed the new generation of hybrid electric vehicles using its extensive experience with first-generation hybrids including the Ford Escape Hybrid, the world's first SUV hybrid. This led to offering the two C-MAX multi-activity hybrid vehicles that feature superior fuel economy on long road trips and in stop-and-go city traffic.

 

"Using our platform approach to hybridization, developing two choices for customers in the heart of the market with the dedicated, front-wheel-drive Ford C-MAX was our strategy to extend the benefits of hybrid technology to even more customers," Kuzak said.

 

Source: Ford