C-MAX Hybrid will be 25% more fuel efficient than today’s Escape Hybrid

Oct 5, 2011 07:41 GMT  ·  By

Ford has set its greedy sights on the ‘green vehicles’ sector, hoping to get a fat slice of the market when the all-new C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in vehicles will hit the market next year.

The company has already started building awareness on the cleanest C-MAX vehicles, bragging about how they will bring a next-generation in fuel efficiency.

“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,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. “No other company is providing this type of choice in a hybrid or plug-in hybrid.”

Thanks to the first hybrid transmission and lithium-ion battery system Ford is building in-house, the five-passenger C-MAX Hybrid will reportedly deliver a more than 25 percent improvement in fuel economy as compared to the outgoing Escape Hybrid.

On the other hand, the new C-MAX Energi is projected to offer more than 500 miles (804 km) of driving range using the battery and engine, which Ford claims is more than any other plug-in or extended-range vehicle.

When the battery runs out of juice, the vehicle automatically switches to charge-sustaining hybrid mode. The speed which can be attained using the electric motor is hoped to be higher than 47 mph (75 km/h).

And since competition is tough, it also targets AT-PZEV (Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) status and delivers better charge-sustaining fuel economy than the Chevrolet Volt.

“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 added.