Ford C-MAX Headed To U.S. By Late 2011
The current Ford C-MAX was first launched in Europe back in 2003 and was treated with a mild facelift last year as part of its mid-cycle upgrade. A brand new version, the first model based on Ford's next-generation 'global' Focus platform, has now been unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, and we have news that the minivan/MPV will be headed to the U.S. by late 2011.
It will still be called the C-MAX in the U.S., shirking Ford's fondness for F-based names in North America. It will also likely be built alongside the next-gen Focus in Ford's Wayne, Michigan plant for North American consumption, though that's not yet confirmed. Euro models will be built in Valencia, Spain. And according to our source in Frankfurt, the C-MAX will be on U.S. roads by late 2011.
The new car will be available as a five (standard C-MAX) or seven-seater (Grand C-MAX) and will first go on sale in Europe in the second half of 2010. So far only the seven-seat Grand C-MAX is confirmed for the U.S., though Ford has dropped the "Grand" part of the name for North America.
The reason it's likely to be built in Wayne is that the car shares the same C-segment platform that underpins the next-gen 2011 Ford Focus, which will once again be a global platform.
Sticking seven seats into the smallish platform means innovative methods must be employed, and Ford doesn't disappoint. The center seat in the second row folds under one of the side seats, making ingress and egress to and from the third row easier, and opening up more cargo configurations as well. Both second and third-row seats also individually fold flat to the cargo floor, leaving lots of space for boxes and other large objects while also leaving seating where necessary.
In addition to the seven-seat layout, the 2011 C-MAX affords a number of advantages not typically found in compact vehicles in the U.S., including a raised driving position for better sight lines and command of the road, a high-mounted shifter, and a a raised center console. Multiple storage areas are located throughout the cabin, including door pockets, a large glove box, extra storage in the center console and the all-American must-have: cup holders.
Expect more details, including pricing, to come as the 2011 launch date draws nearer.
[Ford]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
WTF Friday: 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Caught In Cannery Row
Picture this. A crowd of automotive journalists steps outside a hotel lobby in quiet little Monterey, California—right along Cannery Row, to be exact—waiting for a shuttle bus to the nearby Laguna Seca track, to drive Mazdas. Exactly then, four Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercars roll slowly up to the hotel and park, in a row, in front of the automotive scribes, trailed by a big yellow Penske rental truck that might or might not have been with them.
Eyes widen, cameras are pulled out, and it’s a snapping frenzy for a couple of minutes. The men with the cars—several looking stoically German—look a little hesitant for a moment, then at ease, go grab cups of coffee. Several of us look around in disbelief, and it feels a bit like someone might be playing a gag on us. At the very least, it’s a PR stunt, right? Someone doing double-duty as a guerilla marketer for Mercedes?
If so, it worked here, just a few days after Monterey’s concours weekend. But after processing this one for nearly a day, we still wonder…WTF?
In case you haven’t kept up with the news on this near-exotic that will arrive sometime next spring, the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a gullwing sports car that’s effectively a slightly more attainable ($300,000 is our best guess) replacement for the Mercedes-Benz SLR. Power is provided by a 565-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 and seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox. With a lightweight aluminum body, that should bring a 0-60 time of well under four seconds and a top speed of close to 200 mph.
Mercedes-Benz has already released a few official photos of the SLS AMG—including up-close shots of the interior—but its official introduction won’t come until next month’s Frankfurt show.
So the cars are under cover—sort of—but not camo. Car-cover-like material rests on the roof, with zippers along the edge of the gullwing doors. We actually saw someone carefully extricate themselves from the arrangement and hope it’s better in the production car.
Details like trim, bezels, and vents are mostly hidden but everything looks in place on these cars and display-ready, as it should be. More easily seen in peeks underneath are the hood vents, along with the side vents just behind the front wheel wells; and the cover for the big Mercedes-Benz emblem at the front is even breaking loose in one of the cars. The curved windows are full of glare—perhaps intentionally—but we get enough of a good glimpse inside to see the familiar Mercedes-Benz climate controls and the exact same interior from those official pics.
The four men sip cups of coffee quickly, never giving us a great angle in the clammy morning for this mini Frankfurt preview, but not making any effort to hide further. And just as our shuttle bus pulls away they start getting into their cars.
Um, they sure aren’t sardine cans, but something smells a little fishy.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Audi A1 To Launch At Frankfurt
It's a busy news day in Germany: first comes word that the Porsche/VW feud is coming to an end, and now we hear that Volkswagen subsidiary, Audi, will debut a production model of its anticipated A1 minicar at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Full production of the A1 is expected to begin in October. Even better -- at least for Europeans -- the A1 should roll into showrooms in the early part of 2010. The bad news? As of yet, Audi hasn't indicated any intention to bring the A1 to the U.S.
Whether the A1 could be profitable in the States is a matter for debate. On the one hand, the demand for minicars in America clearly pales in comparison to Europe and other markets. On the other hand, thanks to the popularity of brands like MINI, consumers are becoming more used to seeing minicars on the roadways, and the segment could get additional buffing with the introduction of the Fiat 500 and its variants. That could translate to higher sales potential for the A1: in the marketing world, awareness is 90% of the battle.
Also going for it: the A1 looks different from many other minicars on the road (at least in its concept form). The car's profile appears longer and sleeker, not boxy or squared off, like, say, the Smart fortwo. If anything, the A1 looks like the more sophisticated, old-moneyed cousin of the 500.
The A1 is expected to launch as a three door, but Alfons Dintner, head of the Audi plant in Brussels where the A1 will be manufactured, has indicated that a five door sportback variant will follow soon after. Unfortunately, that second version -- like the A5 Sportback (you know, the one that launched alongside an imperial grand piano last week?) -- isn't slated for U.S. release either. Perhaps as America's perception of minis and hatches change, Audi will reconsider. Stylish models like these seem like vehicles that buyers could get behind -- which would be good news to Audi and Volkswagen, as they seek to increase sales in the U.S. by 200% by calendar year 2018.
[Carscoop]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Spy Shots: 2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Yesterday we showed you the photo excerpts from our recent test drive of the Aston Martin Vantage. The V-8 version of the car's pretty thrilling--but there's more to come from the British marque in short order, even as it launches its One-77 supercar and the upcoming Aston Rapide four-door.
The V-12 version of the Aston Vantage showed up at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, and now Clinton's crew at WorldCarFans brings you a pic of the V-12 Vantage roadster that's set for a fall debut at the Frankfurt auto show.
Stuffed to the gills with V-12 goodness, the roadster shares the same 6.0-liter V-12 engine with the hardtop and the same 500-horsepower-plus power output. A six-speed manual will send the V-12 ragtop to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds on the way to a 190-mph top end.
More than you can handle? Stay with us: next month there's word of a DBS roadster, and this fall we'll bring you more highlights from the Frankfurt show.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
