Ford and the C-Max

Well, maybe somebody's actually reading this thing.

Ford announced today that they're bringing the European-market Grand C-Max to the US. For those who don't know, the Grand C-Max is a 7-passenger "mini-minivan" similar to the Mazda5. It's based on the European Focus platform, and if previous iterations of the EuroFocus are any indication, it should be a good ride.

The Mazda5 and the Grand C-Max are minivans for people who like to drive. Not as capacious as Siennas and Odysseys, but infinitely more fun. And they are an alternative to heavy, fuel-sucking crossovers.

On top of this, they announced that there would be 10 vehicles built on that same Focus platform, with at least 6 of them coming to the States. That will do wonders for Ford's small-car presence here, and it won't hurt their CAFE numbers, either.

In my previous post, I said that Ford should be (1) leveraging European capabilities, and (2) focusing on small cars. With this announcement, it's clear that they're doing both. I'll be waiting to see how well they do it. Another repeat of the Contour/Mondeo fiasco could be trouble.