http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/09/f...ca-focuses-so/

Ford has officially canceled plans for its seven-passenger C-Max for the United States. Fans of small-in-stature MPVs may still be able to find what they are looking for in the Mazda5, but definitely not in Ford dealerships.

The retraction of the seven-seater means the U.S. market will be left with the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi electric vehicle. These vehicles eschew the minivan-spec sliding side doors in favor of four regularly hinged portals and a rear hatchback. The Hybrid is expected to boast better than 41 miles per gallon on the highway, while the plug-in Energi promises to boast 500 miles of driving range from its battery and gasoline engine combined, along with better fuel efficiency than the Chevrolet Volt.

 

The thought of 7 Americans packed in that thing is laughable, something you'd see at Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey.

 

Reading between the lines, I believe this was the sort of reaction Ford was getting in focus groups. People who got in and drove the C-Max liked it, but even with the great mileage most minivan buyers didn't want to give it the time of day because it looks so small. It could have been made to work, but it would take a lot of effort to break perceptions and meanwhile vehicles would be sitting on US lots that could be sold in Europe. The Hybrid and Electric versions lack the 7-passenger stat and sliding doors, so they don't automatically get compared to Minivans in the average consumer's mind.

 

The space problem could've easily been solved if Ford decided to import European Galaxy instead of C-Max.

 

History hasn't ended yet, they still might.

 

I actually saw a C-Max (a 5 pass version) on a street today here in Serbia. It's really not a mini-minivan, it's more like a Focus with a higher roof.

 

What about kids? My two kids, ages 7 & 8 are certainly American, and would fit in the back row just fine, and I'm sure it would have adequate room for my wife and I, our two kids, and my nephew and niece, or even my parents, in the 2nd row. People say the back seat in my Mustang and Mini Cooper is virtually unusable, but it works great for my kids. When it was initially announced though, and we were told it wouldn't be available with a proper manual transmission (like it is overseas), I lost any interest anyways.

 

I think there is plenty of space. 3rd row is not any smaller than other minivans on the market.

 

Which is why I think the C-Max Energi and Electric are going to do well here, since they are based on the 5-seater and look less van-like. Instead of being compared negatively to Minivans, they'll be spacious and comfortable Hybrid/Electric vehicles.

You know that and I know that, but I don't trust the average consumer to know that. At any rate, not now. Maybe after the Electric and Energi have been on the market a couple years and have established the C-Max in NA, Ford will again consider bringing the Grand over.

 

I think you know what I meant, so lets not play the semantics game. They call it a 7 passenger vehicle, which implies 7 people up to adult size. Not 4 adults, and 3 kids, or 2 adults and 5 kids. So I would challenge you to go out and randomly pick 7 adults in America, sight unseen, and ask them all to pile into this thing and tell them they're going on a 200 mile trip and see how that works out.

And the back seats in the Mustang are useless except for pre-teen children, or small adults, and that is as long as the front seat passenger and driver are also well below the average size of American adults and have no mobility problems like some older folks have.

 

Now who is playing around with semantics? Nearly everyone I know with a minivan uses it to haul around their kids, not 6 or 7 adult passengers. Most adult passengers will be uncomfortable in the 3rd rows of most minivans or 3-row SUV's, especially the smaller ones. How many people do you know with a minivan that haul around 7 adults on a regular basis?

 

Even really small cars, like Fiat 600 Multipla, could fit 7 people, I don't see why Ford Grand C-Max couldn't.

 

How about Ford of Europe's mid-sized MPV, the S-Max. I little smaller than the Galaxy, but much more practical than the C-Max


Best looking of the bunch, to my eyes, too

 

Just spit-balling, but I imagine Galaxy and/or S-Max in NA could become possible when they get redesigned onto the next-gen Fusion/Mondeo platform in a few years.