Ford C-Max News

  • All-new 2012 Ford Focus Electric

    If you're trying to get your hands on a plug-in Ford, it should soon get a little easier. Ford will more than quadrouple the number of dealers able to sell its plug-in models, the Ford Focus Electric, C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid this year. According to The Detroit News, more than 900 dealers will be eligible to sell the vehicles by this spring, up from 200 near the end of last year. The first 67 Ford dealers were certified to sell the brand's electric models last April. Those dealers were located in California, New York and New Jersey, but boosted by the...

  • Toyota's web page for its Prius Plug-In hybrid
    Plug-In Hybrid Specs: Advice On How To Read 'Em (From A Volt Owner)

    We’re going to let you in on a little insider’s secret: when manufacturers are shilling their wares, they tend to favor statistics that illustrate their own version of the truth. As any politician (or car company) will tell you, you can always find a set of numbers to work in your...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - production model
    Right Electric Range For A Plug-In Hybrid: Is Lower Better?

    How much electric range is the "right" amount in a plug-in hybrid or range-extended electric car? If you're a fan of battery electric vehicles, the answer is "all of it." But if you want to drive most of your miles on electricity, and still have the security of a combustion engine as a backup for...

  • Ford's MyEnergi Lifestyle guide
    Ford: Drive Our Cars, Buy Green Appliances--And Kiss Texas, California, and New York Goodbye

    The average household in America consumes more than 11,000 kWh of electricity per year, much of it during certain peak daytime hours. Many utility companies benefit from this by applying the law of supply and demand; as demand goes up, so do prices. Off-peak (late at night, for example)...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, upstate New York, Dec 2012
    2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid: Winter Gas Mileage Test Returns 35 MPG

    The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid is a comfortable, quiet, well appointed five-door compact hybrid hatchback that appears to get 35 to 40 mpg in most real-world usage. But it is not a 47-mpg car, from the bulk of the evidence available. The C-Max is selling well--much faster than the original Prius did...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
    2013 Ford Hybrids' Gas Mileage Generates First Lawsuit

    It isn't just Hyundai and Kia in deep water over misleading MPG claims--now Ford is the subject of a lawsuit over the MPG of its hybrid models. The federal lawsuit concerns the fuel economy of its most recent hybrid models, the C-Max Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid. Filed on December 7, the lawsuit says...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2012

    Ford may yet have to account for discrepancies between real-world mileage and EPA ratings on its hybrids, but any issues certainly aren't harming its sales. The company reports that the C-Max hybrid has become the fastest-selling hybrid ever, with 8,030 units sold in its first two months on sale. By comparison, the Toyota Camry Hybrid sold 7,300 units in its first two months on sale, May and June 2006. Between C-Max Hybrid and the plug-in Energi hybrid, sales are three times that of the combined launch sales of the first-generation Toyota Prius and Honda Insight back in 2000. We'd interject...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
    Ford: High Hybrid Mileage May Require No-Fun Delicate Driving

    Ford is now clearly worried about the mileage ratings of its new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Company officials said on Friday that while they complied with all EPA test requirements, a driver's individual style is critical to achieving published fuel-efficiency numbers. Both...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
    EPA To Dig Into Ford Fusion Hybrid, C-Max Hybrid Mileage

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set to look into claims that two Ford hybrids don't meet their official fuel economy ratings in real world driving. We reported back in November that the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid struggled to attain their official ratings, even driven with...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
    Consumer Reports: New Ford Hybrids Don't Meet Mileage Ratings

    it's always nice when the big boys say, "You're right." We reported three weeks ago that Ford's new 2013 hybrids were not achieving their 47-mpg EPA gas mileage rating in real-world usage. Now Consumer Reports has confirmed that finding, based on its own testing, in videos and a blog post published...

  • 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid
    LA Auto Show Wrapup: Five New Plug-In Electric Cars (Video)

    For our final piece on last week's Los Angeles Auto Show, we put together a video on the five new plug-in electric cars officially unveiled there. Three of them are plug-in hybrids, a pair from Ford and one from Honda, and the other two are small battery-electric conversions by the makers of the...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Los Angeles, August 2012
    Green Car Reports 2013 Best Car To Buy Nominee: Ford C-Max

    The 2013 Ford C-Max is the first car from any U.S. manufacturer to take aim directly at the legendary Toyota Prius hybrid. Derived from a small "people carrier" of the sort that are common in Europe, it's Ford's first-ever dedicated hybrid--a vehicle sold with no gasoline-only equivalent (at least...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2012

    Progressive Prius drivers looking for the next step towards going green aren't just moving into Nissan Leafs and Chevy Volts--Ford is benefitting too. The company reports it expects November to be its best-ever month for hybrid sales, with over 6,000 units--beating July 2009's high of 5,353 cars. It's partly thanks to the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, which sold well last month too--beating its closest rival, the Toyota Prius V, with 3,182 cars to 2,769. November is also the first full month of Ford Fusion Hybrid sales, as well as the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi--Ford's first plug-in hybrid challenger...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid
    GE To Add Ford Plug-In Hybrids To Fleet Of Volts, Other Electric Cars

    General Electric is adding a large fleet of 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids to its growing fleet of plug-in and electric vehicles. The 2,000 Energi models will join GE's existing fleet of Chevrolet Volts and other plug-ins. The deal is Ford's largest delivery of plug-in vehicles so far. For...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Los Angeles, August 2012
    Ford Hybrids' Fuel Economy Failing To Live Up To EPA Ratings?

    This is starting to look not so good. It appears that two new hybrid cars from Ford--the 2013 C-Max Hybrid hatchback and the 2013 Fusion Hybrid sedan--may not deliver real-world gas mileage that's anywhere near their 47-mpg EPA ratings. Automotive journalists have been quietly discussing this for a...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, Marin County, CA, Nov 2012
    2013 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid: First Drive

    The 2013 Ford C-Max Energi is the first plug-in hybrid from Ford to hit the road, and the company sold 144 of them in October even before letting journalists drive the car. It’s the pricier and more capable of the two C-Max models, and Ford compares it directly to the Toyota Prius Plug-In...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid
    2013 Ford C-Max Energi: New EV+ Feature 'Learns' Regular Routes

    Every driver of a plug-in hybrid electric car eventually wants to drive more on electricity and less on gasoline. So it's frustrating when the battery charge indicator shows a reasonable level of charge, you're only a few hundred feet from home, and yet the engine kicks on because of that one steep...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Los Angeles, August 2012
    2013 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-In Adds To C-Max Hybrid Sales

    The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid has now reached dealerships throughout the country, selling 3,182 units in October. But Ford had an "October surprise" in store: The company sold 144 of the plug-in hybrid C-Max Energi version as well. That car hasn't been driven by any members of the automotive media...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2012

    If you’re a parent, the chances are you’ve had to make the painful choice between everyday practicality and gas mileage when looking at new cars. In fact, if your family consists of the archetypal two kids, two adults, a dog, and a whole lot of luggage, the chances are you’ve longed for a minivan or crossover SUV-sized car with Toyota Prius gas mileage. The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid is neither, nor does its gas mileage quite equal that of the 2012 Toyota Prius liftback, but is it the first real family-friendly hatchback hybrid? We think so, and here’s why. More room When...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid
    2013 Ford C-Max Energi, Fusion Energi Join California HOV Lane

    Californians wanting to gain single-occupancy access to the state’s high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes now have twice as many eligible cars to choose from when buying their next vehicle. Yesterday, Ford announced that its 2013 C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid has met the standards set out by the...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2012
    2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid: Quick Gas-Mileage Test

    Gas mileage in hybrid vehicles can be a tricky thing. Depending on how they're designed--and at what speeds their electric motors kick in--their efficiency can vary considerably. When we tested the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid six weeks ago in Los Angeles, the real-world indicated gas mileage was 37 mpg...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Los Angeles, August 2012
    Have Hybrid Cars Finally Moved Beyond Stereotypes?

    There was a time when anyone who drove a hybrid car--especially a Toyota Prius--was viewed with distain by the majority of other road users. They were seen as aloof, over-privileged, and perhaps, thanks to a certain episode of South Park, smug about their car buying decision. But with more hybrids...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid
    2013 Ford C-Max Energi: 100 MPGe, Beats Volt, Plug-in Prius

    It’s official: the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi is the most efficient plug-in hybrid to date, achieving a cool 100 miles per gallon equivalent combined in official EPA fuel economy tests. Announced last night by Ford, the $33,745 2013 Ford C-Max Energi has beaten both the 95 MPGe rating of the 2012...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Los Angeles, August 2012
    Hybrid Ad Wars: Ford C-Max Vs. Toyota Prius V

    For the past decade, Toyota has unquestionably been the champion of the hybrid electric car, thanks to its Prius family of hybrids. But with a tough new ad campaign about to launch for the all-new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Detroit’s blue oval wants to steal that hybrid crown. The gloves are...

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