Ford: C-MAX only available as hybrid in N.A.

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Ford took the auto world by surprise this afternoon with the announcement that the C-MAX, the family vehicle that caused such a stir at the latest auto show in Detroit, won’t be available as a seven-passenger gas model. The America automaker has instead chosen to market two five-passenger hybrid versions.

The decision is nothing short of astounding, considering that the vehicle was introduced as a family model set to take on the Mazda5 and perhaps become Ford’s biggest seller.

Photo: Ford

It’s now more obvious than ever that the Blue Oval is banking on green technologies, and the C-MAX has the Toyota Prius v in its sights.

The C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi (plug-in hybrid) will use lithium-ion batteries developed and assembled by Ford; it will be built alongside the Ford Focus and its electric variant at the Wayne, Michigan, plant.

The Energi has a range of 804 km and can be fully recharged overnight via a 120-volt outlet. Ford believes it will recharge even faster than the Chevrolet Volt.

The C-MAX Hybrid should consume less fuel than the Fusion Hybrid’s 5.74 L/100 km.

Production of the two hybrids will start in 2012, but we still don’t know when they’ll be available in the Canada and the U.S. Additional details (pricing, tech specs, etc.) will be released later this year.

In Europe, over 100,000 five- and seven-passenger C-MAX units have been sold since its introduction.