Ford to Unveil a "Groundbreaking New Vehicle" Along with European Premieres at Geneva Show

As we're nearing closer to the 2011 Geneva Salon, automakers are providing us with more details about their plans. Today, Ford announced that it will display a number of new production and concept cars including what the company simply described as a "groundbreaking new vehicle" without getting into any specifics.

“Ford of Europe Chairman and CEO Stephen T. Odell will unveil a groundbreaking new vehicle during a Ford news conference at 14:30 on March 1 at the Ford stand,” the company said in a statement.

What Ford did reveal is that it plans to showcase an all-new version of the 2011 Ranger pickup-truck called Wildtrak, the Vertrek SUV concept that hints at the next-generation Kuga, the Fiesta RS WRC, the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid that will be joined by a C-MAX HEV when they both go on sale in Europe in 2013, and a conceptual all-electric version of the Transit Connect.

Furthermore, the company will display its latest powertrain enhancements including a new 114g/km CO2 Mondeo ECOnetic that combines 115HP 1.6-liter turbo diesel with start-stop technology, as well as the new Ka Metal created through Ford’s Individual programme.

“Today Ford has its strongest product line-up ever and we’ve got an aggressive plan to keep our vehicle portfolio the freshest in the industry," said Odell. “We have at least 20 new models and derivatives coming across our entire European range – from small cars to commercial vehicles – and at Geneva we will be introducing some of these.

Frankfurt Motor Show: 2010 Ford Grand C-MAX

Ford is expanding it’s family-oriented MPVs range with a new a new seven-seat model, the 2010 Ford Grand C-MAX. The 2010 Ford Grand C-MAX is targeted to compete with compact seven-seaters such as the Renault Grand Scenic and VW Touran. Ford is hoping to score a similar sales success to that of the S-Max, which doubled Ford’s UK sales of MPVs and cut into the share of the market-leading Renault Espace.

Based on the new global C-platform architecture that will underpin the next Ford Focus, the 2010 Ford Grand C-MAX is a long-wheelbase version of the five-seat C-Max, which was also launched at Frankfurt and will go on sale in autumn 2010. To accommodate a third row of seats, the Grand C-MAX gets a 150mm stretch than the five-seat C-Max. Ford has also eliminated the sloping roof to allow for improved headroom for third row passengers. The greenhouse also gets tweaked in the taffy-pulling exercise.

The Grand C-MAX also has a pair of sliding rear doors which is first used for a Ford passenger car and an optional powered tailgate. In the second row of three seats it has a novel arrangement for the central chair, which tumble-folds and then stores inside the neighbouring seat to open a central aisle through the cabin.

Inside, the cabin appears luxurious and modern. The button-intensive dash is dominated by a massive control knob which operates a small display screen. Other features include contrast stitching, a separate display for climate control functions, and a push button ignition.

It is worth mentioning that Ford is promised the Grand C-Max will build on Ford’s reputation for excellent driving. Due to the Focus’s independent rear suspension, the Grand C-Max is likely to have dynamics to beat its class.

The Ford Grand C-Max is set to be among the first European built. USA saling will begin at the end of 2011. It will be mostly unchanged, except for minor tweaks to comply with US regulations.