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Official: Ford S-Max Concept previews new look, technology for Euro seven-seater

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Technology, Ford

Ford S-Max Concept showcases sharp styling, a thoughtful interior and innovative technologies.

Ford unveiled today the S-Max Concept, which comes with a new, sleek look and loaded with innovative technology, such as a heart-rate monitoring seat. But if your heart is set on a ~~minivan~~ sports activity vehicle (SAV) and you live in the States, don’t wait for this one – it’s a Europe-only product, and we don’t expect that to change when the next-gen S-Max is released.

The styling follows Ford’s global design language, looking a bit like an overgrown Focus hatchback with the company’s signature grille, wraparound headlamps, steeply raked windshield and curved roof line. Ford also implemented details to make the S-Max look longer and faster, such as a feature line on each side of the vehicle and muscular-looking fenders. The engine isn’t Ford’s most powerful, but the new 1.5-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine should be potent enough with turbocharging and other efficiency related technologies.

Ford says the new interior, which seats up to seven people, features high-quality materials and fine detailing, such as an “ultra-soft” leather wrap for the instrument panel and leather and carbon-fiber details on the seats. Ford’s Sync connectivity system with MyFord Touch makes the car a wireless hotspot, and there’s a tablet docking station for second-row occupants.

But it’s the health-related systems that have our attention. The heart-rate sensing seat records the driver’s heart rate and has the potential to respond to medical emergencies via Sync. This can range from alerting medical experts to triggering active safety systems that can take over temporarily for an incapacitated driver. The car even has a glucose monitoring system that Ford claims can detect a sleeping child having a diabetic episode in the back seat.

Take a look at the press release below for a closer look into the sharply styled, tech-forward SAV.

Continue reading Ford S-Max Concept previews new look, technology for Euro seven-seater

Ford S-Max Concept previews new look, technology for Euro seven-seater originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Aug 2013 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Is Chevy working on a Prius V, C-Max fighter?

Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Crossover, Chevrolet, GM

Chevy Orlando hybrid test mule - front three-quarter view, disguised spy shot

Chevy Orlando hybrid mule - paperwork closeup - spy shot Chevrolet is testing a very peculiar MPV, one that isn’t sold in the US but is wearing Michigan plates. On top of that, riveted bodywork aside, it sure looks suspicious with a bunch of Chevy Volts and a Ford Fusion Hybrid buzzing around it like flies. Upon closer inspection, our spy photographers say it’s actually a test mule for a yet unannounced hybrid vehicle from General Motors, which will probably end up competing with the Ford C-Max Hybrid and Toyota Prius V.

After the swarm of GM engineers finally left the car alone, our photographers were able to move in and snap some shots up close. What they found was a heavily modified Chevrolet Orlando (which is sold in North America, but not the US) with tons of gas-electric hybrid components and testing gear scattered about the interior. The cargo area, for one, is stuffed with a battery and rudimentary cooling system comprised of tubes, and the battery’s casing has a “High-Voltage” warning sticker affixed to it. No plug-in port is visible, leading us to suspect it’s a straight-up hybrid. Our spy photographers were wondering if it was the Volt MPV5 concept testbed, which debuted at the Beijing Auto Show in 2010, but they have heard the MPV5 was cancelled to divert resources to the Cadillac ELR. No Voltec powertrain is suspected in this Orlando mule.

One of the telltale signs of a test mule for a new model – and not a new variant of an existing model – is body modification. From the riveted front end with Chevy Spark headlights to the lengthened cargo area, it’s clear from the outside that major modifications have been done to the Orlando’s body. After analyzing the pieced-together door panels, our spy photographers also believe the front doors were lengthened and the rear doors were shortened.

These Orlandos have been seen testing since early this year, buy they’ve been shrouded in mystery until now. They’re still quite mysterious (is GM trying to fool us by testing them alongside a Fusion Hybrid instead of a C-Max Hybrid?), but the hybrid battery found in the cargo bay is our biggest clue yet.

Is Chevy working on a Prius V, C-Max fighter? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Max Mosley’s privacy case rejected by European Court of Human Rights

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, UK

Max Mosley

It appears as if Max Mosley has gotten whipped once again. But this time, it wasn’t in an alleged S&M dungeon with a gaggle of hookers dressed up as Nazi officers, it was in no less distinguished a forum than the European Court of Human Rights.

The former FIA president, as you may recall, was outed by the British tabloid News of the World back in 2008 for his sordid sex life. Rather than recoil as most might – particularly in light of longstanding accusations of Mosley and his family’s fascist sympathies and historical ties to high-ranking Nazi officials – Mosley went on the offensive. He made his case into a privacy issue and sued the newspaper, sued its publisher, and he sued a German newspaper that ran the story as well.

Once the dust settled from those lawsuits – including the nearly $100,000 (plus legal expenses) in punitive damages awarded him in court – Mosley took his case to the European Court of Human Rights. In a landmark decision being hailed by some as a victory for free speech, Mosley’s case was dismissed by the courts yesterday.

The decision ostensibly upholds the rights of the British fourth estate (that is, the media) to publish the news as it sees fit without the requirement which Mosley was seeking to notify the subject of reports before they’re published. Mosley may, however, appeal the decision, though to what higher judicial body remains unclear.

Max Mosley’s privacy case rejected by European Court of Human Rights originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Motorstorm Apocalypse is down and dirty racing, Mad Max style

Filed under: Etc., Toys/Games

Motorstorm Apocalypse

Motorstorm Apocalypse – Click above to watch video after the jump

If Gran Turismo 5 has turned a bit stale for you, never fear. The crew behind the Motorstorm franchise has just what you need to wet your racing videogame whistle in the form of the new Motorstorm Apocalypse. The game takes all of the fender-bashing glory of the classics into a city in the throes of collapse. Players will not only have to contend with the other racers, but they’ll have to square off against an environment that’s hell-bent on destruction as well. It’s like Mad Max on steroids.

Programmers have thrown in a heap of new vehicle classes on top of old favorites, and the single-player campaign brings a new level of story-telling to the party for the first time. Additionally, new online multiplayer content allows you to collect experience points to build your favorite racing machine, collect medals to show off and to unlock new vehicle perks to help you gain an edge over the rest of the field.

Sign us up.

You can check out a full trailer for the game after the jump as well as a few developer journals that take a closer look at both the multiplayer and the single player action. We think you won’t be disappointed.

[Source: Caradisiac]

Continue reading Video: Motorstorm Apocalypse is down and dirty racing, Mad Max style

Video: Motorstorm Apocalypse is down and dirty racing, Mad Max style originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet Max Page, Volkswagen’s Darth Vader [w/video]

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Volkswagen, Celebrities

Volkswagen Vader

Volkswagen’s “The Force” Super Bowl ad – Click above to watch video after the jump

Volkswagen was responsible for one of the more memorable Super Bowl ads Sunday night with its spot for the 2012 Passat thanks largely to the efforts of one tiny Darth Vader. As it turns out, the pint-sized Sith lord was played by none other than six-year-old Max Page. The actor got his start last year by playing Reed Hellstrom on The Young and the Restless soap opera, and according to Volkswagen, the junior thespian was nothing but professional during the Super Bowl ad shoot. Tim Ellis, Volkswagen of America vice president of marketing, said that the instant they began shooting, he knew the commercial was going to make waves.

Page is special for more than one reason. Despite a recurring role on daytime television and some excellent comedic timing, he also has a congenital heart condition that has required care at a Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. Hit the jump to check out the spot one more time.

[Source: USA Today]

Continue reading Meet Max Page, Volkswagen’s Darth Vader [w/video]

Meet Max Page, Volkswagen’s Darth Vader [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler’s Marchionne says only one minivan per brand, C-Max competitor coming

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Chrysler, Dodge

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne says the automaker plans to only offer one minivan in the future, eliminating either the Chrysler Town and Country or Dodge Caravan by 2013. Additionally, the company is working on a smaller “people mover,” that will go to whichever marque doesn’t retain the minivan.

“If our Project Genesis [a plan to have all Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep showrooms at a single dealership] goes to its conclusion, which is the plan, then it makes no sense to offer consumers two minivans differentiated only by equipment,” Marchionne said in an interview with reporters at the North American International Auto Show.

The smaller “people mover” is being engineered from a new architecture that will underpin several new vehicles in the Fiat and Chrysler lineups. Though Marchionne didn’t get into specifics, the platform is likely to be developed for the Fiat Giulietta, with Chrysler and Fiat engineers planning to expand and adapt the chassis to serve as the basis for a replacement for the Jeep Compass and Patriot, among other vehicles.

Inititally, Marchionne indicated that he would prefer to keep the Dodge Caravan and make the micro-van a Chrysler. In Canada, 80% of the minivan mix is comprised of the Dodge Caravan. But the Town and Country outsells the Caravan in the U.S. and other markets. “We will have to look at the branding, but we are absolutely going to one minivan.” One consideration for Chrysler planners will be that it would be difficult to get the premium price points – over $40,000 for the top-of-the-line Town and Country – for a Dodge branded minivan. LIkewise, it will be difficult to get prices North of 30,000 for even a loaded Chrysler micro-van.

Marchionne also said that both the minivan, and the micro-van would be built at the company’s Windsor, Ontario plant where the minivans are currently produced and designed to compete against the Mazda5 and Ford Grand C-Max.

Chrysler’s Marchionne says only one minivan per brand, C-Max competitor coming originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Ford C-Max Energi and C-Max Hybrid offer two options for fuel-sipping MPVs

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Ford, Electric

2013 Ford C-Max Energi

Ford C-Max Energi – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve already told you about the 2012 Ford C-Max, the Blue Oval’s new mini-minivan that’s set to launch here in North America later this year. The C-Max story doesn’t end with just the one gasoline-powered model, though – Ford is bringing two more versions of its small people mover to the 2011 Detroit Auto Show: the C-Max Energi and C-Max Hybrid.

What’s important to note is that while the gasoline C-Max with sliding doors is actually based on the three-row Grand C-Max that Ford sells in other markets, the Hybrid and Energi use conventional front-hinged rear doors and seat five, just like the shorter-wheelbase C-Max available in Europe. The automaker’s kinetic design language is in full force here, and the Aston Martin-like grille on these smaller C-Max models resembles what first debuted on Ford’s Focus Electric at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show.

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid The C-Max Hybrid uses the Blue Oval’s next-generation gasoline/electric powertrain technology, and we’re told that fuel economy will be higher than the 41 miles per gallon that’s currently on tap in the Fusion Hybrid sedan. By building upon the powersplit technology currently used in the automaker’s hybrids, Ford says that the C-Max Hybrid will be able to operate in electric mode at speeds higher than 47 miles per hour.

The big story here, however, is the C-Max Energi, which is essentially a range-extended plug-in hybrid that’s not completely unlike the Chevrolet Volt. Ford is targeting an overall driving range of more than 500 miles using both the battery-backed motor and Atkinson-cycle engine, and much like the Focus Electric, the automaker’s new MyFord Mobile software will allow users to monitor the C-Max Energi’s charging state while on the go.

Both the C-Max Hybrid and Energi will be built alongside the standard C-Max at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant starting in 2012, with European models being built in Valencia, Spain starting in 2013. Follow the jump for the full details in Ford’s press release, and check out each version of the new C-Max in our high-res galleries below.

Gallery: 2013 Ford C-Max Energi

2013 Ford C-Max Energi

Gallery: 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading 2013 Ford C-Max Energi and C-Max Hybrid offer two options for fuel-sipping MPVs

2013 Ford C-Max Energi and C-Max Hybrid offer two options for fuel-sipping MPVs originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 2012 Ford C-Max demonstrates its hands-free liftgate

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Technology, Videos, Ford

2012 Ford C-Max

2012 Ford C-Max shows off its hands-free liftgate – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Call us weird, but we’re rather excited for the 2012 Ford C-Max to launch here in the United States. The majority of today’s minivans are anything but, and as more people look to downsize and seek out the most efficient vehicles to fit their lifestyles, small MPVs have a real chance to succeed here in the U.S.

Ford is bringing the heat by fitting its C-Max with an innovative new hands-free power liftgate, which automatically opens when the driver waves their foot under the rear bumper. Yes, you need to have the vehicle’s key fob within range, and we’re honestly surprised that no one thought of this sooner (okay, so maybe BMW announced that it’s coming to the 5 Series, but shouldn’t the Honda Odyssey have this by now?) In any case, you can see how easy opening the 2012 C-Max’s liftgate can be by watching the video after the jump.

Gallery: 2012 Ford C-Max

2012 Ford C-Max

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Video: 2012 Ford C-Max demonstrates its hands-free liftgate

Video: 2012 Ford C-Max demonstrates its hands-free liftgate originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: 2012 Ford C-Max puts the ‘mini’ back in ‘minivan’

2012 Ford C-Max – Click above for high-res image gallery

A few days after the Paris Motor Show, we had the chance to sample the Grand C-Max, Ford’s latest Euro-spec MPV destined for North American soil. Other markets around the world are ripe with these mini-minivans, but here in the States, our only C-segment MPV option is the very likable Mazda5. The long-wheelbase C-Max will drop its “Grand” nomenclature when it arrives here in North America, and the public will get its first taste of the new Ford at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.

Ford calls the C-Max’s seating configuration a “five-plus-two,” meaning that the interior is best suited for five passengers, and that the two rear seats are best used for small occupants. What’s more, Ford offers a unique storage solution for the middle seat in the second row, allowing it to fold down and is stow underneath the bottom cushion of the rear passenger-side chair, creating a set of two captain’s seats in the process (check out a video here). The rest of the C-Max interior is very much akin to what we’ve seen in the 2012 Focus, and we’re quite impressed with the high-quality craftsmanship that FoMoCo is putting into its latest crop of cabins.

2012 Ford C-Max Perhaps the most interesting feature of the 2012 C-Max is its hands-free liftgate. Much like a passive entry system for the driver’s door, whoever has the C-Max’s key fob on their person can simply wave their leg under the rear bumper, triggering two sensors that will open the liftgate. It’s pretty slick, and Ford tells us that this technology will me making its way to the vast majority of the company’s hatchback products.

The base powertrain in the C-Max is Ford’s 2.5-liter inline-four also found in the Fusion. In its MPV home, this mill produces 168 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque, mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission. The upmarket engine is an all-new 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline-four, rated at 180 hp and 173 lb-ft of twist, also mated to a six-speed ‘box. The C-Max is only available with front-wheel drive, and 17-inch wheels are fitted to all three trim levels – S, SE and SEL.

We’re eager to get our mitts on the U.S.-spec C-Max, and we’re crossing our fingers that American car buyers will be more receptive to smaller MPVs than in the past. Check out the 2012 C-Max for yourself in the gallery below, and follow the jump for the full suite of details.

Gallery: 2012 Ford C-Max

2012 Ford C-Max

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Officially Official: 2012 Ford C-Max puts the ‘mini’ back in ‘minivan’

Officially Official: 2012 Ford C-Max puts the ‘mini’ back in ‘minivan’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford B-Max minivan concept coming to Geneva

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Ford

Ford Fusion

It sounds like Ford is getting ready to square off against the Opel Meriva small minivan in Europe. According to Automotive News, Ford will be bringing an all-new B-segment van to next year’s Geneva Motor Show. The Blue Oval’s European arm is keeping the details of the vehicle close to its chest, but from what we understand, the new minivan should begin production toward the end of 2012. The company has already made it clear that its Craiova, Romania facility will be tasked with constructing a new B-segment fighter sometime soon, and news has it that the vehicle will be more people mover than hatchback.

If true, that means that the new van is likely to carry the B-Max moniker to keep in line with creations like the C-Max and S-Max. In Europe, Ford has relied on its aging Fusion people mover to carry the company in the small-car segment, and the aging platform has begun to slip over the past few years. While it once held the number two slot, the Fusion has fallen to be the fifth most popular vehicle among the B-segment vans.

Regardless of whether or not the B-Max can knock the Meriva off of its throne, we aren’t likely to see it here in the states.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: Ford B-Max minivan concept coming to Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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