Fiesta MPV gets green light

22nd October 2008

THE B-MAX is go! Auto Express has learned that Ford has given the green light at last for a Fiesta-based supermini-MPV.

Production begins in early 2010, and it will replace the slow-selling Fusion. The new car will be produced at Ford’s recently acquired factory in Craiova, Romania, after the firm bought the plant from the government there for 57million Euros earlier this year. The B-MAX, as its name suggests, will sit below the C-MAX and promises to be more than a replacement for the Fusion – it will be a true rival to Vauxhall’s Meriva and Renault’s Modus.

We hinted at how the new model could look with these illustrations in Issue 913, which were based around the S-MAX. But as the newcomer will be built on the same platform as the new Fiesta, it will share the stylish good looks of the supermini, too. To give more headroom, a taller roofline is likely, and with a slightly longer wheelbase, there will also be more legroom.

Inside, there will be lots of flexibility, including a sliding rear bench seat. Ford has said that it plans to make 100,000 cars in the first year, but with increased popularity in the UK for smaller, more economical vehicles, production will increase if sales demand it.

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