In a move to chip away at Toyota’s market dominance of hybrid cars, Ford will roll out two new hybrid models in 2012. The no-plug C-Max Hybrid and plug-in C-Max Energi are based on the five-passenger C-Max sold in Europe. In an announcement in June to expand production of the two C-Max hybrids, Ford said it had changed its mind about the seven-passenger gasoline-only version of the Grand C-Max in the U.S and the C-Max will be a dedicated hybrid vehicle. The C-Max Hybrid will arrive in the first half of 2012 followed by the C-Max Energi.
C-Max Hybrid and plug-in C-Max Energi will both be built on the same assembly lines as the 2012 Ford Focus and Focus Electric at a Ford plant in Wayne, Mich. Also, Ford recently announced that the electric drive transaxles would be produced at another Michigan facility instead of using the current supplier in Japan. Additionally, the lithium-ion batteries for both hybrids will be assembled in a third Michigan plant rather than the existing supplier in Mexico.
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