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The new Ford C-MAX range has marked
surging sales by picking up its first BusinessCar award.
The five-seat Ford C-MAX and its
seven-seat Grand C-MAX sibling attracted accolades in recognition of
their style, efficiency and practicality according to BusinessCar
readers.
In their first full year on sale,
almost 19,000 Ford C-MAX models were sold in 2011 in the UK, compared
with 8,357 the prior year.
Their success meant Ford C-MAX
constituted almost one in five of all compact MPVs registered in the UK
last year – up from 7.6 per cent in 2010.
There was also good news at the
BusinessCar awards for Ford’s larger S-MAX MPV, which was declared best
MPV for the sixth year running. Launched in 2006, Ford S-MAX has won
the title every year since.
BusinessCar editor Paul Barker said:
"Ford has deservedly taken both MPV awards thanks to a pair of products
that successfully combine practicality and efficiency with a sense of
style not previously available in a sector aimed squarely at family
transport.
"Both the Ford C-MAX and S-MAX offer
good running costs as well as great handling and are deserved winners of
this award, decided by the readers of BusinessCar – the very people
using these products for their business and their company drivers."
Kevin Griffin, Ford Britain fleet
director, welcomed the awards: “Our new Ford C-MAX proves that even in
an extremely competitive market and difficult economy, customers respond
to great new vehicles. The only way to double sales and share in a year
is to win new customers from the competition and that’s what C-MAX is
doing, while S-MAX has carved itself a whole new segment – the sports
seven-seat coupé.”
The seven-seat Ford Grand C-MAX
accounts for 40 per cent of overall C-MAX volumes in the UK. Twin rear
sliding doors reveal an innovative walk-through seating concept, where
the second row middle seat folds under the outer seat to enable easy
access to the third row.
Ford C-MAX, available from £17,445,
will this year become available with the new ultra-efficient 1.0-litre
125PS Ford EcoBoost petrol engine, which combines impressive performance
with outstanding fuel economy and CO2 emissions. |
