The Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is headed to the Chinese market next year, according to automotive news site InsideEVs. That’s despite lackluster sales in Europe this year, with only several hundred units moving off of dealer lots.
According to Ford Motor Company: “Starting in 2016, Ford will expand consumers’ choice of fuel efficient vehicles in China with two new NEVs: the Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and the Ford Mondeo hybrid electric vehicle. Leveraging Ford’s global experience and expertise in NEV development, the two vehicles will help to reduce consumers’ fuel bills while reducing emissions in China’s crowded cities.”
The move is somewhat surprising, as the prevailing theory has that Ford would be discontinuing the C-MAX Energi and the rest of the line as of 2018, when the next generation of its platform-mate – the Ford Focus – is due out. Should the car perform well enough in the Chinese market, however, a business case could obviously be made for keeping it around.
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