Hybrid Hyundai Prius Competitor Caught Testing

Hyundai took a big step back this year when it announced that the Sonata Hybrid would be put out to pasture, replaced by the more conventional Sonata Eco.

There’s a method to their madness though it seems, as a new Hyundai hybrid has been caught testing by spies working for AutoGuide.
Though based on the compact Elantra and Elantra GT chassis, the new hybrid won’t share the Elantra name. Rather, it will become a dedicated hybrid model all its own, not unlike the Ford C-Max or Toyota Prius. The Prius in particular is the obvious target of this new hybrid brand, with the hatchback GT model targeting the larger Prius V.

Hyundai hasn’t been as committed to hybrids as other brands, though they’re chjarging full speed ahead with their hydrogen fuel cell ambitions. The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell has already been delivered to its first customers, offering free fuel in exchange for the $500 a month lease. That’s a price most can’t afford, which is where the new, lower cost Elantra-based hybrids come in.

In addition to new, aerodynamically-friendly bodywork, the spy photographers also caught sight of a power orange cable beneath the car. This implies a sizable battery, and could give Hyundai the means to deliver a legitimate Prius competitor.

Or it could end up as just another also-ran, unable to unseat the car that has become synonymous with the word “hybrid.”

Source: Gas 2.

Ford C-Max hybrid rerated at 43 mpg, owners offered rebates

We were not the only ones to have trouble reaching 47 miles per gallon in the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. A lot of people did, and complained about it. Ford heard those messages, and today officially announced it is lowering the official EPA mpg number for the car from 47 across the board to 43 mpg combined, 45 in the city and 40 on the highway.

To make it up to C-Max buyers, Ford will issue rebates. The amount isn't much – $550 to buyers, $325 to lessees – but it is better than nothing. In a conference call with reporters, Ford's Raj Nair, group vice president for global product development, said he did not know the total amount the rebate would cost Ford, but that 32,000 C-Max Hybrids have been sold, so that means the number paid out to customers will be somewhere between $10.4 and $17.6 million.

The reason that the C-Max got such a high, inaccurate number is because of something called the general label rule. Nair said:

These general label rules date back to the 1970s and they were created by the EPA to provide a means to generate fuel economy labels without having to test every single vehicle in the industry, which would have been impractical. The rules work like this: automakers generate a fuel economy label for a family of vehicles that share common characteristics, such as the engine and transmission and weight class. Tests of the projected highest sales configuration within that family, as specified by the EPA rules, are used to generate the general label.

The general label rules are a standard means of generating a fuel economy label and they are the source of most mpg label stickers on the road today. So, we used the general label rules to generate the fuel economy label for the C-Max Hybrid. The label was initially based on testing of the Fusion Hybrid, which was the highest volume vehicle as defined by the rules. This is why the C-Max's 47 miles per gallon label was the same as the Fusion Hybrid's 47 mpg label.

Given that the real-world results for the C-Max are so much lower, Ford decided to take another look at it and, voila, 43 mpg. So far as we can tell, no changes will be made to the 47-mpg rating of the Fusion Hybrid. Official press releases from Ford and the EPA are available below.

Show full PR text

News Source: Ford

The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid SEL

 The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid is the first hybrid that I have spent a significant amount of time with.  My other experiences are an hour with a Prius and 3 laps of a test track in a Focus Electric.  I liked the Focus Electric and was underwhelmed with the Prius, but the C-Max has opened my eyes to hybrids!  I learned a lot about myself, my driving style, and what it means to be a hybrid driver slow.

Interior:

The C-Max is not a big vehicle.  I would call it a compact hatchback, but Ford calls it a wagon.  The driver’s seat is comfortable, but the driver’s legs are trapped from either side by the center console and the door; both hard plastic.

There is adjustable interior lighting on the door handles, foot wells, and in the backseat foot wells.  My boys didn’t notice that I kept changing the color. Green was the best choice.  I like green and it felt appropriate as I was driving a “green” vehicle.

The backseat is spacious enough to fit two full size child seats comfortably.  There is not enough room for an adult to sit between the seats though.  Not an American adult anyway, maybe a small European lady, but then you have to explain to your wife why you have a small European lady in the back seat. *awkward*

 

The trunk is spacious.  There is a three inch lip that sticks up at the bottom of the rear hatch. It does so because that’s where the battery is located.  If you just try to slide in your load, then it will run into the lip and you and your friend will have to heave it up to finish loading.  The good news is that the rear cargo area is not that big so hopefully your load isn’t that heavy.  There isn’t any really bad news just that you might have to use a little more muscle, and that’s good for all of us.

Exterior:

It looks great, but from the side it has an old school Prius vibe.  The tallest point of the car is located above the front row of seats.  Yes, I just compared it to the lackluster styling of the Prius…  But there are some redeeming factors.

The grill is exquisite.  It is very similar to the Fusion, the Focus, and the updated 2014 Fiesta.  I really like this grill and can’t wait to drive the Fusion for a week in April.  The grill on the C-Max also as the hints of Aston Martin design like the other Ford models, and I love it.

The wheels on the C-Max seem like they have one thousand spokes.  I would prefer five to nine, but the SEL trim line comes with 15 spoke wheels.

Tech:

This car has a number of different display options.  Each has its own emphasis that will help you save the mpgs.  The one that I used the most was the graph that showed the mpgs over the last 30 minutes.  If all the bar graphs are above the average, then the average is increasing.  It gets difficult to keep all of the graphs above the average line because eventually you’re getting really good numbers.

On the instrument cluster you can select a screen that adds or subtracts leaves based on your driving style.  If you’re hard on it, you’re also hard on the environment and the leaves float away.  If you’re being eco-conscious and gentle, you can create a small forest on the instrument cluster.

The C-Max had the My Ford Touch infotainment system as an option.  This system has been much maligned by auto journalist across the board.  It’s not that bad.  There are other systems that I prefer, like Audi’s, but the My Ford Touch is usable.

The “Sweep the leg, Johnny” trunk package was included on this C-Max.  I should find out what the real name of the package is, probably the tech package, but it’s just too much fun to make a Karate Kid reference.  I find the leg kick opening useful and convenient.  Sometimes tech options are on the vehicle because someone thought of them and the manufacturers says, “We can sell that.”  This option is actually handy and useful.

I took the C-Max with me on a school trip.  I loaded the back with a number of important Science projects that my kids had spent hours working to prepare.  The C-Max fit five in the rear hatch.  The kick to open feature was very helpful because we were always approaching the car with our hands full.  The kids were underwhelmed, but they’ve only known a world full of technology.

There are three power outlets in the C-Max.  There is a 12-Volt outlet on the front console near the buttons that control the rear hatch and another 12-Volt in the center console.  The second one is located next to the USB adaptor in the console.  I used the one in the armrest to power my boys’ after-market DVD players.

There is also an actual electrical outlet on the back of the console in the rear footwell.  Ford has been installing these on the last three cars I’ve tested for them.  The outlet comes in handy when you’re camera equipment isn’t fully charged on the way to a shoot.

When you turn the C-Max off, a trip summary comes up on the left information screen on the gauge cluster.  It tells you the stats from your last drive and the stats for the whole life of the car.  It also breaks down how many miles you just completed in EV mode and also what percentage of your regenerative braking was put back onto the battery.  Fun stuff.

Performance:

I really like the way the C-Max drives.  I had to get used to driving with less of a lead foot.  If you apply too much pressure to the accelerator, the car ignores the electric motor and jumps right over to the gas engine.    When I was able to exercise some restraint, the electric motor would smoothly accelerate the vehicle up to an average of 30 to 35mph before the gas engine would kick on.

When the gas motor would engage the transition was seamless.  The first two times out in the C-Max I didn’t really notice the transition between the two motors.  Eventually I could sense the vibrations from the engine and would actually get irritated when it would kick on.  I wanted higher mpgs!

I didn’t make many driving friends in town during my time with this car.  To stay on the electric motor you have to be light on the accelerator.  During rush hour this meant slowly accelerating up to the speed limit.  I was a glacier off the line.  But my mpg’s improved throughout the week.

The sticker lists the C-Max at 47 city and 47 highway miles per gallon.  On the bone-chilling cold days of last week it was difficult and took some very conservative driving to get the C-Max up to 40 in the city.  I did take an 80 mile drive averaging 60mph on the highway and I averaged 49.4 mpg over that trip.  Not bad, but I still had to hyper-mile the C-Max to get this performance out of it.

Averaging 47 city and 47 highway means that the C-Max has a constant range of 634 total miles on a 13.5 gallon fuel tank.  I would be filling up every two weeks instead of once a week.  I would also only be purchasing 12 to 13 gallons of fuel instead of the 26 to 28 gallons I usually buy for the Denali.  If gas is $3.50 a gallon, then I’m usually spending $98 at the end of each week for a monthly total of $392.  Doing the same math for the C-Max, but only filling up twice because of the 600 mile range means the cost of fuel for the C-Max for the same month is only $91 or less than one tank for the V8 Denali.

The hybrid starts at $25,000 which makes my payment almost a reality.  To option the C-Max up to the SEL version I tested would make the price closer to $31,210…  A base SEL is $28,200 and the Equipment Group 302A package includes the Premium Audio & Navigation Package (My Ford Touch), the Hands-Free Technology Package, Power Liftgate, Rear View Camera, and Keyless Entry/Start/Tailgate for $2,215.  Some pricey options.

Too make the C-Max a financially responsible car for my family my payment would have to be less than $301 a month.  With a $5,000 trade-in and $1,000 down out of pocket; the payment calculator sets my payment for an SEL (optioned the same as the tester) at $461 for 60 months (5 years…).  Even a base C-Max with no options and the same trade-in value & down payment has the payment at still $368 for 5 years.  There is no C-Max that would save me money for the first five years.  That’s because my Denali is paid off.

I love our planet!  I want it to be here at least till we find another one close enough to cultivate for human existence.  I would be willing to trade-in my Denali someday, but not yet.  I love the C-Max and actually miss it at times.  I like paying attention to my driving style and the C-Max really helps you do that.  I wanted to keep it in EV mode and off the gas engine.  I bet in nicer weather I could really get those mpg numbers up there.  If the C-Max makes financial sense for you, then it’s definitely a hybrid to test drive.  I really do miss it.

Thank you to Ford for providing the C-Max.  It really is a fun  and useful hybrid.

Engine: 2.0L 4 cylinder + Electric motor = 183 horsepower

Transmission: 6 Speed CVT

Wheelbase: 104.3 in

Curb Weight: 3,607 lbs.

MPG Rating: 47 city/ 47 hwy

Ford Executive: “Hybrids Are Flying Off The Shelves Out In California”

J Mays, vice president of design at Ford Motor Corporation, said that their hybrid cars are flying off the shelves in California. He also added that the US hybrid market is growing as a whole, slowly, but steadily. Looks like Americans are finally warming up to hybrids.

In an interview with Inhabitat, J Mays says that “…our hybrids are flying off the shelves in California,” which has helped Ford far exceed sales goals for its hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. Sales in import-dominated areas like San Francisco are up 325%, and in the L.A. area hybrid sales are up a staggering 500%.

Even though hybrid cars have been around for many years, and mainstream hybrid production goes even as far back as 2001 (2002 Toyota Prius), Americans have been slow to adopt hybrids. For the past few years, hybrids have never made up more than 2% or 3% of the car market. However, the hybrid market has grown to 4% of the total car market so far in 2013, and shows signs of strengthening. With more hybrid car options available than ever before, hybrids are no longer a “niche” product.

Hybrids are still a fairly small slice of the new car market, but they are certainly on the track to becoming mainstream. Hybrid vehicles vary from compactcars, to SUVs, and even trucks now, able to better fill the needs of potential customers.

California is one of the largest markets for green cars in the entire country, and domestic cars have not done so well there in the past few years. But California is in large part responsbile for driving the surge in hybrid sales, allowing Ford to sell over 38,000 hybrids so far in 2013. These new sales are mostly coming from other brands too, thanks to aggressive marketing and new products like the (supposedly) 47 mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid and C-Max Hybrid and plug-in hybrid Energi models.

Ford seems to be biting off a fair chunk of the hybrid car market, though Toyota is still the undisputed king of hybrid cars. But with Ford hybrid sales taking off at a staggering rate, could there be a usurper on the horizon?

Source: Inhabitat

Ford hit with another lawsuit over C-Max, Fusion Hybrid mpg claims

Ford  is waiting to see if it will be facing several class action lawsuits over its mileage ratings - three of which were filed in late April. Suits filed in federal courthouses in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and California claim Ford is overstating the average mileage ratings for its 2013 Ford C-Max and Fusion Hybrids.

Marianne Cibeu, a Massachusetts resident, filed for a federal class action lawsuit claiming she's only getting32 miles per gallon in her Ford C-Max hybrid despite the EPA/Ford rating of 47 mpg. As you can see in the complaint filed in a US District Court, the suit is asking for $5 million in damages for Cibeu and all Massachusetts buyers of 2013 C-Max and Fusion hybrids.

"Plaintiffs purchased a Fusion Hybrid or C-Max Hybrid, only to be stuck with under-performing, less valuable vehicles that inflict higher fuel costs on their owners."

In California, two law firms combined their cases against Ford for making "false and misleading" claims. When we first reported on the case, back in December, there were reportedly hundreds of C-Max and Fusion Hybrid owners who'd joining the lawsuit. Not much later, Consumer Reports conducted extensive tests for both hybrids and found their performance to be significantly worse than the US Environmental Protection Agency mileage ratings. A similar case has been filed in US District Court in Philadelphia. "Plaintiffs are some of the tens of thousands of consumers who purchased a Fusion Hybrid or C-Max Hybrid, only to be stuck with under-performing, less valuable vehicles that inflict higher fuel costs on their owners," according to the complaint.

So far, the wave of lawsuits hasn't hurt sales of the C-Max or Fusion Hybrid, though it's still early in the legal battle. The EPA, which determines (sort of) the mileage numbers Ford and other automakers put on window stickers, says that it's confident the ratings of both Ford vehicles are sound but will review them. Both Ford and the EPA have emphasized real-world mileage results are completely dependent on how the driver operates the vehicle. That hasn't gone over well with people filing class action lawsuits.

News Source: Universal Hub via Boston Business Journal

Ford taps AeroVironment for home-charging systems

Ford figures that 11,000 electric-vehicle driving homeowners can't be wrong. The US automaker has tappedAeroVironment as its official vendor for Level 2 home-charging systems.

AeroVironment is offering one-day installations of 240-volt systems at the homes of Ford C-Max, Fusionplug-in and Focus Electric drivers. With the Level 2 systems, the plug-in hybrids can be fully recharged in under three hours, while the Focus EV can be juiced up in less than four hours.

Through April, Ford sold almost 3,000 plug-ins vehicles, more than half of which are C-Max Energi PHEVs. By comparison, Nissan has sold almost 5,500 Leafs, while General Motors has moved 5,550 Chevrolet Voltextended-range plug-ins.

Last fall, AeroVironment crossed the 10,000-station installation threshold in North America. The company was named the preferred home-charger-installation vendor of Nissan way back in 2010. Check out AeroVironment's press release below.

Show full PR text

Source: Autoblog Green

Ford C-Max Hybrid falls well short in careful CleanMPG economy test, beat by Toyota Prius V

The grain of salt one should take this post with is that Wayne Gerdes is just one man, and that his personal test results may not be applicable to everyone. Still, Gerdes is well-known in the green car community – his Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption in a hybrid and his position as owner of CleanMPG are just two good reasons – so when he and his crew tested a Ford C-Max Hybrid, the results are worth paying attention to. Turns out, they couldn't get anywhere near the EPA's claimed efficiency numbers.

Already the subject of a class action lawsuit over fuel economy claims, the C-Max Hybrid officially gets 47 miles per gallon across all three of the EPA's test categories (city/highway/combined). Plenty of peoplehave questioned whether 47 mpg is an accurate real-world number, and Gerdes' discovered that the C-Max Hybrid doesn't always reach the lofty EPA levels.

During a recent test in the sunny southwest, Gerdes and crew discovered the C-Max only managed 35.537 mpg over 360 highway miles but did get 52 mpg over 22.8 miles in the city. The drive was a comparison test with the Toyota Prius V, which is rated at 44 mpg city, 40 highway and 42 combined, and the V handily beat the C-Max, despite its lower EPA numbers.

Along the same route, the Prius V got 40.768 mpg on the highway and 55.8 mpg in the city. Gerdes wrote, "While the C-Max did beat its EPA city result, it fell woefully short of besting the lower fuel economy-rated Prius V revealing that the C-Max fuel economy claims beyond that of the Prius V are not what we were meant to believe." Motor Trend also found the Prius V beats the C-Max.

Gerdes is incredibly careful to take notes and pictures to document his tests (as we learned in person a few years ago), so we trust his results with the C-Max. Gerdes explained to AutoblogGreen that:

Given we are coming up on Spring training, here is a baseball analogy. With a neatly appointed interior and fastball-like performance, there is a lot to like about the all-new 2013 Ford C-Max. From a cargo carrying standpoint however, the design team took a swing and missed when compared to the Prius liftback and Prius V in particular.

In addition, it appears Ford's engineers and marketing team are in the unenviable position of simply being too far out ahead of a the curve when compared to anything in the entire Prius family lineup. The Fuel Economy curve, that is. Hopefully the Ford team will keep their eyes on the ball so that the next iteration will supply owner satisfaction from the standpoint of the C-Max's strengths while also providing a lot less pain at the pump. Right now, they appear to be getting called "out" by all the umpires well before reaching home.

When it was launched late last year, the C-Max Hybrid started with incredibly strong sales, and some drivers are certainly able to get 45+ mpg. Still, the automaker and the EPA are in discussion about potentially changing test procedures for hybrid vehicles and the lawsuits continue. You can read all of the details of theCleanMPG C-Max Hybrid MPG test here.

Source: Autoblog Green

Ford Says EPA May Revise Hybrid Efficiency Test Methods

Ford received a lot negative attention and a federal class action lawsuit for advertising their new C-MAX hybrid and the Fusion hybrid’s 47 MPG efficiency. It all came to a head after Consumer Reports stated that the fuel efficiency ratings obtained from their own test results were 17% and 21% lower than the EPA fuel efficiency that Ford claimed. This backlash could lead to new hybrid vehicle testing methods from the EPA. During the Deutche Bank Global Industry Conference in Detroit, development chief of Ford, Raj Nair, disclosed that the EPA would revise its testing procedures for hybrid vehicles.

“We continue to work closely with the EPA to determine whether the industry testing procedure needs changes for hybrid vehicle testing”, said Nair. He added that this isn’t a Ford problem, as it affects other hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, which did not measure up to the EPA’s official figures. Consumer Reports has also noted that the Toyota Prius failed to live up to its advertised fuel economy by a substantial amount.

“They reflected a lot of differences versus the EPA label for all manufacturers”, commented Nair, adding that “there are a lot of factors that can introduce that type of variability”, such as speed and outside temperature.

He said that hybrid vehicle fuel efficiency can decrease by 7 mpg when driving speed increases from 65 mph (105 km/h) to 75 mph (120 km/h). On top of that, a 30-degree difference in outside temperature can result in a 5 mpg efficiency decrease, while after 6,000 miles (9,600 km) its mileage may decrease by another 5 mpg.

To be fair to hybrid cars, this is not just a hybrid issue. Gas engines deteriorate significantly and their efficiency drops as they get older, and until an ICE engine totally warms up, they can be quite inefficient. Still, with such high expectations coming from Ford’s new hybrids comes an intense backlash when consumers don’t even come close to achieving the advertised fuel economy. In Consumer Report’s testing, they averaged around 39 mpg in the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and just 37 mpg in the C-Max hybrid, an 8 and 10 mpg discrepancy respectively.

Will new EPA testing standards quell the calls for justice? Or has Ford spent some of its popular capital with overly-ambitious fuel economy numbers?

Source: Car Scoop

Ford C-Max Hybrid Becomes Fastest-Selling Hybrid Ever

I’ll be the first person to admit when I am wrong, and I have been critical of the decision to hype up the Ford C-Max hybrid for months in advance of actual sales. But the tactic seems to have worked, as in the first two months of sales the Ford C-Max Hybrid has become the fastest-selling hybrid car ever.

With 8,030 C-Max Hybrids sold in its first two full months on sale, Ford has surpassed the Toyota Camry Hybrid, which sold around 7,300 units when it first went on sale in the spring of 2006. Granted, the buying public is more open to purchasing a hybrid vehicle these days, but Ford’s constant barrage of press releases and comparisons no doubt helped push C-Max sales higher.

With a 47/47/47 rating, the Ford C-Max hybrid joins the 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid as among the highest-rated cars for sale in the U.S. But not all is well with the Ford C-Max Hybrid; Consumer Reports recently noted that both the C-Max and Fusion failed to live up to their mpg claims by a margin of 20%.

But that doesn’t seem to have slowed down sales so far. But one has to wonder; if the mpg ratings are forced downwards by the EPA, will sales stay strong? Or will buyers look to other options?

Source: Ford

2013 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-In Adds To C-Max Hybrid Sales

The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid has now reached dealerships throughout the country, selling 3,182 units in October.

But Ford had an "October surprise" in store: The company sold 144 of the plug-in hybrid C-Max Energi version as well.

That car hasn't been driven by any members of the automotive media, and Ford communications staff have been vague about when it would go on sale, saying only things like "at the end of the year."

Well, October kicks off the fourth quarter of 2012, so perhaps that's what they meant.

Ford's October sales of 144 C-Max Energi hatchbacks, plus another 118 Ford Focus Electric battery-electric cars, contributed to the highest monthly sales for plug-in electric cars since modern plug-ins went on sale in December 2010.

The company issued a press release proudly touting the October sales of its hybrid C-Max, and comparing them to the Toyota Prius V wagon, which sold 2,769.

As Ford's first dedicated hybrid--a model that has no standard gasoline version--the C-Max has to compete against the best-selling Toyota Prius, now a range of four cars including a plug-in hybrid version.

One of its jobs is to lure new customers into Ford showrooms in hybrid-heavy markets like the West Coast. (Those markets notably do not include Michigan, Ford's home state.)

And according to Ford, it's working.

"One in four C-MAX Hybrids sold in October were sold in California," the release said, "with Los Angeles as the best-selling region and San Francisco following in second."

"Initial conquest data show that more than 70 percent of C-MAX Hybrid buyers traded in a competitive model or added it without trading in another vehicle," Ford continued.

"And one third of C-MAX Hybrid customers in October said they cross-shopped the Toyota Prius and Prius V."

The Toyota Prius line as a whole sold 16,774 units in October, and Toyota also sold hybrid models of several of its conventional cars as well, for a total of 20,273 hybrids last month.

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2012

Ford's total of 4,612 hybrids sold in October, while its best month ever, still puts it in second place in U.S. hybrid sales overall--but decisively ahead of Honda, which sold 948 hybrids throughout the month.

The one remaining question about the C-Max Hybrid is its real-world gas mileage. Green Car Reports has now done two short tests of Ford's latest hybrid (here andhere) and has not come close to its rated efficiency of 47 mpg combined.

Real-world mileage is likely to be much in the public eye with Hyundai and Kia having to restate their window-sticker figures and offer refunds to customers who bought cars with higher MPG ratings than were justified--due to errors in the EPA testing it submitted for certification, Hyundai says.

While the 144 C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid sales in October came as a surprise, Ford notes that the car is now on sale at Ford dealerships that have been certified to sell plug-in cars in half the states in the country.

Its role is to compete head-to-head with the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, which has a lower electric range--6 to 11 miles--but carries the trusted Prius name.

Source: Green Car Reports

Ford C-MAX Hybrid posts 3,182 units in first full month of sales, outpacing Prius v

Ford’s new C-MAX Hybrid sold 3,182 units in October in its first full month of sales, outselling the Prius v’s 2,769 units. (Sales of the entire Prius family were 16,774 units, with the sedan accounting for 8,788 of those.) The C-MAX Hybrid also led Ford in achieving its best October hybrid sales month ever with a total of 4,612 sales, up 142% over October 2011.

The C-MAX Hybrid is EPA-rated at 47 mpg US city, highway and combined. C-MAX Hybrid sales also helped Ford deliver its best October for small car sales in 11 years. Ford sales of Focus, C-MAX and Fiesta were up 54% to 25,493 units year over year.

One in four C-MAX Hybrids sold in October were sold in California, according to Ford, with Los Angeles as the best-selling region and San Francisco following in second.

Initial conquest data show that more than 70% of C-MAX Hybrid buyers traded in a competitive model or added it without trading in another vehicle. One third of C-MAX Hybrid customers in October said they cross-shopped the Toyota Prius and Prius v.

More than 60% of sales of C-MAX Hybrid were the SEL model, which offers Intelligent Access with push-button start, rain-sensing wipers, heated seats, SYNC with MyFord Touch, ambient lighting and the Reverse Sensing System standard. Early sales of the SEL model are running about 20% higher than expected, Ford said.

The plug-in version of the C-MAX, the C-MAX Energi is now coming available at Ford EV-certified dealers in half the states across the country.

Ford C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid Qualifies for California Carpool Lane Access and Incentives Up to $5,250

PRESS RELEASE

• California's Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the all-new Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid for Green Clean Air Vehicle Sticker carpool lane access
• C-MAX Energi owners also may be able to receive up to $5,250 in tax credits between the state's $1,500 rebate and the eligible $3,750 federal tax incentive
• C-MAX Energi addresses trends of more Americans "super commuting" longer distances and facing increased congestion; idling in stop-and-go traffic is estimated to waste 1.9 billion gallons of gasoline annually

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 23, 2012 – Californians looking to avoid near $5-per-gallon gas will soon be able to buy the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, potentially save $5,250 off the purchase price and enjoy high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV) access.

The C-MAX Energi was just approved for the Green Clean Air Vehicle Sticker as part of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Program (CVRP).

California C-MAX Energi customers can now apply to receive a $1,500 state tax rebate when purchasing or leasing the vehicle for 36 months or longer. In addition to the state rebate, C-MAX Energi will qualify for the existing $3,750 federal tax credit – making America's most affordable plug-in hybrid even more affordable for Californians at $28,495 after the federal tax credit and state tax rebate.

The approval also paves the way for the C-MAX Energi to be approved in other states with carpool lane plug-in vehicle incentives, such as Maryland, New York and Virginia.

"We're pleased with California customers' early interest in the C-MAX hybrids, our first dedicated hybrid-only nameplate in North America, in the No. 1 hybrid market in the U.S.," said Michael O'Brien, Ford electrified vehicle marketing manager. "The C-MAX Energi is the most affordable, most fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid with the longest overall range for any utility or compact vehicle on the market today – this extra carpool lane incentive and rebate will help Californians go further with Ford in every sense of the phrase."

The C-MAX Energi achieves up to 21 miles in all-electric range – more than triple Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid's six-mile all-electric range. This means that at least one leg of the average work commute – reportedly 20 miles each way – could be completed each day on electric battery charge only, allowing customers to save gas as they face traffic congestion in their commute. A study by the United States Department of the Treasury estimates congestion consumed an extra 1.9 billion gallons of fuel in 2011, approximately 5 percent of all gasoline used.

CVRP is funded by the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (CARB) and administered statewide by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (http://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project).

According to CARB, Green Clean Air Vehicle Stickers are available to the first 40,000 applicants who purchase or lease cars meeting California's Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT PZEV) requirement.

Access to HOV lanes, plus the C-MAX Energi's combination of fuel-efficient highway driving and electric-powered city driving is more important than ever with the growing trend of commuters spending more time on the roads. A recent study from New York University's Rudin School of Transportation shows today's commuters are on the road longer than ever before, and the number of people who commute more than 90 miles to work has doubled over the past 10 years. The all-new Ford C-MAX Energi is America's most fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid with an EPA-certified 108 miles-per-gallon equivalent (MPGe) city rating, 92 MPGe highway rating and 100 MPGe combined rating.

Power of Choice
C-MAX Energi figures prominently in Ford's rollout of electrified vehicles. Ford's other electrified vehicles include:

• Focus Electric: Production began late 2011; America's most fuel-efficient compact with 110 MPGe city and 105 MPGe combined – 6 MPGe better than the Nissan Leaf
• C-MAX Hybrid delivers EPA certified 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway ratings – 7 mpg better than the Toyota Prius v on the highway – for a 47 mpg combined rating
• All-new Fusion Hybrid is America's most fuel-efficient midsize sedan after being certified by the EPA to deliver 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway, 47 mpg combined. This beats the Toyota Camry Hybrid by 8 mpg highway, 4 mpg city
• Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid: Will begin production by the end of this year; aiming to be the most fuel-efficient midsize car in the world with more than 100 MPGe

Built at Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., the all-new C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid begins arriving late this fall at EV Certified Ford dealers in 42 markets, followed by nationwide rollout in all 50 states in early 2013.

More information about Ford's electrified vehicles – including press releases, fact sheets and product sheets, photos and video – can be found here.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 168,000 employees and about 65 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com