India may see the official roll out of the new B-Max, which was launched at Geneva, in the second half of 2013. It is a five seater Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) that will take the place of Fusion in Ford's European line-up. Ford had earlier announced that it will bring eight new cars to India by 2015 and this five-door car may be one of them. The American manufacturer had launched the new Fiesta at the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo in January and plans to roll out the EcoSport later this year.
Unveiled as a concept car at the previous Geneva Motor Show, the B-Max is 4004 mm long and the final production model may be a shorter than that. If the manufacturer manages to keep its length less than 4000 mm, it will be able to enjoy the multitude of excise benefits that India offers for sub-4000 mm cars.
The designers at Ford have used pillarless doors in the B-Max, which entails that the rear doors will slide backwards due to the absence of the B-pillar. It is said that the company has come up with innovative designing techniques that have empowered the car to meet the standards required for the prestigious EuroNCAP Five-Star rating.
When launched, B-Max is expected to hit the roads in petrol as well as diesel variants. The three cylinder 1.0 L EcoBoost engine will power the petrol version of the car, whereas the diesel edition is expected to have a 1.5-litre Duratorq motor under the hood. The Ecoboost engine will generate maximum power of 118 bhp while the Duratorq engine will deliver peak power output of 90 bhp. The boot of the B-Max has capacity of 397 litres, though it can be raised to 1000 litres quite easily.
Though Ford has not spoken about the pricing structure of the B-Max in the domestic market, it is anticipated that the manufacturer will place it below the EcoSport in its domestic portfolio. Therefore, Indian buyers should look forward to a new Ford MPV that bears a price tag of Rs. 6-8 lacs. If launched in India, this car will set the pace for the new range of Ford cars to be rolled out of its new Sanand, Gujarat plant.
