Ford Brings Energi to China

It was presented at the North American International Auto show as the first production plug-in hybrid manufactured with a Blue Oval on its hood. It was then taken to Europe, where it became one of the stars of the lineup at the Geneva Auto Show. And now, it's time for China to get a little bit more taste of what electric means for Ford: enter the C-MAX Energi.

The five-passenger MPV is part of Ford's plan to come up with electric variants of its models. For all intents and purposes, this approach will land, once again, the title of trend setter for Ford: it will become the first American manufacturer to launch an entire fleet of electric vehicles, with five different EVs to be launched in the coming years).

Back to the Energi, the misspelled model brings the promise of a very interesting PHEV. The model uses electric motors at start-up, operating in charge-depletion mode. The official range, as is the case with the Focus electric (who will also be brought to Shanghai), was not disclosed, but it's said Ford plans to make the car achieve more than 500 miles or 800 kilometers of driving range using the battery and engine. The top speed of the model in electric mode is of at most 70 km/h.

“C-MAX Energi will be perfect for families looking to maximise their hybrid car experience,” said Nancy Gioia, Ford director of Global Electrification. “Thanks to the versatile interior, it is going to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers who need room to grow.”