It's been a few years since Ford quietly sent off its Freestar minivan. Can this next-generation people mover, with the styling and proportional DNA of the Mazda5, earn back the Blue Oval's Soccer Mom credibility? Have a look and judge for yourself. Brenda Priddy's spy photo network caught these shots of Ford's next-generation C-Max, along with confirmation from several industry sources that say the C-Max is planned for sale in the U.S.
Priddy says the C-Max will be bigger than its show car alter ego the Iosis Max, but "also a lot less exciting," and should offer a few engine options, including the recently-announced 2.0L Ecoboost. Priddy also points out that sliding doors will likely make it into production, evidenced by the slider rail above the fuel filler cap.
The new C-Max is scheduled to make an official debut at next year’s Paris Motor Show. U.S. production is expected to start near the end of 2011 at Ford's Michigan Assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan.
