Frankfurt 2009: Ford Motor Co. bringing new European Grand C-Max to Canada in 2011

There’s great news out of today’s Frankfurt Motor Show as Ford has confirmed that its new seven-seat Grand C-Max will come to Canada in late 2011.

The compact European people mover (think Kia Rondo/Mazda5) is one of 10 new models the company will create from an all-new global C-car platform developed under its “One Ford” strategy. The next-generation Focus will also be launched on the chassis next year.

With side sliding doors, The Grand C-Max is actually the larger of two new tall van-like vehicles launching in Europe, it will likely drop the “Grand” title when it arrives here.

According to Ford analysts, small car segments in the U.S. are finally seeing growing. That’s a positive turn for Canada, which has been savvy to compact vehicles for quite some time, but largely restricted to whims of the American market.

Like the new Fiesta, the C-Max wears Ford’s Kinetic design language and hints from the 2009 Iosis Max concept car. Inside, engineers developed a new seat-folding mechanism for the three second-row seats. This mechanism allows the centre seat to fold under one of the two outboard seats, creating a handy walk-through space.

Ford is mum about engine choices for Canada, but did mention that the European models will get an upgraded version of its TDCi diesel engines and a bunch of new EcoBoost engines, including an intriguing 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.

"By concentrating resources and making big commitments to the small car segments in North America, Ford is proving it's doing business differently," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "Following the launch of the Fiesta and the next-generation Focus in 2010, and the launch of the BEV Focus and a 7-seat model in 2011, Ford will offer customers at least six small cars, and they're going to be truly exciting designs packed with the latest vehicle technologies."