Car Talk: I'm looking for a compact hatch

[Woochifer]

That's certainly an appealing hatch back, though as you say, objective evaluations are still pending.

Hatchbacks in this league are a bit small for our needs, though. I'm still very inclined to the Mazda5 later this year IF I can get a good deal with some kind of trade for my old Taurus wagon.

Chevrolet has come out with the 'Orlando', obviously intended to compete with the Mazda5. I await reports; if they are good and the Orlando is cheaper than the Mazda5, I might consider the Orlando.

Unfortunately, GM opted not to bring the Orlando to the U.S. Kia also stopped importing the Kia Rondo to the U.S., but continues to make it available in Canada. I guess the market for MPV/space wagons is stronger in Canada.

As I recall Ford was also planning an apparent Mazda5 competitor, the C-Max but it isn't available yet, at least not in Canada.

Ford is still on track to bring the C-MAX to all of North America. Unfortunately, they will not bring over the larger 7-passenger version, and apparently, Ford will only sell the 5-passenger C-MAX with a hybrid or plug-in drivetrain -- no conventional gas-powered drivetrains available at all. Given how hybrid sales have nosedived over the past year, this is not a good sign. From what I see, Ford is now looking at the C-MAX as its version of a halo vehicle -- a niche product to burnish its green credentials (and presumably boost its CAFE rating) and serve as a test platform for its EV drivetrain, rather than a product to market and sell to the masses.

Car and Driver Blog » Ford Cancels 7-Passenger C-Max for U.S., Will Sell Only 5-Seat Hybrid and Plug-In Models



In Europe and Asia, MPVs are huge sellers, so Ford sells the C-MAX in those markets like any other conventional car. Since MPVs are almost viewed as an alien species in the U.S., I guess Ford did not want to do the heavy lifting to seed the market for a MPV-type car. So, they have relegated the C-MAX to the green ghetto, because it's a "unique" design (to U.S. buyers at least) that they can tout as their green car.

And in some ways they are right. The only runaway success among hybrids in the U.S. has been the Toyota Prius, which has a unique and immediately identifiable design. This appeals to those buyers who are trying to make a statement with their car purchase (no different than the image statement that a lot of SUV buyers have been making). Sales for all of the hybrids that simply drop a hybrid drivetrain into an existing car design have been miserable and dropping fast. For all of the attention that hybrids get, their numbers are only a drop in the bucket.

It's really too bad that no one seems willing to do a concerted marketing and sales campaign to establish a mainstream market for MPVs. The Mazda5 has the U.S. MPV market to itself, but still does virtually no marketing and advertising for that. And Mazda deliberately limits the number of Mazda5s that they import to North America in order to reserve more units for the more established European and Asian markets. What would the market look like if MPVs like the Mazda5, Rondo, Orlando, and C-MAX received the same types of the megadollar ad campaigns that helped fuel the SUV craze in the 1990s? Of course, practicality and "just right" austerity don't make for the same kind of sexy marketing pitch as the whole rugged outdoorsy "freedom" image making that accompanied the SUV commercials (who cares if it's really a minivan/station wagon in drag -- it can go off-road, even if it never does).

[Feanor]

Looks like the C-Max (in Canada) will be available as as a hybrid or an electric. Neither of these is of interest to me since the extra cost of these types is too high to justify based on the mileage we do.

I so see plenty of Mazda5's on the road here southern Ontario. I'm surprised the Orlando won't be available in the 'States, as I was that the Rondo isn't. I seems Canadians are more inclined to smaller and cheaper vehicles. I don't thing Canadians are more environment-conscious; it's just that Canadians have a bit less disposable income and face higher vehicle prices+taxes and higher taxes of fuel. Yes! you can influence public purchasing habits using tax policies.

[Woochifer]

Looks like the C-Max (in Canada) will be available as as a hybrid or an electric. Neither of these is of interest to me since the extra cost of these types is too high to justify based on the mileage we do.

Yep, no conventional gas-powered drivetrain for the C-MAX at all in North America. Responses like yours are exactly why I think Ford is shooting itself in the foot by limiting the C-MAX to the green market.

Ford is trying to position the C-MAX as a standalone eco car in North America. They figure that because the Prius sells like crazy, while using a separate and distinct body style, they could do the same thing with the C-MAX. Never mind that the C-MAX is just another gas-powered MPV in Europe and Asia, and that Honda's CR-Z and Insight models (both of which have their own distinct body styles and sold only as hybrids) are flops.

I would have preferred to see Ford offer the C-MAX as a mainstream volume car (i.e., with a gas engine, and with a full range of options), and back it up with a marketing and sales campaign befitting that type of vehicle. If it flops, then so be it. But, at least make an honest effort to establish a market for that type of car in North America. There have got to be others like myself that are frustrated with the lack of alternatives to the 3-box sedan/minivan/SUV troika that currently dominates the U.S. car market.

I know that Ford is also planning to make hybrid and plug-in drivetrains available with the Focus and Fusion. But, as I mentioned already, hybrids based on existing car designs have mostly flopped. Ford seems to assume here that limiting the C-MAX to hybrid/plug-in drivetrains will actually help the C-MAX's sales potential by giving it a green halo. Problem with this assumption is that the Prius represents the only big hybrid success story and other hybrid-only cars have flopped.