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This is Ford’s new C-Max, the first car to be built on the next generation of Ford’s Focus platform.

The new car will be available as a five or seven-seater and it has been unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show.

See the high-res Ford C-Max picture gallery.

This is the five-seater; the seven-seat model has a different body style, like the Renault Grand Scenic, and uses sliding doors at the rear to improve access to the rear seats. Those seats are also said to have a clever folding mechanism, allowing better access to the third row.

The C-Max is the first Ford to use the firm’s new C-segment platform that will also be used in the next Focus and the Kuga replacement. It will stick with the multi-link rear suspension that has given the car class-leading handling, but will be available with Ford’s new turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost engine.

Martin Smith, Ford’s design chief, said the car is a deliberate step away from Ford’s existing mini-MPV.

“We wanted to design a car that blended practicality and style, the sort of car that would be proud to have on your driveway,” he told Autocar.

“Research showed us that people who buy five-seat - as opposed to seven-seat - vehicles in this segment wanted their vehicle to be as car-like as possible. And we were always confident that we could apply our “Kinetic design” principles to any type of car.

“The interior of the new C-Max is probably the best thing we’ve done at Ford. The materials and quality will be a benchmark in this segment.”

Much of the Iosis Max’s colour and trim combinations are expected to end up in the production car.

The C-Max goes on sale in the second half of next year.

Dan Stevens

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