Ford B-Max arrives in production guise

The first photo of the production-ready Ford B-Max

Ford has released the first picture of the new B-Max, which will debut at Geneva in March, a year from the debut of the B-Max Concept.

The Ford B-Max is a long overdue replacement for the Ford Fusion, the one car in Ford’s range that is way past its sell-by date, and was shown as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011. Now, one year on, the Ford B-Max is to debut in production guise at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Which is why Ford has sent us a single photo of the new B-Max.

This single photo of the B-Max shows that Ford has kept the faith with the B-Max Concept, and apart from door handles you can see and a bit less glitz round the grill, everything from the B-Max Concept seems to have survived the transition to production.

The innovative door openings – with the B-pillars integrated in to the doors – have stayed, which means a wide-open side for easy egress – perfect for piling kids in for the school run, although the dog will probably jump in the front rather than the back. The fold-flat back seats also stay, which means you can turn your B-Max in to a B-Van at the pull of a handle.

Even the panoramic roof has stayed (although it will be an option), and there will be lots of high-end toys available, like voice control and perhaps Ford’s SYNC, and the B-Max will also get the same 1.0 litre Ecoboost just announced in the new Focus as well as a range of diesel lumps.

Vauxhall Meriva beware – the Ford B-Max is gunning for your market.