SUV frenzy kills the Ford B-Max MPV in Europe, EcoSport takes over

The increasing dominance of crossovers/SUVs has taken a toll on not only hatchbacks and sedans, but MPVs too.

One of the MPVs from the big name brands, is the Ford B-Max, which arrived in 2012. The Ford B-Max is based on the same global B-car platform as the previous generation Ford Fiesta. A redesigned, second-gen model probably would have shared the upgrade version of this platform with the all-new Fiesta. However, Ford has now announced that it will end the production of the Ford B-Max at the Craiova plant in Romania in September.

This announcement means that the Ford B-Max is probably gone for good. The B-Max is the only model the Blue Oval manufactures in Romania and this is the only facility to build the compact MPV globally. The production of the 1.0- and 1.5-litre EcoBoost engines also is from this site, which continue normally. The company had paused B-Max production several times during the model's lifecycle owing to a slump in sales.

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Small minivan sales are declining in Europe, and crossovers and SUVs are to blame for that. Last year, 25.6% of the new car sales in Europe were of SUVs. In response to the changing market trend, Ford will start producing the Ford EcoSport at the Craiova plant starting autumn (September-November) this year. The company had announced in April that it will hire 976 more people to support the EcoSport's production. Sales of the new model could start towards the end of 2017 or in early 2018.