However, what we don’t know is whether the B-Max will be coming to the U.S.
One strong indicator that the tall-riding mini may come to the U.S. was the sighting of several B-Max prototypes testing in Colorado recently, and now we have a set of images taken of even more prototypes, this time testing in Europe.
Another sign is that the original concept was shown with a gasoline engine. You'd expect such a tiny, Europe-influenced design to be packing diesel power, but it wasn’t.
Instead, the B-Max Concept featured a three-cylinder gasoline engine that will eventually appear in the Fiesta, and the prototype you see here is likely to have it too.
The particular engine is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost unit, which Ford claims is comparable in performance to a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter unit. The key is the addition of turbocharging and direct injection technologies, as well as twin independent variable cam timing.
If the B-Max looks familiar to you, there's a good reason for that: it's based on a slightly elongated version of the Fiesta's platform. From the latest spy shots, it looks like it will be quite tall, although the overall length is a bit on the short side.
More details on the Ford B-Max should be revealed closer to the vehicle’s sales launch pegged for the summer of 2012.
If the B-Max doesn’t make it, however, the bigger, Focus-based 2012 Ford C-Max certainly will. Click here to read all about it.
