Ford C-MAX Monthly Sales Chart

[Smiling Jack]

Ford reported combines sales of 1962 C-MAX Hybrids and Energi Hybrids during December, 2014.

 

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/2015/01/05/december2014sales.pdf

 

Full December 2014 sales update to tables and charts, pending release of plug-in numbers later today.

 

I find it remarkable that they list the MKC as a "utility" and list the C-max as a "car."  The two vehicles have the same form factor and the interior volumes are virtually the same.

[Blue Tom]

Ford reported combines sales of 1962 C-MAX Hybrids and Energi Hybrids during December, 2014.

 

Hey, one of those was me!  I'm going to pick up my Hybrid SEL today.

[kostby]

Hey, one of those was me!  I'm going to pick up my Hybrid SEL today.

 

Congratulations, and welcome to the forums!

[kostby]

I find it remarkable that they list the MKC as a "utility" and list the C-max as a "car."  The two vehicles have the same form factor and the interior volumes are virtually the same.

 

Actually, the MKC is built on the same platform as the Escape, not the C-MAX.

The Escape is classified as a Utility, so it makes sense that the MKC is also a Utility.

(They and the C-MAX are all variants of the European Focus platform.)

 

The only Lincoln hybrid model is the MKZ Hybrid sedan, based on the same platform as the Fusion Hybrid sedan.

There is no Lincoln equivalent to the C-MAX hybrid at the moment.

Edited January 6, 2015 by kostby

[Smiling Jack]

Actually, the MKC is built on the same platform as the Escape, not the C-MAX.

The Escape is classified as a Utility, so it makes sense that the MKC is also a Utility.

(They and the C-MAX are all variants of the European Focus platform.)

 

The only Lincoln hybrid model is the MKZ Hybrid sedan, based on the same platform as the Fusion Hybrid sedan.

There is no Lincoln equivalent to the C-MAX hybrid at the moment.

 

I do understand all of that.

 

Nevertheless, I find the disparity in classification remarkable.

 

In fact, I always found the disparity in classification between the C-max and the new Escape a bit strange. 

 

The interiors of the two vehicles are very similar, to say the least.  And from a straight-on side view, most people would not be able to tell whether a car parked across the street was an Escape or a C-max.

 

The only real differences are a bit of ground clearance, a corresponding bit of overall height and the fact that the Escape has more cargo space.  The difference in cargo space is the only real difference that I could understand as being some kind of justification for the disparity in classification.

 

And even though the MKC may have been derived from the Escape, it is actually is much, much, more similar to the C-max in regard to cargo space, making the difference in classification even harder to understand.

 

BTW:  While the MKC is supposed to have been derived from the new Escape,  is it not also true that the new Escape was derived form the European C-max?  (It certainly resembles it.)

Edited January 6, 2015 by Smiling Jack

[rotozuk]

Just brought home our brand new C-max last night. Still learning about this car. Read a bunch here before making my purchase.

 

Ford would sell a lot more Energi configurations if the battery did not eat up so much cargo space. I would have bought it in a heartbeat if that was the case. Had they offered the Escape in a Hybrid package, I would have seriously considered it also as space was a main goal for this vehicle purchase. I probably would have picked the C-max though as the handling and comfort are better than the Escape. 

 

Just guessing, but aren't the Escape, Focus and the C-Max based on the same vehicle platform?

 

Anyhow, I am darn pleased with my C-max. 

 

Interesting side note. We had a hard time finding a C-max with the options we wanted. We wanted a platinum white SEL with light interior with the 302A option package with a moonroof and remote start. They could only find 2 white cars in California with my desired specs, and one of them was local, but Oxford white, the correct white colored car was only about 600 miles away in San Diego. I so-so with the Oxford at the time, and am very pleased to have the Oxford now, and $600 richer too. (We heard similar reports from the other dealers we talked with.)

 

I live in the San Fran bay area, so there are a fair amount of C-max' on the lots here, they just did not have the configuration we were after. Most of the 302A cars had the black interior. (We have yellow labs...)

 

There are not a lot of options on these cars, but they seem to be a bit rare for some configurations. 

 

-Wayne

[ScubaDadMiami]

I purposely went with Oxford White, and I ordered my C-MAX from the factory, so I could have had any color in the same amount of time. Oxford White is much easier and cheaper to touch up.

[rotozuk]

Yep, I agree. 

 

My local dealer flat out did not want to order a car for me. I suspect this was because my salesperson was retiring at the end of the month. Told me some BS about the 0% financing and rebates could disappear at the end of the month. Eventually they found my Oxford, and she came came home with me a few days later. Loving this car. Turning radius does suck, and the stereo is pretty lackluster for the top of the line offering. 

 

-Wayne

[Bugblndr]

When I went to buy mine, there were about 10 of them total within about 100 miles of me in Ontario Canada.  The dealer I bought from had no new or used ones on the lot, and it appears that most Ford dealers around here have a similar no stock policy.  I ordered mine from the factory as well, mostly because it was get what I want in the future, or settle for something that's been sitting for a while and not what I wanted.

 

Part of me thinks that Ford, or at least Ford Canada really doesn't want to sell this vehicle.  Their website still hasn't been updated for 2015, you can't price out a 2015 or search dealer inventories for a 2015.  Most of my friends have never heard of a C-Max, or seen one.  I wonder how sales would be if Ford made an effort?

[markd]

We wanted an Ice Storm with the light interior and 303a pkg but no moon roof, we drove from Indiana to Nebraska for ours, and we love it.

[markd]

We wanted an Ice Storm with the light interior and 303a pkg but no moon roof, we drove from Indiana to Nebraska for ours, and we love it.

[markd]

Error

Edited January 27, 2015 by markd

[SPL Tech]

 

Had they offered the Escape in a Hybrid package, I would have seriously considered it also as space was a main goal for this vehicle purchase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They do offer the Escape in a hybrid. I wouldn’t buy it though. A quick look on True Delta shows the Escape model is not reliable and has been consistently troublesome since the beginning of it's enactment. Every year model shows people reporting an above average number of problems.

Edited January 28, 2015 by SPL Tech

[Bugblndr]

They stopped making the Escape in a hybrid when they came out with this gen of Escape.  Instead we got the C-Max.

 

I probably would've given serious consideration to the Escape hybrid, but that hasn't been an option for a few years now.

 

 

 

 

They do offer the Escape in a hybrid. I wouldn’t buy it though. A quick look on True Delta shows the Escape model is not reliable and has been consistently troublesome since the beginning of it's enactment. Every year model shows people reporting an above average number of problems.

 

Edited January 28, 2015 by Bugblndr

[kostby]

765 C-MAX Hybrids and 395 C-MAX Energi Plug-In-Hybrids for a total of 1,160 combined sold in January 2015, an 18% decline from January 2014.

 

Full tables and charts posted.

Prior month charts and tables are deleted from earlier posts because current month contains all prior data.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://corporate.ford.com/content/dam/corporate/en/investors/investor-events/Sales%20Calls/2015/2015-january-us-sales-press-release.pdf

 

http://www.hybridcars.com/January-2015-dashboard/

 

http://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/

Edited April 2, 2015 by kostby

[Adrian_L]

Turning radius does suck, and the stereo is pretty lackluster for the top of the line offering. 

 

 

 

Seriously?  I previously had an Audi with premium Bose surround.   My wife and I could not decide whether the Sony was better or worse.  After a year I'd have to say the sound is slightly less full/warm but the details are crisper. 

[rotozuk]

Seriously?  I previously had an Audi with premium Bose surround.   My wife and I could not decide whether the Sony was better or worse.  After a year I'd have to say the sound is slightly less full/warm but the details are crisper. 

 

Yep, I'm not a fan of the sound quality or the navigation/features. And the free Sirius has rather horrible compression artifacts. Can't wait until the subscription for that dies as my wife will stop asking me to play those stations. 

 

Yes, I guess I am an audio snob or something... I have usually installed my own stereo systems, but this day and age that is just not an option. I'll probably add a small sub to help fill the cabin and call it good. 

 

Don't get me wrong, the sound is on par with other stock audio systems. Perhaps there is some sort of liability that keeps any automaker from putting in a decent audio system with full range of audio output. It compares favorably to the stock radio I had in my Mazda 3, but the Mazda was much easier to use thanks to having navigation buttons for jumping to different sources.

 

In my old Isuzu Trooper I have about a $150 Sony headunit, and maybe $200 in speakers, amp and a small sub. nothing fancy at all! The options, navigation and sound all eclipse what we have in the C-max. This costs a fraction of what I paid Ford for the radio in my C-max.  :cry:

 

-Wayne

[kostby]

February 2015 Ford US Sales update

 

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/2015/03/03/feb15sales.pdf

 

1,376 combined total of C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi vehicles sold in February 2015, represents an 18% increase over 1,160 combined sales in January 2015.

 

The January 2015 765 C-MAX Hybrid sales was the lowest ever monthly sales in the 29 months the Hybrid was available, and 395 Energi sales was 25th of the 28 months the C-MAX Energi was sold.

 

UPDATE Mar-04-2015 450pm: Full charts and tables posted

 

PEANUT GALLERY ANALYSIS: MY $.02

 

Do changes (even drastic declines) in these numbers mean much in 'the big picture' at Ford?

 

Not much, from a sales volume or sales dollar standpoint.

Hybrids and electrics are about 3.5% of Ford US unit sales during 2014.

http://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/

 

Sales Perspective: Ford averages more pickup truck sales in 2 months (60,000 per month) than the entire 2014 combined sales of plug-in hybrids and electrics from ALL manufacturers. (120,000)

http://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/

 

Doubling these recent Hybrid and Energi sales numbers (to 3,000 per month) would still make C-MAX Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid sales less than half of combined Lincoln Division sales each month. (7,000 per month)

 

Ford appears committed to continue offering a wide range of vehicles.

 

Does anything we owners do or complain about in these forums even matter to Ford corporate?

Yes. Ford has assigned employees to work within these forums to offer assistance to owners.

 

Ford is no longer relying heavily on incentives to move C-MAX Hybrids and Energi models that were languishing on dealer lots during late 2013 through mid 2014.

 

That signals to me that Ford may have arrived at a 'comfortable' number, closely matching actual monthly production with actual retail sales. 

 

Ford has invested the money necessary to develop and produce a viable hybrid platform.

 

We often speculate in this forum about marketing miscues, production line errors, and incomplete development before launch, but those things are symptomatic of the current auto industry and government regulation climate, not some character defect in the leaders at Ford.

Edited April 2, 2015 by kostby

[Adrian_L]

Great information Kostby.  Thanks for taking the time.

 

So is 2015 the last year for the C-max hybrid?  I know it's only March but I can't find any info online about 2016 models.

[Bugblndr]

To be fair, I couldn't really find any info about the 2015 models in December, long after they were on the road. 

[jeff_h]

So is 2015 the last year for the C-max hybrid?  I know it's only March but I can't find any info online about 2016 models.

 

I remember the forum thread on the appearance difference between the 2015 and 2016 - see compare pics below, so I assume a 2016 model is on the way?

 

[Smiling Jack]

 

I remember the forum thread on the appearance difference between the 2015 and 2016 - see compare pics below, so I assume a 2016 model is on the way?

 

 

That looks like a European license plate on the 2016.

[kostby]

March 2015 Sales Updates:  

 

1054 C-MAX Hybrids sold - 27th best monthly sales

715 C-MAX Energi Hybrids sold - 11th best monthly sales since introduction

 

As always, prior month charts and tables are deleted from prior monthly updates because each update always contain all prior data.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2015 by kostby

[kostby]

Ford announced 1790 combined sales of C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi for the month of April 2015.

 

1790 combined sales of C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi is not unusual. 

BUT...

 

The breakout of April 2015 figures posted today at Hybridcars.com and InsideEVs.com might be a one-month sales anomaly or simply a bookkeeping error, so I'm not posting the full table and chart just yet, until I've found additional information to verify what has been posted here and here without commentary about any reasons for the drastic change.

 

553 C-MAX Hybrid sales were reported in April 2015, by far the worst month ever, a 50% decrease from March 2015, and more than 200 units below the previous worst-ever January 2015 sales, if accurately reported.

 

1237 C-MAX Energi sales reported in April 2015, second largest monthly sales ever, and a 73% increase (over 500 units) above the March 2015 number.

 

So, I think the sales numbers are reversed. It makes more sense that 1237 Hybrids were sold and 553 Energis.

 

Over the last 31 months, the C-MAX Hybrid has quite often outsold the Energi by a 2 to 1 margin, and since introduction about 75% of C-MAX sales have been Hybrids, 25% have been Energi models.

 

 

I cannot account for the sudden drastic changes from any of the following:

1. Some new "hit" piece targeting C-MAX by ConsumerReports

2. Some huge Ford recall announced with confirmed occupant deaths. 

3. That Ford sharply lowered the Energi price (no change March to April to May)

4. That Ford offered huge incentives expiring April 30th and only on Energi models.

5. Fleet sales.

6. Some new twist in Federal or state tax incentives for plug-in hybrids.

 

The only recent 'negative' news about C-MAX was the announced layoffs at the Michigan Assembly Plant, and that on April 23rd, 2015, far too late to significantly affect April 2015 sales.

 

And the better-selling Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi models did NOT show a similar drastic changes in sales.

Edited May 4, 2015 by kostby

[kostby]

And I was correct!

The April 2015 sales numbers for C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi WERE transposed.

 

Monthly tables and charts are now updated with the correct numbers.

 

Table and charts are deleted because most recent images contain all prior data.

Edited June 3, 2015 by kostby