Produced since 2012 at the Ford factory in Craiova, Romania, the Ford B-Max will be discontinued in September, according to the Romanian press. The decision is anything but surprising: sales of compact people carriers in Europe have been dropping significantly in recent years.
Furthermore, it is precisely at the Craiova plant that the production of the Ford Ecosport for Europe will take place, a model already sold here, which until now took place in India. The compact SUV was recently updated, but the European version, which is not likely to differ much from the American version, has yet to be introduced. In any case, Ecosport should thus assume “household expenses”, also replacing the B-Max in segment B.
Positioned below the C-Max, and having the Fiesta as its technical base, the Ford B-Max thus comes to an early end after five years of production. But he won't be the only one.
Compact people carriers continue to lose ground
For some time now, major manufacturers have been replacing their compact MPVs – and not only – with crossovers and SUVs. The reason has always been the same: the market doesn't seem to get tired of SUVs, with sales growing continuously and significantly in recent years.
Of the models that currently lead sales in the segment, only the Fiat 500L – a model that, oddly enough (or not…) was recently renewed – should remain firm after this year 2017. It risks being a lonely king since the Opel Meriva, Nissan Note, Citroën C3 Picasso, Hyundai ix20, Kia Venga and Ford B-Max will no longer be sold in the «old continent».
In its place are the Opel Crossland X, Citroën C3 Aircross, Hyundai Kauai, Kia Stonic and Ford Ecosport. Is this the end of compact people carriers?