Ford Cancels 7-Passenger C-Max For US, Now Coming As Hybrid/Plug-In Only

This is a big disappointment to me. I need to replace my wife's '97 CRV that has 190,000 miles on it. But there are simply no cars out there that we find appealing. (Yes, Hondas last a long time, but do you really want them to?) I was looking foward to checking out the (Grand) C-Max. We have a baby on they way, so we would appreciate the easy access of a van-type vehicle. We like the utility of an SUV, but would like to get 30 mpg on the highway. (Well, we'd like to 35 on the highway and 30 in the city, but apparently that's too fantastical to even imagine). Since the government has stopped repairing the roads in our city, I would like something that provides a comfortable ride over cobblestone-like pavement. My wife wants something with "pickup." Is the rest of the country really only interested in sedans, SUVs, and, occasionally, a hatchback? Am I really the only consumer willing to pay for economy and driveability and utility? Why do all the car companies want to make the same types of cars? I'm going to be forced to buy another CRV, even though I hate the one we have, or a Subaru or something like that. Or maybe we'll just buy something used, like a Volvo, and wait until someone brings something to market that we'd actually enjoy owning.

I think both philosphil and acc are correct: Mazda would be happy to hear this news. I drove the Mazda5 and it was nice, but even the 2012 edition simply does not offer enough higher-tier options. I don't need nav in-dash offered (though it would be nice), but no power seats seemed odd, even in the highest trim level. The C-Max 7-seater with sliding doors would have addressed that and forced Mazda to be a bit more generous on the options. However, even after I drove the '12 Mazda5 and was excited about a peppy, well-handling small minivan, my wife and I discussed and were able to splurge on a CPO 2009 Odyssey EX-L. It's not as nimble of course, and it's a bit more space than we need. But with an infant on the way and one toddler already, and those car seats taking up an insane amount of space these days, we're kind of glad we have plenty of room for two kids in the back, a rear seat for anyone else, and enough space for a large stroller. SO yeah, people are still gravitating toward the larger vehicles with which to transport their kids in certain cases, especially if you're not going too far on a day to day basis. Wrote a few posts about the C-Max vs. Mazda5 and what happened to it here, just hadn't updated it until I did a search today: http://drivingenthusiast.blogspot.com/2011/06/what-happened-to-c-max.html