Production of the slow-selling Ford B-Max is reportedly set to cease in September this year.
According to a report out of Romania, Ford plans to pull the plug on production of the mini-MPV at its Craiova factory.
Automarket reports that the latest version of the EcoSport will take its place on the Romanian plant’s assembly line, with an additional 500 workers set to be hired to meet the expected demand for the latest version of the American automaker’s sub-compact SUV.
The Ford B-Max – with its hinged front and sliding rear doors – has not proven a particularly popular product overseas, nor here in South Africa. Indeed, the Fiesta-based has often found itself on our monthly list of worst-selling passenger vehicles in South Africa.
According to Lightstone Auto, Ford sold 438 units of its B-Max in South Africa in 2016, compared to nearly 11 500 examples of its EcoSport.
And, taking a gander at Naamsa’s sales stats, we can see that the company sold just 46 units locally in the first six months of 2017 (while there has not been any official word from Ford SA on the B-Max being discontinued, the local arm already appears to have stopped bringing in the B-Max, with just five registered in the past four months).