The new-for-2012 Ford B-Max will remain faithful to the concept version seen at the Geneva motor show in the spring if these spy pictures are anything to go by.
Our images show a near-production version of the baby MPV, which is intended as a rival for the Vauxhall Meriva, during testing this week.
See more spy pics of the new Ford B-Max
The latest car to be spotted testing has kept the show car’s radical door treatment, which does away with the B-pillar and features a neatly integrated sliding door on each side.
The concept displayed at Geneva was a production-ready version that itself borrowed styling cues from the Iosis Max concept seen in 2009.
The B-Max shares a platform with the Fiesta. At just over four metres long, it’s 11cm longer than the five-door Fiesta but 32cm shorter than the C-Max. Ford claims the sliding doors and pillarless format give the car a 1.5-metre-wide aperture to ease access to the cabin.
The B-Max’s styling draws on Ford’s existing large MPV, the S-Max, but adopts new features from the firm’s developing ‘kinetic’ design language.
Among a range of engine options, the B-Max could be offered with Ford’s smallest Ecoboost motor yet – a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo that features stop-start as standard.
The B-Max is tipped to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show next March.
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