Ford unveils U.S.-bound compact minivan, one of ten new "Focus" vehicles

FRANKFURT — Ford Motor Co., unveiled a new compact minivan that will go on sale in the United States in 2011 at the auto show here Tuesday as it announced plans to build a family of ten different vehicles based on its 2011 Focus compact.

The seven-passenger Grand C-Max minivan will be a key part of Ford’s growing compact family as it shifts its U.S. sales to include more high fuel-efficiency small cars. Ford plans to introduce at least six of the new models in the United States, where it is converting truck assembly plants in Wayne, Michigan, and Louisville, Kentucky to build small cars.

The new Focus is set to debut in January at the Detroit auto show

In North America, Ford plans to build both the Ford Focus and a battery-electric Ford Focus at Michigan Assembly in Wayne -- opening up the possibility that Ford could also produce the C-Max there.

The Focus goes on sale in the United States in 2010 and a battery-electric version of the Focus is scheduled to go on sale by 2011.

Ford unveils U.S.-bound compact minivan | Detroit Free Press | Freep.com

Looks like Ford does have a "better idea"

A couple of weeks ago I did a double-take when I drove by a Ford dealership and saw one of these

Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited

So, I guess those smaller EU vehicles actually can be made to meet our crash and emissions standards