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" Ford has well and truly set the cat among the pigeons with its new B-Max that goes on sale in Europe next September.         2012 Ford B-Max     Why, you ask? Because it has taken the bold step of eliminating the B-pillar and replacing conventionally hinged rear doors with sliding ones; these interlock with the hinged front doors to offer a 59-in.-wide access gap from either side of the car.         2012 Ford B-Max     Unique, Patented Locking System   Special ultra-high-strength steels in the doors and also around the perimeter of each side opening provide up to five times the strength of conventional mild steel to create a massively strong and stiff structure without adding weight.         2012 Ford B-Max     The process involved intense testing and analysis at every stage. More than 1000 detailed computer simulations were conducted over three years to optimize side impact crash performance; each simulation taking 24 hours to complete and using the equivalent computer power of eight high-end PCs. These simulations were then tested in the real world through a further 50 physical side impact crashes.   Ford has also patented the unique locking system and has admitted that the sliding door concept could be scaled up to bigger SUVs.         2012 Ford B-Max     Global Award Winner   A new Ford technology being introduced on the all-new B-Max that assists occupants in making a call to emergency services in the event of a crash has won a prestigious technology award.   Ford&amp;#039;s Emergency Assistance alerts local emergency services operators, in the correct local language based on GPS coordinates from the vehicle, after an accident. It is the most advanced system of its type and forms a key part of Ford&amp;#039;s voice-activated in-car connectivity system, SYNC, which makes its European debut in the new B-Max.         2012 Ford B-Max     Emergency Assistance won the &amp;quot;Best Mobile Innovation for Automotive, Transport or Utilities&amp;quot; category at the 2012 Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona. The achievement crowned a historic Mobile World Congress visit for Ford, after B-Max became the first car to debut at the show and Bill Ford, Ford Motor Company executive chairman, became the first automotive industry leader to deliver a keynote speech.   Developed in partnership with Microsoft, SYNC already features on four million cars in the U.S., and its introduction to Europe in one of the most affordable vehicles in Ford&amp;#039;s European range will help take the company a significant step further toward its target of 13 million SYNC customers by 2015. In total, Ford expects to have more than 3.5 million SYNC-enabled vehicles on the roads of Europe by 2015.         2012 Ford B-Max     Fuel-Sipping Powertrain   Under its stubby nose, the B-Max is powered by Ford&amp;#039;s latest 3-cylinder, 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine producing 123 bhp and 125 lb.-ft. of torque, with 147 lb.-ft. available on overboost, from 1400 to 4500 rpm. The engine combines turbocharging, direct injection and twin variable cam timing to maximize efficiency and deliver combined fuel economy of 47 U.S. mpg.   Compact inline 3-cylinder engines naturally develop a combined pitch and yaw motion resulting in a booming noise. So, instead of introducing a conventional balance shaft to counteract this, the flywheel and crank pulley are intentionally &amp;quot;unbalanced&amp;quot; to offset the primary engine shaking forces. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/geneva-auto-show/news/a18038/2012-ford-b-max/>