TV Commercial marks start of B-MAX launch

[delorean12uk]

this was sent to me via e-mail at work, I found it interesting, I just thought I'd share it with you guy's

TV Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBnbKjKcD7Q&feature=plcp

Behind the Scenes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCvP6A6YQFY

[tourettes tony]

Looks crap to me and they ripped off Hawkwinds masters of the universe

[Darren C]

Agggggghhh,

Why do these current car manufacturers think they have new revolutionary ideas

No B pillar is nothing new.



Facel did it in 1956, followed by Cadilac and Lincoln as a mass produced car.

As low production it was done in the 1930's by several coachbuilders and included sliding doors too.

80 years late Mr Ford.

"innovative, unique, Fords policy for amazing new products".....My Ar*e

[RobvdVeer]

The bmax might come out a little better in the crash tests that the caddy

[delorean12uk]

The bmax might come out a little better in the crash tests that the caddy

Agggggghhh,

Why do these current car manufacturers think they have new revolutionary ideas

No B pillar is nothing new.



Facel did it in 1956, followed by Cadilac and Lincoln as a mass produced car.

As low production it was done in the 1930's by several coachbuilders and included sliding doors too.

80 years late Mr Ford.

"innovative, unique, Fords policy for amazing new products".....My Ar*e

I think Rob hit the nail on the head there Darren, It is nothing new having no 'B' pillar, but with today's stringent European safety regulations, and side impact protection it is quit an innovation. The car you showed in the picture probably weights in over 2 ton, whereas a B max will weigh in 850 -900 KG, so all the strength has to be in the the cabin/passenger cell, and with no 'B' pillar, the reinforcement is incorporated in the doors, so if a side impact did occur the cabin/passenger cell would still regain it's integrity. Cars are flimsy and lighter than compared to 50 years ago, so all the strength is in the cabin. the rest of it is designed to fold to cushion on impact, and also to be as light as can be for efficiency purposes.

[Darren C]

Granted Jason, but I'm not interested in the crumple zone, you can apply the same impact strength to almost any object with the right engineering.
Just look at a egg. A masterpiece of evolution in strength, lightness and innovation. If you stick a ford badge on an egg it's no more your idea than this car is by not having B pillars.
What rattled me is the fact they are crowing from the roof top promoting the car as revolutionary and forward thinking, when in fact it's nothing new.

Besides Mazda did the same with the RX 8 a few years back, it had to meet all the current regs on crumple zones and side impact resistance without a B pillar.

It's Ford making a fuss over nothing that I object too.

[Dangermouse]

Once again, an answer to a question nobody has been asking.

We have a sliding door minivan/people carrier and not once have I cursed the presence of the B pillar. In fact each one has a grab handle to help one in, if required, and a button to close the door.

How on earth does it help access if there isn't a B pillar?

Marketing folks driving useless engineering IMHO.

[delorean12uk]

Once again, an answer to a question nobody has been asking.

We have a sliding door minivan/people carrier and not once have I cursed the presence of the B pillar. In fact each one has a grab handle to help one in, if required, and a button to close the door.

How on earth does it help access if there isn't a B pillar?

Marketing folks driving useless engineering IMHO.

I dont think the car has any room for a 'B' pillar, it's based on a Fiesta platform, and I think Ford are trying to break into the mobility market with people that need wheel chair access in a small car, I believe that might be one of the reasons anyway.

[Dangermouse]

I see. It looked bigger in the ad. Big enough for a third row, but after a little research I see that it hasn't. I guess with the sliding door open, it looks longer.

Any Fiesta that I owned had a B-pillar, but I can appreciate that it would get in the way of a wheel chair. You would think if that is the intended market then it should have been addressed in the ad. Maybe I am being too literal.