'11 Ford minivan to have hands-free liftgate

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co.'s new C-Max small minivan will have an exclusive feature when it goes on sale nationwide next fall -- a hands-free liftgate.

The C-Max liftgate opens with the wave of a foot under the back of the minivan. The van will only open for the person who's holding its key.

Ford says the U.S. version of the C-Max will be the first vehicle on the market with this technology.

The C-Max marks Ford's return to the U.S. minivan market five years after it stopped selling its last minivan, the Freestar. The C-Max has been on sale in Europe since 2003, although a seven-seat version wasn't sold there until this year. The C-Max is built on the underpinnings of the Ford Focus, and is part of the company's plan to build 10 Focus-based vehicles worldwide by 2012.

Ford will sell the seven-seat C-Max in the United States, a configuration that will make it unique in the small-minivan market. The Mazda5, its closest rival in size, seats six. Ford manages the extra body by giving the second row a middle seat that can be folded away under the right-hand seat. Buyers will be able to get the third row removed if they prefer to have five seats.

The C-Max hits the market at a time when minivan sales have been growing. Minivan sales were up 9 percent through November over the same period in 2009, according to Autodata Corp. The Chrysler Town and Country was the top seller, followed closely by the Honda Odyssey.