Ford targets Toyota Prius with C-Max Energi crossover

Ford is going after the Toyota Prius with its new C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid. In its latest release, the Blue Oval called out the best-selling hybrid seven times while announcing the new crossover's fuel, range and pricing.

Ford says the C-Max Energi will travel 550 miles on one tank of gas. That's the distance between Sacramento and San Diego, Calif., or about the distance from Detroit to Baltimore. The wagon will have an all-electric range of 20 miles, which Ford says doubles that of the Prius plug-in.

The C-Max Energi is part of Ford's dedicated line of hybrids, electrics and plug-ins, which includes the Focus Electric, the C-Max hybrid, the Fusion hybrid and the Fusion Energi.

Ford notes that it has sold 144,000 C-Max gasoline and diesel variants in Europe since 2010. In the United States, the cars will get only hybrid powertrains for now.

The C-Max Energi will use Ford's 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, making 188 hp and generating a top speed that's higher than that of the Prius, though Ford wouldn't say what that number is. The car uses lithium-ion batteries for power as opposed to the nickel-metal-hydride batteries in some of the first-generation hybrids. Ford says they promote faster charging times.

Like most hybrids and plug-ins, the infotainment systems will promote and coach for better driving. A smartphone application will monitor charging, receive alerts and find charging stations.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story wrongly listed a sticker price for the Ford C-Max Energi. The Ford C-Max hybrid has a base sticker price of $25,995 including destination. The price of the C-Max Energi has not been released.

By Jake Lingeman