Behold the future of mini-minivans is upon us here in Frankfurt. Ford introduced the  7-passenger, sliding-rear-door-having Grand C-Max. This vehicle (minus the "Grand" modifier in the name) will hit the U.S. market in late 2011.

The Grand C-Max and the somewhat less grand, 5-seat C-Max are the first Ford vehicles introduced that are based on the new Focus platform. We'll get the updated, full-Euro-level Focus late in 2010 after an unveiling at January's Detroit show.

The C-Max is a handsome little mover that Ford claims will occupy "whitespace" in the American market. In other words, there are no competitors in that class. Either the company is intentionally forgetting the Mazda 5 or it considers the similarly sized little minivan to not be a proper competitor since it seats only six. Certainly, Ford will be hoping the C-Max sells a whole lot better than the rare Mazda.