News out of Detroit this morning has the Blue Oval promising its first-ever production plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Ford C-MAX Energi compact minivan, set for 2012. Seating five passengers, the hybrid hauler is expected to garner more MPGs than the Ford Fusion Hybrid, currently, the most fuel-efficient U.S. “sedan.” With the help of both a lithium-ion battery system and engine that’s similar to that of the Chevy Volt, the family-friendly car is expected to offer more than 500 miles of driving range per charge – more than any other plug-in or extended range vehicle.

Drivers will also be privy to a unique application of MyFord Touch, technology that Ford hopes will put consumers at ease when operating an EV. Information available to car owners will include fuel level, battery power level, miles per gallon, and the car gadgetry that’s sucking major juice (air conditioning, for example).

Ford calls the C-MAX Energi a “multi-activity vehicle;” we call it a small scale minivan. Regardless, the sleek shape will also be available to consumers as a more traditional hybrid option – the C-MAX Hybrid – which will run in electric mode at lower speeds, cruising ’round the neighborhood and checking off some of those pesky errands. Best of all, these two cars will be mated with three other electrified vehicles brought to American dealerships in the next two years. (Ford Focus Electric and commercial van Ford Transit Connect Electric will make up two others, alongside a yet-to-be-announced hybrid.)