2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Officially Gets 41 MPG

"The electric motor is powerful enough to propel the car to speeds up to 47 mpg without the assistance of the electric motor."

Now that's some cool tech! A motor that can run without the assistance of itself.

Nice job by Ford though.

Ford Fusion hybrid for the win?

"The electric motor is powerful enough to propel the car to speeds up to 47 mpg without the assistance of the electric motor." What kind of freak hybrid is this?

I really hope build quality is on par. Although I'm not at the point where I'd buy an affordable American car, for the sake of our economy, I'm rooting for them to make a surging presence among quality automobiles.

I own a 2007 Fusion, and it's a very well built car. Better than any vehicle I've owned before it, domestic or import. 2nd gen Fusions should be even better.

Well damn...look who is finally stepping up to the plate...Very nice Ford, very nice indeed.

From the specs, sounds very good. I'm not a fan of the grill, but nothing's perfect. Were I in the market for a new car at this time, this would merit a good look, depending on what my goals were.

Nice job Ford, you are really the only US nameplate that deserves to survive.

A shame you can't read more closely zippy. 2010 is the year the Volt is out...

I will agree Chrysler however is washed up. They haven't done anything minus the new Ram and the Viper ACR, which certainly aren't going to save the company.

WOW, Ford is going to beat the camry hybrid by 8mpg city and 2 mpg hwy in 2010. I wonder what the camry hybrid will be like in 2010. Not to mention its available now. And I want to know pricing. You can get a camry hybrid for $25k now. The volt is suppose to be in the high $30s or low $40s. I don't think the volt is going to sell well at those prices. Its like a PS3, its not mainstream pricing.

I don't know how you guys feel, but I feel like new car prices are going up faster than wages. Kind of like the housing bubble. Maybe I'm just poor. And yes, I've never bought a new car, only used. I don't see the reasoning to pay $5k or more for a 2008 model year, over the same 2007 year car with less than 10k miles. Its practically brand new! Resale isn't enough to justify it.

Yeah but...it's a Ford...

Most fuel efficient mid-size sedan? I think not. That's actually the Toyota Prius. Who would ever have thought huh? It looks small from the outside but very roomy on the inside. Is Toyota still leasing Ford their Hybrid Technology? I know it's in the Ford Escape Hybrid. I'm Glad Ford vehicles are getting more MPG.

Yes, it can propel up to 47mph, but you will have to be light on your foot to not trigger the gas engine. From most people I have seen driving on the street and to our service department at Ford in bay area....most still stepping on the gas pedal like they are in hurry all the time..Anyway it is still good when u can cruising in electric below 47~ like traffic jam in LA?

Come on James the Prius looks are an acquired taste if at all. This car isn't all that bad looking, I think aside from maybe the price it would have broad appeal. In the times of a global recession and cheap gas it might take awhile to catch on though.

Ford was the first Auto maker in the U.S. and they may ever well be the last, because of the moves like this that will keep them in the game long before the other two will fail. Ford is truly leading the way forward with American automobiles and this is just a prime example of that. When you can not only compete but beat your forgien competition that speaks volumes and Ford has just done that with the Fusion Hybrid.

Too bad no price is listed. If its in the low-20's it has a good chance. Looks very promising. Great job, Ford!

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Avatar:

A shame you can't read more closely zippy. 2010 is the year the Volt is out...

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Yeah -- that's _if_ Chevrolet can last that long! Oh, wait a sec, guess they will now that they don't have to compete and get free handouts.

Hybrid or Eco Boost? Which would you choose?

Obviously the Hybrid will get better mileage but Eco Boost would be much cheaper. No batteries to worry about failing.

It really does look like a great car, great job Ford! But I still can't get over the dashboard. I feel like I'm in Kit from Knightrider, haha.

For James:

The hybrid drive that Ford developed was similar enough to the Toyota Synergy drive that Ford and Toyota came into a patent-sharing agreement. Ford was allowed to continue development of their hybrids without threat of patent infringement from Toyota and Ford allowed Toyota to use some of Ford's patented diesel tech in exchange.

Whether the fact that certain component technologies from the hybrid drive are 'leased' from Toyota is up for debate, but the fact remains that Ford did develop their own hybrid system.

That being said, since this is Ford's first foray into hybrid sedans, It has its work cut-out for it if they want it to be a contender against the well-established hybrids.

Icester, I would be careful talking about handouts. First, GM got a loan, not free money. Toyota, on the other hand, has gotten free money. We know Japan covered the cost for the research and development for Toyota's hybrid tech used in all their hybrids. And let's not forget the oh so great prediction and success of the new Tundra and Sequoia that seem to have been quietly swept under the rug. My favorite is a 4Runner though. Smaller in every dimension both interior and exterior then a Yukon, weighs 1200 lbs less, has less horsepower and torque, a 4.0L v6 vs a 5.3L v8, and it gets 16/21 compared to the Yukon's 15/21.

Now we have Honda telling the Japaneses government that if they can't get the yen to dollar ratio back to 100:1, Honda will move production off shore. So now we have proof that the Japaneses government tries to manipulate the yen to help Japaneses companies.

Yea, real fair competition. Japan gives hand outs literally and manipulates the yen to help out their companies. I wounder what else we will find out about Japan and their business practices.

Lastly, GM's dual mode hybrid is still the most efficient out there. They are also the first ones with E-Flex. GM is now testing the E-Flex drive system in the new Cruze and Malibu. Also in 2010, the Malibu hybrid is going to be revised, with at least lithium ion batteries, though rumors are saying it will be getting dual mode.

"Now we have Honda telling the Japaneses government that if they can't get the yen to dollar ratio back to 100:1, Honda will move production off shore. So now we have proof that the Japaneses government tries to manipulate the yen to help Japaneses companies."

You do realize that Honda (and many Japanese companies) are wanting Japan to WEAKEN the Yen, right? The reason being that the stronger the Yen gets relative to the dollar, the more expensive Japanese products cost in terms of dollars, meaning that if Japanese auto companies keep their prices the same, then they lose money the stronger the Yen is. Japan is well aware that the recent rise of the Yen is bad news for it's exports. It's the same reason why every country exports more when their currency is worth less -- because their goods become relatively cheaper than they were before. That's why when a country has high exports, their economy gets hurt if their currency rapidly increases in value, which is why most countries try for a fairly stable exchange rate.

I guess basic economic principles are too hard to understand when you're too busy hating a company because they're from another country than you and build better products than your native companies.

Also, we all know that the odds of any of the american car companies being profitable ever again are pretty slim (though Ford has the best odds). These "loans" are handouts when they know that they're most likely never getting paid back. The real reason behind the loans is simple -- unions. Politicians want unions to support them, so they give billions to the biggest unionized industry in the country, even though that industry is worth less than used toilet paper. In turn, unions will either support or at least not actively work against the politicians who handed them this money, and those politicians get re-elected to pander to the unions some more.

No where was I arguing economics, merely stating that it is proof that Japan helps their companies a lot more then they and said companies admit. Honda threatening a government body is probably worse then GM asking a government for a loan, especially when its their home government body.

Your bottom statement is laughable, because the terms of the loan state that the UAW needs to match the imports non-union factories wages and benefits. Not during the next contract negotiations either, but by the end of 2009. I guess this is why the UAW president is crying the blues over the terms that the politicians laid down. They didn't like the terms that Congress was going to give them either. So it seems like UAW, at least the leadership, isn't real happy.

The loan doesn't have a real political base either, especially since the one who gave them the loan is at the end of his political career. Sure, their are a few in Congress siding with the UAW that the terms are un-fair, but they are a minority. The one who has to enforce the loan hasn't said a thing about it, but then again, he has to run again in 4 years, not 1 like some of those Congressmen, at which point the American public will probably have other issues on the brain.

And UAW isn't the biggest union in industry either. IBT has double the members that UAW has, and they just supply the country with, well, everything, and support the loans I might add. That's more pull then the UAW has politically. Then UFCW is twice as big as UAW as well, gotta eat. SEIU has almost 3 times as many members as UAW, but they really aren't an industry. Then you have the big player, the teaching industry, NEA. They have more then 4 times the members that UAW has. But that technically can be considered not an industry, though I think, and hope many will agree, that teaching requires more skill then un-skilled labor.

No, the larger issue is the amount of chain effect that the collapse of the auto industry will have, not of the UAW itself. They will probably just move south and take over the import factories then.

"Your bottom statement is laughable, because the terms of the loan state that the UAW needs to match the imports non-union factories wages and benefits. Not during the next contract negotiations either, but by the end of 2009. I guess this is why the UAW president is crying the blues over the terms that the politicians laid down. They didn't like the terms that Congress was going to give them either. So it seems like UAW, at least the leadership, isn't real happy."

Except that Obama, who also approves of the bailout, has said that he'll remove all the "unfair conditions" that Bush placed on the UAW, so the UAW most likely won't have to give up a damn thing, since no Democrat alive has ever stood up to a union.

"No, the larger issue is the amount of chain effect that the collapse of the auto industry will have, not of the UAW itself. They will probably just move south and take over the import factories then."

You think that Honda, Toyota, BMW, any other company would touch a UAW worker? I don't for a second. They won't want the UAW destroying them the way they destroyed the American auto industry. No intelligent manager would touch a UAW worker once Ford, GM, and Chrysler go bye-bye (well, if the moron government stops handing out tax dollars to keep the unions -- I mean auto industry -- alive). The idiots will have blacklisted themselves.........and I'll laugh my ass off over it.

Unions had a purpose a hundred years ago when we didn't have much in the way of safety regulations or other labor laws. However, in the modern world they only exist to get the workers overpaid and prevent crap workers from being fired.

It is not a matter of want. If the American auto industry folds, where do you think the UAW is going to look for work? When unions were first formed, it wasn't a matter of what the companies wanted. The UAW can easily go to those factories, and picket to their hearts content. Just like putting a giant rat in front of a building, except Honda, Toyota, and whoever else will have to deal with a more then a half a million of these people. You really don't think people who are out of a job wouldn't picket them till the end of time to get work? Plus, the UAW can throw around stuff like health care, and higher wages, and pensions to people who don't have those things right now. They can also call on the add of other unions, like IBT. What happens when Honda and Toyota can get the parts or ship the cars? We have no cars in the US or they all cost a fortune?

I deal with two unions far worse then UAW all the time. Anyone who has seen a movie has seen the one's symbol before, because it is at the end of every movie. The other is IBT, and what a pain they are. And you want to talk about nasty, they don't care who they effect and who they hurt, so long as they are working. They UAW is going to lie down and die, like they are proving now. Likewise, Obama taking away all the 'unfair' stipulations is rather laughable, because you yourself said they, the UAW, are worthless, and many agree they are one of the biggest problems plaguing GM, Ford, and Chrysler. If the leech sucks all the blood dry, it detaches and finds another blood source.

The UAW can picket all they want, but it won't get them hired. All it will do is make sure ever last person in the country knows what the UAW is really about.

Or the stage a coup and get the people working there currently to strike along with the IBT.

Gee!

At $1.50 per gallon, I wonder how long it will take to break even on the extra cost of the hybrid motor?

Any idea of when the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid will be shipped to dealers?

That car should help Ford and help our country. Green is the way.

Ooo, 41mpg.

I ride a 25 year old Suzuki that gets 55 mpg and turns a 13 sec 1/4 mile (at 100+mph) and runs like its BURNING gas. Do I need an armor enclosure? No, I think not.

I am sick of the media system telling us smart folk what 'we need'. I fill up my Suzuki 1100GL for $15, and I can outrun 99% of the folks on the road. And it DOES get 55mpg, shaft drive and all (ok, so I've put a multi spark ignition system on it, so kill me) and I pulled that at 80mph.

Talk to the people, and they just don't listen. I go outside the norm.

@Avatar's first comment

Where were you when Chrysler announced it's three EV models.

@wvo

I would be into motorbikes too if it wasn't for this thing called weather.