During American Idol Tuesday evening, Ford launched the “We Speak Car” marketing campaign to sell the 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid. The ads tout the Fusion Hybrid as “America’s most fuel efficient mid-size sedan,” which is awfully misleading because the 2010 Prius (50 mpg combined) is technically the most fuel efficient mid-size vehicle. It’s just not classified as a sedan.
Still, the Fusion Hybrid gets 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg highway, which is higher than other hybrid sedans in its class like the Toyota Camry Hybrid (33 city/34 highway). Below is the ad, which emphasizes the Fusion Hybrid’s fuel economy:
Yawn. Why get excited about a 2010 hybrid with essentially the same combined mileage as the 2001 Prius? No matter what Alan Mulally says, Ford seems a bit late to the hybrids party and all too willing to sacrifice engine efficiency to boost horsepower (Fusion: net 194 hp).
But two things I can get excited about:
The 2010 Fusion Hybrid is eligible for a $3,400 tax credit if purchased before March 31, 2009, and $1,700 before Sept. 9, 2009. That’s a solid discount off the $27,995 base price.
Ford’s new SmartGauge display that comes in the 2010 Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid is hot. This is probably the most advanced instrument panel on the market that emphasizes fuel economy and rewards for good driving behavior. As you drive more efficiently, the LCD tree (vine?) to the right of the speedometer grows more leaves. Take 38 seconds to watch the demo video below from AutoblogGreen.
Capturing the massive social benefits of fuel efficiency requires regulation
Comments
View as Threaded
biodiversivist Posted 11:51 am
08 Mar 2009
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
Permalink
John Fish Kurmann Posted 12:32 pm
08 Mar 2009
I do agree that the Fusion Hybrid has significantly more combined horsepower than necessary. If they'd gone for ~160 combined horsepower instead of 194, Ford might've come close to matching the MPG ratings of the current Prius.
"You can never get enough of what you do not really want." - Huston Smith
Permalink
John Fish Kurmann Posted 12:42 pm
08 Mar 2009
"You can never get enough of what you do not really want." - Huston Smith
Permalink
Pangolin Posted 5:28 pm
08 Mar 2009
The nasty bit about a series hybrid vehicle is that once they are mass produced by a company the size of GM or Toyota they will be on the road forever. Electric motors are just THAT reliable and they turn cars from devices needing experienced mechanics to devices that can be maintained by anyone who can swap a hard drive.
While that might make cars a bit closer to sustainable transportation it would also kill business in the long run. Better to insert fragile widgets in the control system that cost more than a down payment on a new vehicle.
Put the Carbon Back
Permalink
Bob Wallace Posted 5:41 pm
08 Mar 2009
Or expensive because it is still low volume production?
It's a video monitor. Mass produced, monitors sell for a hundred bucks or less.
Permalink
mihan Posted 1:17 am
09 Mar 2009
Permalink
amazingdrx Posted 2:35 am
09 Mar 2009
The demise of the ICE car was signalled by the unwieldy ultra-costly melding of computers and combustion to arrive at a few percent more HP, they haven't been used to increase mileage.
Would you like to be stranded on the road as frequently as your PC has a glitch? That's what you have with computer controlled internal combustion gas guzzling.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
Permalink
KenG Posted 3:29 am
09 Mar 2009
Permalink
drewtiss Posted 11:59 pm
17 Jul 2009
Permalink