AJC CAR NEWS
In Fusion, Ford sees chance to regain traction
Associated Press
Friday, December 05, 2008
DETROIT — While two of the Detroit Three had no new models to unveil at last month’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford Motor Co. showed off a revamped midsize car that is an example of how serious it is about gas mileage and about clawing its way back into the car business.
Armando Arorizo / Bloomberg News
Ford Motor Co.’s unveiled its Fusion hybrid sedan recently at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The hybrid gas-electric sedan will get 39 miles per gallon in the city, which is the best in the midsize car class, according to Ford.
The 2010 Fusion and its Mercury counterpart, the Milan, get new aerodynamic front and rear sheet metal, more powerful yet more efficient engines, six-speed automatic and manual transmissions and vastly improved interiors as Ford aims at the top-selling Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
Ford also introduced a revamped Mustang at the California show, refreshed in an effort to compete with new muscle car competitors — the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger.
GM originally had planned to unveil a new Buick LaCrosse sedan in Los Angeles, but it pulled out to focus on the company’s cash-flow problems. It also said introducing the car at the Detroit auto show in January would get better Chinese media coverage. Buick is popular in China.
Besides upgrades of the conventional models, Ford will roll out new hybrid gas-electric versions of both the Fusion and Milan. The Dearborn-based automaker says they will get 39 miles per gallon in the city, which it says is best in the midsize class and 6 mpg better than the current Camry hybrid.
The base model Fusion will get 33 mpg on the highway, beating comparable 2008 versions of the Accord and Camry by 2 mpg.
“When is the last time we saw a domestic that’s leading the top two Japanese sellers on fuel economy and performance at the same time?” asked J.D. Shanahan, chief engineer on the Fusion, Milan and their Lincoln counterpart, the MKZ.
Shanahan said the Fusion is a big opportunity for Ford to take market share from competitors in one of the largest segments of the U.S. market, one that likely will grow as people continue to switch to cars.
“For us, our biggest opportunity yet is volume,” he said.
