Ford Fusion Cracks Top Ten List

Modern convenience and safety features are among the amenities attracting shoppers to the all new Ford Fusion.

Quick, what is the best selling car in the America?

Well, that answer needs to be qualified by how you define car. If you mean sedan, coupe and crossover type vehicles, then the Toyota Camry followed by the Honda Accord are 1-2, but if you include all passenger vehicles then that answer is the Ford F-150 pickup truck.

Toyota Camry

It has been years since the Ford Taurus ceded its number one position to the Toyota Camry, the former now a full-sized but lower production model which will probably never sell more than 100,000 units a year. That pales in comparison to various times during the 1980s and 1990s when more than 400,000 Taurus models were sold.

The Ford Fusion has since replaced the Taurus as the Blue Oval’s midsize sedan, a car available with I4 or V6 engines, front or all wheel drive, as well as a hybrid offering. Sales for the Fusion have been good, but until recently, the model hasn’t been a Top Ten seller. Well, that’s all changed because through the first ten months of the year, the Fusion is on a roll, having already surpassed 150,000 units, besting its previous top year which was 2007 and with two months still to go.

Tough Economy

This news comes as the auto industry continues to feel the effects of a stiff economic downturn, extended by even higher unemployment, a depressed housing market, and with consumers who are awfully picky about their purchases.

Since the end of “cash for clunkers” this summer, Ford has been one of the industry’s bright spots, seeing its sales rise without having to resort to profit-killing deep discounts. Leading the way in sales is the F-150, but the Fusion is now making its own mark on the new car landscape. Indeed, the Fusion is now the top selling domestic car, though Toyota might argue that its Camry sedan is made here and sells twice as many copies as the Fusion.

Sales Surge

No matter, the news about the Fusion is certainly good and comes as sales of the 2010 model, on sale since last Spring, are booming. Moreover, most shoppers are choosing higher end models including the Hybrid, Sport and SEL.

Overall car sales remain down, having fallen about 26% over last year, which makes the Fusion’s rise all the more interesting. It appears that new car buyers are out there, but they’re carefully weighing what is being offered and choosing the technological amenities they want which they are finding available in the all-new Fusion.

Source: Ford Motor Company

Ford Sponsoring American Idol Finale Parties

My wife is a huge fan of American Idol, has been one for years, so I am well aware that one of the biggest sponsors of the show is the Ford Motor Company. Last year, the automaker used the show to introduce a new Ford Focus model while this year some of the top selling cars, including the all new Ford Fusion Hybrid have been featured in numerous commercials.

A Promotion Idol Fans Will Love

I just learned today that Ford has come up with a promotion for American Idol devotees, one that they are sure to love. It goes like this:

• On Tuesday, May 19, for the first time ever, Ford is making it possible to view the “American Idol” finale at cinemas in 10 cities nationwide through National CineMedia
• To gain access to the private cinema viewing parties, consumers must test drive a new 2010 Ford Fusion or Fusion Hybrid at select test drive events between the dates of May 7-10 and May 14-17
• Test drivers will also be entered into a drawing to win a limited edition American Idol Ford Fusion and an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the two-night “American Idol” finale on Tuesday, May 19 and Wednesday, May 20.

Oh, and if that isn’t enough to rock your world, then maybe the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid American Idol edition would. Yes, you got that right — Ford has gone over to the dark side and has come up with an idolized version of its all new hybrid model.

Give Your Hybrid An Idol Touch

Seriously, you can buy a Ford Fusion Hybrid with some of the Idol regalia included, a customized car optioned with a 12-speaker Sony Audio System and a karaoke kit for MP3 players with LCD monitors mounted in the headrests of the driver and front passenger seats. In addition, the special edition hybrid features “American Idol” embroidered floor mats and exterior badging. Gag me with a spoon!

Anyway, I have the evidence to prove to you that an idolized Ford Fusion is now available, pictures I downloaded from the Ford Motor Company media site:

For more information and a complete list of test drive locations, visit www.fordrocksthecinema.com.

Photos courtesy of the Ford Motor Company, no promotional consideration was given for this article.

Related Reading: Mercury Milan

Hypermilers Squeeze Ford Fusion Hybrid

Team member Tom Rolewicz driving in Washington D.C. The team went an amazing 1445.7 miles on a single tank of gas in Alexandria, VA, ending at 5:37am Tuesday April 28, 2009. The car had been running for 69 hours continuously. Photo by: Sam VarnHagen/Ford Motor Co.

By now, you may have heard reports about a Ford Fusion Hybrid achieving fantastic gas mileage, much higher than the EPA certified 41 mpg city, 36 mpg highway. Amazingly, a team of hypermilers squeezed the Fusion to deliver an astounding 81.5 mpg, a figure that should warm the hearts of high mileage freaks the world over.

Nice Publicity For Ford

That feat is a publicity coup for the Ford Motor Company who has been diligently working to raise the sedan’s visibility just as it released its second generation model. And, for the first time, the Fusion (and its sibling, the Mercury Milan) are now offering hybrid versions.

The team of drivers who set out to see how far the Fusion Hybrid could go on a full tank of gas included mileage maximize experts. These are the kind of drivers who can also drive everyone else nuts, coasting down hills and slowing moving away from an intersection from a dead stop.

Maine To Florida On One Tank Of Gas?

By also keeping windows rolled up and avoiding potholes and bumps which can take away from momentum, the team of hypermilers showed that the Ford Fusion Hybrid’s range of 700 miles can easily be achieved. In this case they drove 1445 miles on a tank of gas as they circled the Washington, DC area, a trip that could take someone from Maine to Florida.

The Fusion Hybrid 1,000-Mile Challenge as the event was dubbed also managed to raise more than $8000 in pledges for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  Among the seven drivers who participated in the 69 hour non-stop event was Carl Edwards who was fresh off of destroying his NASCAR Fusion at Talladega the day before. Edwards survived a wreck that saw his race car slam into the fence, spiral through the air and flip over several times.

Good Lesson For The Average Driver

Though we can’t all be Carl Edwards nor do we all have the patience to drive as carefully as hypermilers do, the Ford Fusion Hybrid challenge demonstrates that with care drivers can maximize their car’s fuel economy, returning numbers far greater than EPA estimates under certain conditions.

With my own test drive of the Ford Fusion Hybrid I averaged 36.2 mpg for that trip, but I knew that I could eventually raise my numbers with extra special care and practice. Thus, having a goal of reaching higher fuel mileage is attainable, perhaps reaching numbers well above normal when conditions are most favorable.

Photo courtesy of the Ford Motor Company.