The hits keep coming for America’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan, the Ford Fusion. The Fusion Hybrid has been honored as one of CAR and DRIVER magazine’s “10Best” cars for 2010, just weeks after winning the prestigious MOTOR TREND Car of the Year® award.

“CAR and DRIVER is always looking for those cars that are most engaging to drive, and in our experience, the Ford Fusion Hybrid is the first hybrid vehicle that really delivers a fun driving experience,” said Eddie Alterman, editor-in-chief, CAR and DRIVER, noting that the Fusion Hybrid is only the second hybrid ever to make the magazine’s “10Best” list.

“We were very impressed with how seamlessly the hybrid powertrain functioned,” Alterman said. “We were also impressed with Ford SYNC® and how seamlessly it worked.”

But Alterman says what really sealed the deal for the Fusion Hybrid is the simple fact that it’s fun.

“The vehicle is entertaining,” he explained. “It’s really fun to drive, and we had fun trying to improve our mileage using the SmartGauge™ technology.”

A total of 58 vehicles were in the running for the CAR and DRIVER “10Best” list. All of the contenders were put through a week of rigorous testing and judged based on three criteria: how well they perform their intended mission, i.e. luxury, sport; how engaging and fun they are to drive; and how much value they deliver.

Despite the slump in overall industry sales, 2009 has been a record-breaking year for the Ford Fusion. Sales are at an all-time high, with the Fusion Hybrid accounting for almost 20 percent of total Fusion retail sales. Perhaps even more significant, more than 60 percent of Fusion Hybrid sales have been to customers coming from import brands – mostly Toyota and Honda.

Fusion Hybrid awards and accolades
Additional awards and accolades for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid include:

• “Top Safety Pick” rating from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
• 2009 Ward’s Interior of the Year Special Achievement Award for Best Graphic Display for SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide digital instrument cluster
• Great Car for the Long-haul Salesman by Kelley Blue Book kbb.com.
• Named one of America’s Top 40 New Cars by MOTOR TREND magazine
• Rated the #1 Hybrid Family Sedan by CAR and DRIVER in a recent comparison test by CAR and DRIVER
• Named 2009 Editors Choice for Fuel Sipper by CAR and DRIVER
• Named Best Hybrid for the Money in the Midsize Car segment by cars.com
• Named one of 2009 Top 10 Green Cars by Kelley Blue Book kbb.com
• Earned The Detroit News Readers’ Choice Award for “Best Value”

Quotes

“Being ranked one of CAR and DRIVER’s ‘10Best’ cars for 2010 is high praise indeed. In addition to being fun to drive, the Fusion Hybrid offers unsurpassed fuel economy that our customers truly appreciate with an EPA estimated rating of 41 mpg in the city and the ability to travel more than 700 miles on a single tank of gas.”
– Derrick Kuzak, Group Vice President, Ford Global Product Development

Corrections/Clarifications – December 11, 2009 at 19:21

These days every automaker says it’s working on electric vehicles, but few own up to the fact that passing the electrification test will require a bit of homework. Ford Motor Company is teaming with the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) to retrain traditional automotive engineers, providing them with the skills and expertise to develop the next generation of advanced electric and hybrid vehicles.

As vehicle electrification plans expand, the automotive industry’s need for electric vehicle-savvy engineers also is growing, creating increased demand for electrical, mechatronics, systems and controls engineering education. Ford and UDM have collaborated to create a new graduate-level curriculum focused on key engineering skills for the development of electrified vehicles.

An aggressive training strategy for an aggressive product plan
The UDM program will supplement Ford’s internal electrical engineering training courses as the company retrains its own employees to deliver an aggressive electric vehicle product strategy. The course series, which begins in January 2010, is designed to advance the knowledge and capabilities of technological team members in the automotive and defense ground vehicle industries.

Ford engineers are already at work developing three distinct types of electrified vehicles – hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure battery electric vehicles. The vehicles include:

• Transit Connect battery electric commercial van in 2010
• Focus battery electric passenger car in 2011
• Next-generation hybrid vehicle in 2012
• Plug-in hybrid in 2012

The magnitude of the training program will be similar to the educational programs undertaken by Ford during the late 1980s when mechanical engineers were trained on electrical engineering.

The UDM Advanced Electric Vehicle Program will begin with the first group comprised of current engineers from Ford and its suppliers. Team members will apply the program’s coursework in developing the next generation of electric and hybrid vehicles. Approximately 125 Ford engineers will participate in the program over the next several years.

The UDM courses are supplementary to Ford’s internal online training programs in battery cells and electrochemistry, power-split controls, regenerative braking, calibration and commodity planning.

UDM has created seven new courses that are directly responsive to the training needs of Ford and the entire automotive and defense ground vehicles industries.

Engineers in this program will select five of the seven newly created courses that are designed by competency teams of Ford and UDM experts to deploy the most current technology, strategies, methods and tools emerging from universities, corporations and national laboratories.

These five courses will be completed in one calendar year. Most courses will be offered at the Ford Training and Development Center in Dearborn; others requiring laboratory experiences will be provided at UDM’s McNichols campus in Detroit. The Advanced Electric Vehicle Program courses include:

• Introduction to Advanced Electric Vehicles
• Controls Modeling and Design for Electric Vehicles
• Energy Storage Systems
• Power Electronics for Electric Vehicles
• Electric Drives/Electromechanical Energy Conversion
• Innovation and System Architecture for Electric Vehicles
• System Engineering for Electric Vehicles

Quotes
“The era of electric vehicles is here and it’s critical that we meet this technology challenge by retraining our engineers with a broad range of new skills and competencies. This program, together with internal training, will support Ford’s aggressive plans to roll out electric and hybrid vehicles in the coming years.”
– Derrick Kuzak, Ford Group Vice President of Global Product Development

“We recognize a greater need for our teams to have access to programs to increase their knowledge of electrical, mechanical, chemical and software engineering. Ford has a large team of talented and dedicated engineers that are energized by the technological sea change we are seeing happen now in the industry.”
– Nancy Gioia, Ford’s Director of Global Electrification

“The competencies achieved by these courses will enable teams from automotive OEMs and suppliers to develop the electric and hybrid vehicles that will keep the global leadership of the auto industry for this critical segment of the world’s transportation future right here in southeastern Michigan.”
– Dr. Leo E. Hanifin, Dean of UDM’s College of Engineering & Science

No surprise here! The Ford Fusion – America’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan – today was named MOTOR TREND’s 2010 Car of the Year®. The award comes hot on the heels of Fusion setting record-breaking sales for 2009.

The prestigious award from MOTOR TREND comes at a time when Fusion sales are already at an all-time high, further positioning the vehicle as a formidable contender in the competitive midsize sedan market.

To win the coveted Car of the Year award, Fusion outperformed the competition – including the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan – in six new categories: design achievement, engineering excellence, intended function, efficiency, safety and value.

The 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid are the most fuel-efficient sedans in America. The new models offer more power; class-exclusive technologies, such as Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) and Ford SYNC®; and more total passenger and luggage capacity than the Toyota Camry.

The Fusion lineup expanded in the 2010 model year to include all-new Hybrid and Sport models and a new selection of gas-powered engines – all paired with six-speed transmissions – that deliver even more horsepower and better fuel economy.

Fusion: A hit from the start
The Ford Fusion has been generating excitement among journalists and consumers alike since the nameplate first launched in the fall of 2005. In fact, the introductory model – which marked Ford’s re-entry into the midsize sedan market – was a finalist for MOTOR TREND’s 2006 Car of the Year award.

Since then, Fusion’s popularity has continued to soar – and so have sales. Fusion set a sales record in April – the first full month of sales for the redesigned 2010 model and the new Fusion Hybrid – and overall sales are already at an all-time high for 2009.

With its quality unsurpassed by Toyota or Honda, best-in-class fuel economy, class-exclusive technologies and significant residual value improvement, the 2010 Ford Fusion is clearly delivering the key attributes that midsize sedan buyers want.

The new Fusion Hybrid model has played an important role in Fusion’s success. The vehicle delivers an EPA estimated 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway. It also offers innovative new technology – SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide – that coaches hybrid drivers to maximize fuel efficiency.

Quotes
“Ford has proven its resilience in these tough times by delivering to market a car with broad appeal to a broad range of consumers. The Fusion range has matured into a competitive roster of midsize sedans, able to compete with sales juggernauts such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. It is no surprise the Fusion now ranks in the top 10 best-selling cars in America.”
– Angus MacKenzie, MOTOR TREND Eitor-in-chief

“The Fusion brought a vast assortment of choice that has the potential to appeal to every type of driver, from the eco-conscious to the sport-minded. The Fusion’s combination of comfort, fuel efficiency, assortment and technology made it a clear winner among our panel of judges.”
– Angus MacKenzie, MOTOR TREND Eitor-in-chief

“The MOTOR TREND Car of the Year award is another testament of our commitment to delivering a world-class car lineup. Whether it is the best-in-class fuel economy or quality unsurpassed by Toyota or Honda, the Fusion and Fusion Hybrid are clear evidence that Ford is serious about our car lineup.”
– Derrick Kuzak, Goup Vce Pesident, Ford Global Product Development, who accepted the golden calipers on behalf of the Ford team

“Even at a time when industry-wide sales are down 26 percent, Fusion sales continue to grow.” – George Pipas, Ford Sales Analyst

“Data show that high series models account for 50 percent of sales. Customers are also embracing technology offerings like voice-activated navigation, SYNC and Sony® Audio.”
– Jonathan Richards, Fusion Marketing Manager