New Ford Fusion pushes 100 mpg mark

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Later this year, Ford Motor Co. will launch this: the 2013 Ford Fusion midsize sedan in three variations — including a plug-in hybrid that gets 100 mpg, besting every other liquid-powered vehicle for sale to the American public. It could be a winning equation, but there's a few key variables Ford hasn't revealed.

The current Fusion has turned into a mainstay of Ford's lineup, and the most popular car built by an American automaker, with sales hitting 248,067 in 2011. For its redesign, Ford will run the same play it's called on with the smaller Fiesta and Focus −- build one version of the Fusion for sale worldwide, using the Mondeo name in Europe and elsewhere, to lower costs while raising quality. Assembled in Mexico and Michigan, styled in Europe to follow the new Ford global look, two of its three engines will be built in Spain and England. All three of those engines will be four-cylinder units, in line with the trend among downsized motors for midsize sedans. The base 2-liter four returns with 170 hp and 170 lb.-ft. of torque; the top engine is now a 2-liter EcoBoost turbocharged plant with 237 hp and 250 lb.-ft. of torque — a step down from the top 3.5-liter V6 offered now.

The middle engine is a 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbo — a tiny engine for a midsize sedan, but one capable of 179 hp and 172 lb.-ft. of torque. Ford expects that model to hit 26 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, which should top the class. Ford will also aim to entice buyers with technology, such as an automated lane-keeping system and voice-controlled entertainment.

Of those 248,067 Fusions sold last year, just over 10,000 were Fusion Hybrids, which while garnering praise for handling cost several thousand dollars more than a regular version. Ford says thanks to a new lithium-ion battery pack and a smaller 2-liter engine, the Fusion Hybrid should get 47 mpg in city driving and 44 mpg on the highway, good for substantial bragging rights over the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata hybrids.

But it's the plug-in version, named the Fusion Energi by Ford's Department of Redundanci Dept., that can achieve the equivalent of 100 mpg — 8 better than the Chevy Volt, and 13 mpg more than the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid. But Ford disclosed no other details about the plug-in — such as how far it can travel on electricity alone, how big its battery pack will be and just how much it will cost. That number will be the key to whether the Fusion Energi might be positioned as a plug-in hybrid for the masses or just another expensive science project. Ford's all-electric Focus just going into production has a sticker of $39,995 before a $7,500 federal tax credit. If the Fusion Energi has a similar price, the vast majority of Fusions sold will drive on hydrocarbons rather than electrons.

http://autos.yahoo.c...-050622298.html

Edited January 9, 2012 by Mister Fancypants

[웃 910]

The middle engine is a 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbo — a tiny engine for a midsize sedan, but one capable of 179 hp and 172 lb.-ft. of torque.

When are they gonna come out with the 20oz engine?

[slim 1,514]

If it gets 100 MPG on one gallon of gas, I wonder how much electric that takes.

And a $7500 federal tax credit? Seriously? Why do we continue to elect knuckleheadz who do stupid ####### like this?

[The_Dude 1,142]

If it gets 100 MPG on one gallon of gas, I wonder how much electric that takes.

And a $7500 federal tax credit? Seriously? Why do we continue to elect knuckleheadz who do stupid ####### like this?

Wow slim, thats pretty absurd, even for you. I guess in your mind, we should just keep using the least efficient vehicles we can and just deal with it, Road Warrior style when we run out of oil?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

If it gets 100 MPG on one gallon of gas, I wonder how much electric that takes.

And a $7500 federal tax credit? Seriously? Why do we continue to elect knuckleheadz who do stupid ####### like this?

Ah, you liked it the other way around - back when Dubya was giving out $100,000 tax credits for SUV purchases...

(from 2003)

Fed Tax Break Encourages SUV Purchases

Thanks to a generous tax credit, Karl Wizinsky is driving a very large vehicle these days — a 2002 Ford Excursion.

"It doesn't hurt to have a larger vehicle, but I wouldn't say it's a requirement of my business," he said on a cell phone while driving the Excursion. "But I ended up saving $32,000."

This year, the perks of buying a large SUV — if you're a small business owner — got even bigger.

Congress recently passed a tax bill, as proposed in President Bush's economic stimulus plan, that offers a $100,000 tax credit for business owners who purchase any vehicle weighing 6,000 pounds or more when fully loaded.

.....

Meanwhile, legislation that offers a much smaller tax break — a $2,000 tax deduction — to those who purchase fuel-efficient hybrid cars is on track to be phased out. Congress is considering legislation that would extend the tax deduction to encourage consumers to buy the hybrid cars, but the status of the bill remains uncertain.

http://abcnews.go.co...=1#.Twt3CoGISSo

Edited January 9, 2012 by Mister Fancypants

[slim 1,514]

Wow slim, thats pretty absurd, even for you. I guess in your mind, we should just keep using the least efficient vehicles we can and just deal with it, Road Warrior style when we run out of oil?

Nope. In my mind we should quit living 35 miles from our jobs and driving to the convenience store.

Ah, you liked it the other way around - back when Dubya was giving out $100,000 tax credits for SUV purchases...

(from 2003)

http://abcnews.go.co...=1#.Twt3CoGISSo

I don't like any tax credit for purchasing something. The federal government should not be playing favorites. They should be taxing the minimum amount across the board to pay for constitutional services. That's it.

Part of the problem is our government does stuff like this. And the above. There should be no tax breaks because taxes shouldn't be that complicated.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Nope. In my mind we should quit living 35 miles from our jobs and driving to the convenience store.

I don't like any tax credit for purchasing something. The federal government should not be playing favorites. They should be taxing the minimum amount across the board to pay for constitutional services. That's it.

Part of the problem is our government does stuff like this. And the above. There should be no tax breaks because taxes shouldn't be that complicated.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

How many pounds of coal per charge?

[The_Dude 1,142]

Nope. In my mind we should quit living 35 miles from our jobs and driving to the convenience store.

LOL, sometimes you make it difficult to tell who is Master and who is Blaster.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

An electric motor / battery combo will use less energy than an internal combustion engine. I imagine its a combination of frictional factors along with scale.

Thats not including the ability to transfer energy from braking back into the electric motor / battery.

[MyLittlePony 340]

Ford sucks

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

People need to drive more SUV's. More gas burned means more money in my pocket.

[MyLittlePony 340]

Want to destroy the earth? your world global warming is caused by SUV.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

An electric motor / battery combo will use less energy than an internal combustion engine. I imagine its a combination of frictional factors along with scale.

Thats not including the ability to transfer energy from braking back into the electric motor / battery.

How much coal does it burn to charge the batteries?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

How far can it run on a battery charge? How much coal is burned to charge the batteries? How much gas is burned? It is disingenous to say "it gets 100 miles per gallon" without counting the coal that is used. An all electric car gets an infintie amount of MPGs of gasoline...it uses none. But it uses coal (or nuclear, or natural gas or trees) to make the elctricity to charge the batteries.

How much coal does it take to charge the batteries?