Ford Fusion Auto Start-Stop System Priced at Only $295; Technology Delivers Thousands of Dollars in Fuel Savings

• New Ford Fusion is the first non-hybrid midsize sedan available with Auto Start-Stop; this fuel-saving technology offered in the U.S. for only $295
• With Fusion’s 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine, Ford Auto Start-Stop will help drivers save as much as $1,100 over five years at today’s fuel prices versus midsize competitors
• Auto Start-Stop improves fuel efficiency by about 3.5 percent overall; predominantly city drivers can save up to 10 percent
• On sale this fall, Fusion offers customers the Power of Choice with the broadest selection of fuel-efficient powertrains in the midsize car segment – two EcoBoost-powered gasoline engines, a normally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid

DEARBORN, Mich., April 2, 2012 – With the national average price of gasoline nearing $4 a gallon, the new Ford Fusion offers yet another way for consumers to save money at the pump as the first non-hybrid midsize sedan available with Auto Start-Stop.

 

The fuel-saving technology will be offered for only $295, allowing more buyers to opt for the new technology and underscoring Ford’s commitment to make fuel economy affordable for millions. Similar systems in other competitive cars can cost several thousand dollars.

“We expect the average Fusion driver with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine and Auto Start-Stop will save about $1,100 more than other midsize sedan owners during five years of driving,” said Samantha Hoyt, Fusion marketing manager. “That’s cash in their pocket and time saved with fewer trips to the pump.”

Auto Start-Stop saves fuel use when the car is standing and running at idle. Savings vary depending on driving patterns, but owners who spend most time in heavy urban areas and city traffic will benefit the most – up to 10 percent. On average, Auto Start-Stop improves fuel efficiency by about 3.5 percent.

Wasting gas while we wait

A study by the United States Department of the Treasury estimates that congestion consumed an extra 1.9 billion gallons of fuel in 2011, approximately 5 percent of all the gasoline used.

Communities across America – including Denver and Ann Arbor, Mich., – are considering ordinances banning excessive engine idling.

“Idling vehicles are consuming energy without doing any work,” said Birgit Sorgenfrei, Ford’s Auto Start-Stop program manager. “They’re also producing exhaust gases in a concentrated space that can contribute to air quality problems like smog.”

Studies show drivers encounter an average of 10 to 15 red lights and stop signs on a typical 20 mile commute, which can add 5 to 15 minutes of idle time and wasted gas.

Fast, seamless, no added maintenance

Ford is making Auto Start-Stop – one of the most popular features of hybrid vehicles – available with the new 1.6-liter EcoBoost-powered Fusion. When the Fusion comes to a stop, the engine can automatically switch off, consuming no gasoline and emitting no exhaust gases. As soon as the driver releases brake pedal, the engine seamlessly re-starts itself and is ready to go by the time the driver presses the accelerator pedal.

“Our team has put a lot of effort into calibrating the Auto Start-Stop on the Fusion to make it as transparent as possible to the driver and passengers,” says Sorgenfrei.

Auto Start-Stop is the latest addition to the new Ford Fusion’s industry leading suite of affordable, fuel saving technologies, including:

• EcoBoost engines, which combine turbocharging, direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing or Ti-VCT, with downsizing to deliver outstanding fuel economy without sacrificing performance.
• Electric power steering eliminating the engine-driven hydraulic pump, lines and fluid.
• Six-speed transmissions, which enable engines to run more efficiently by always selecting the best gear for top fuel economy.

On sale this fall, Fusion offers customers the Power of Choice with the broadest selection of fuel-efficient powertrains in the midsize car segment – two EcoBoost-powered gasoline engines, a normally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. Fuel-economy includes:

• 2013 Fusion 1.6-liter EcoBoost: Delivering a projected 37 mpg highway
• 2013 Fusion Hybrid: Delivering at least a projected 47 mpg – 4 mpg  better than the Toyota Camry Hybrid
• 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid: Delivering at least a projected 100 MPGe-plus rating – making it the world’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan

Ford Police Interceptor Official Test Drive 4 -- City Pursuit

Ford Fusion Auto Start-Stop System Priced at Only $295; Technology Delivers Thousands of Dollars in Fuel Savings

Ford Motor Company Posts Strongest U.S. March Sales in Five Years; Fusion, Focus, Edge Post Record Sales Months

• Ford Motor Company posts its strongest U.S. March sales in five years with 223,418 vehicles sold – a 5 percent sales increase over last March
• Ford Fusion posts its best sales month ever at 28,562 vehicles
• Ford Focus has its best March sales ever at 28,293 vehicles
• Ford Edge has its best March ever at 14,058 vehicles
• F-Series March sales of 58,061 are up 9 percent, its best March sales performance since 2007; EcoBoost accounts for 41 percent of the F-150 retail sales

DEARBORN, Mich., April 3, 2012 – Ford Motor Company posted its best March U.S. sales month since 2007 – with the Ford Fusion recording its best month ever, Ford Focus and Ford Edge achieving their best March ever and the F-Series showing the strongest March sales in five years.

Total company sales totaled 223,418 vehicles for March, a 5 percent gain over year-ago levels. Retail sales increased 11 percent for the month.

For the first quarter, Ford Motor Company’s sales were up 9 percent versus year-ago levels, totaling 539,247 vehicles sold. The increases were driven by the popularity of Ford’s most fuel-efficient models posting record sales months.    

March sales highlights:

• Fusion set an all-time monthly sales record, with 28,562 vehicles sold.
• Focus delivered its best March sales performance ever, selling 28,293 cars.
• F-Series sold 58,061 for the month – a 9 percent increase versus last March and F-Series’ best March sales performance since 2007. EcoBoost accounted for 41 percent of the F-150 retail sales, with all V6 engines comprising 56 percent for the month.
• The Ford Edge had it best March sales month ever, with 14,058 vehicles sold.
• Ford began selling its Police Interceptor Sedans and Utilities at the end of March.

During the first quarter:

• Car sales at Ford Motor Company were up 8 percent. The fuel-efficient Focus was the biggest seller among Ford’s car lineup, with sales up 78 percent during this period, with 66,043 vehicles sold.
• Utility sales totaled 150,415 vehicles, a 6 percent increase versus year-ago levels. Escape sales were up 5 percent, making it the strongest-ever first quarter start for Escape – America’s best-selling utility.
• Ford Motor Company truck sales increased 11 percent, with 195,807 vehicles sold. F-Series pickups – America’s top-selling truck for 35 years – posted sales of 143,827 vehicles for the quarter, a 14-percent increase versus the same period in 2011. 

2011 Ford Community Green Grant Recipients -- Seattle, Chicago, San Fran...

Here's a brief recap on all of the 2011 Ford Community Green Grant recipients hailing from Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles!

Ford’s Fuel-Saving Innovations Spur More Jobs, New Facilities, Electrified Vehicles, More Customer Choice

• Ford doubles size of vehicle development teams focused on fuel-saving technologies globally versus five years ago; dozens of additional engineers to be hired this year

• Ford is converting its Advanced Engineering Center – a 285,000-square-foot building – for its newly centralized team of engineers working on hybrid and electrification programs

• Company continues adding production capacity for fuel-saving EcoBoost^®, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle lineup

• New Fusion is the best example of how Ford is giving customers true power of choice for fuel-efficient vehicles. From Fusion with EcoBoost and Fusion Hybrid to Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid – each will help customers save money at the pump

DEARBORN, Mich., March 28, 2012 – Ford in the past five years has doubled the size of the team working on fuel-saving technologies like EcoBoost^® turbocharged gasoline engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles globally, and is now converting one of its largest research and development labs as it continues to hire for further fuel-saving advancements.

 

Ford’s team of more than 1,000 engineers working on hybrid and electrification programs – including Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid – has grown so fast that the company today is announcing the conversion of its 285,000-square-foot Advanced Engineering Center in Dearborn, Mich., to electrified vehicle development.

 

Profiles

Kevin Layden, Electrification Programs and Engineering Director

Ben Pence, Battery and Vehicle Controls Engineer

Stefan Pototschnik, Focus Electric Program Management Supervisor

Steve Daleiden, Focus Electric Powertrain Team Supervisor

Jim Gibbons, Hybrid Vehicle Battery and Application Systems Manager

“Ford remains absolutely committed to providing a wide range of choices of top fuel economy solutions for our customers – from EcoBoost-powered gasoline vehicles and hybrids to plug-in hybrids and full electrics,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. “To meet growing demand for our fuel-efficient vehicles, we are continuing to invest in new jobs in the U.S. and converting our facilities for further advancements.”

 

The new jobs are part of Ford’s plans to add more than 12,000 hourly and salaried jobs by 2015 in the United States. The company also has announced it is tripling production capacity of its hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles in the U.S. next year compared with 2011.

 

From EcoBoost to hybrids and from plug-in hybrids to full electric vehicles, this year Ford will offer nine vehicles reaching an anticipated 40 mpg or more.

 

Ford will offer fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines in 11 vehicles in 2012, up from seven in 2011, tripling the production capacity of EcoBoost-equipped Ford vehicles. This expansion of fuel-efficient offerings will be led by the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine in the high-volume Escape compact utility vehicle and Fusion sedan nameplates.

 

Delivering up to 20 percent better fuel economy than conventional engines, EcoBoost uses smaller overall size combined with turbocharging and gasoline direct injection to bring customers the power they want and the fuel economy they need.

 

“EcoBoost expansion and availability in high-volume nameplates such as the all-new Ford Escape and Fusion will take this affordable, fuel-saving technology to the heart of the market,” said Fields.

 

Kevin Layden, director of Ford Electrification Programs and Engineering, says the new Fusion is the best example of how Ford is giving customers true power of choice for fuel-efficient vehicles. “From Fusion with EcoBoost and Fusion Hybrid to Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid – each of these cars will help customers save money at the pump,” Layden said.

 

Fusion offers customers the broadest selection of fuel-efficient powertrains in the midsize car segment, including a choice of two EcoBoost four-cylinder engines, a normally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. The new Fusion is expected to deliver best-in-class fuel economy across the lineup:

 

• 2013 Fusion 1.6-liter EcoBoost: Projected 37 mpg highway, which would make it America’s most fuel-efficient non-rechargeable midsize sedan
• 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid: Aiming to become the world’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan with a projected 100 MPGe rating
• 2013 Fusion Hybrid: Expected to become the world’s most fuel-efficient non-rechargeable midsize sedan with 47 mpg

Ford Advanced Engineering Center: Past and present

The Ford Advanced Engineering Center is located within the company’s Henry and Edsel Ford Research & Engineering Center, the 500-acre technical complex in Dearborn that opened in 1953 and serves as the home for research and engineering efforts.

 

The AEC was constructed on the research campus in 1993 as part of an $84 million project that centered largely on noise, vibration and harshness testing with several state-of-the-art labs within.

 

That changed in 2009. As Ford’s investment in electrified vehicles like Fusion Hybrid increased, so did the size of the Sustainable Mobility Technologies team behind it, said Chuck Gray, Ford chief engineer, Global Core Engineering Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.

 

The rapid growth has not only brought together a large group of talented and smart engineers, it has brought together innovators from diverse backgrounds. Many have experience in aerospace working on jets, rockets, missiles, satellites and unmanned aircraft. One engineer even spent time in the driver’s seat of the Goodyear Blimp.

 

There also is an Emmy Award winner, an individual who was presented an award from retired Army Gen. Colin Powell for outstanding performance and excellence, and another engineer who helped develop Intel’s Pentium processors.

 

“Working with such a diverse group makes it exciting and fun to come to work every day,” said James Gibbons, Ford’s manager of Battery Units for Hybrid Vehicles. “With this group, we never run out of fresh ideas or new ways to provide our customers with better fuel efficiency.”