2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid on the street.

[Rybold]

Where I live in central Orange County, CA, there are many auto design centers nearby. As a result, at many local car shows, production vehicles often surface months before they arrive in dealer lots. I have seen this with about five or six other vehicles in the past, from Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and others, including even BMW. Today (Saturday), my next door neighbor snapped a pic of a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid that he said drove in from the street. He said this car was no prototype; this is the production car. He said the Ford employee who was driving the car told him it gets "no less than 39mpg." Enjoy the photo.

Some might disagree, but I think this could be the car that turns around the American Auto Industry. It's a very nice looking car.

I also posted the large, original on Flickr: Flickr Photo Download: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

[Tideland Prius]

mpg I assume. 39mph is appalling!

[dipper]

If it is true, then it is exactly 5 mpg better than the camry hybrid as advertised.

[EJFB1029]

I'm telling you people, buy Ford stock, they are poised to really have some tremendous products out there, and its been a secret that the last head of Ford knew this day was coming and has been turning Ford around. GM and Chrysler are a long way off yet compared to Ford.

[toxicity]

Why the Fusion? The Fusion is a newer vehicle, its not even really 'tested' on its non-hybrid version yet.

The Taurus has been one of Ford's most successful vehicles ever, behind the F-150 I believe. It gets decent highway fuel economy already (28mpg), but its city FE isn't too hot (18mpg). Slap a hybrid system in there, and you got a vehicle that would quickly outsell the Prius! The Taurus has lots of space, its made in America, it would probably be fairly cheap still....and it has a legacy that would sell itself.

[john1701a]

Originally Posted by EJFB1029

I'm telling you people, buy Ford stock, they are poised to really have some tremendous products out there...

There choice to optimize for efficiency in Fusion should prove wise, if the next choice is to produce lots of them. Limited numbers could do more harm than good.
.

[DaveinOlyWA]

39 MPG in a car comparable to the TCH is laudable. i actually heard figures in the 40's which i consider the MINIMUM MPG's to survive the market today.

[maseace]

No less than 39 mph - sounds like a sequel to Speed!

[donee]

Hi All,

This looks to be an excellent Midsized car. Only issue I have with it, is why it took so many extra years than the FEH to happen.

I was in a Taurus while on a buisness trip to Atlanta. Its a quite large car now, on par with the Crown Vic, but taller. And they have a nice shelf behind the rear seat, just perfect for the battery.

This Fusion Drive Train (2.5 liter - 150 some HP) is about right for the Taurus, and a little overpowered for the Fusion. Which is closer to Prius sized than Taurus sized. My impression from driving near Fusions on the road is that its just a little smaller than the present Camry, and similar to the traditional (first 5 years) Taurus.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by toxicity

Why the Fusion? The Fusion is a newer vehicle, its not even really 'tested' on its non-hybrid version yet.

The Taurus has been one of Ford's most successful vehicles ever, behind the F-150 I believe. It gets decent highway fuel economy already (28mpg), but its city FE isn't too hot (18mpg). Slap a hybrid system in there, and you got a vehicle that would quickly outsell the Prius! The Taurus has lots of space, its made in America, it would probably be fairly cheap still....and it has a legacy that would sell itself.

They've ruined the Taurus name. Just because you put that name on a Five Hundred doesn't make it a better car. I realise the Fusion was the replacement for the Escort and Contour (although some may argue that the Focus replaced the Escort).