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Calling Ford “the Number One producer of hybrids in North America,” marketing head Jim Farley said at the Los Angeles Auto Show that the Fusion Hybrid would be the most fuel-efficient midsize sedan on sale. The car will return 39 miles per gallon on the EPA city cycle, said chief engineer J.D. Shanahan, and highway mileage “at least 6 miles a gallon better than Camry Hybrid”—which would be 40 mpg or higher. This beats the mileage for the 2008 Camry Hybrid, at 33/34 (city/highway). Other impressive statistics for the Fusion Hybrid include pure electric speeds as high as 47 miles per hour, up to 2 miles of continuous electric-only driving, and a range of 700 city miles on one tank of gasoline.

Reaffirming Ford’s commitment to hybrid-electric vehicles, the executive responsible for electrified vehicles said all its new products globally will permit hybrid versions. Gioia, a 26-year Ford veteran, told HybridCars.com that design standards have been changed to ensure future Ford “vehicle architectures” can accommodate gasoline, diesel, and hybrid powertrains. Not all vehicles will be offered as hybrids in all markets, she said, but Ford wants the option to add hybrid-electric drive with as little change as possible.

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid will enter production at the same time as other versions; the first cars are expected to reach dealers early in the spring of 2009. Pricing has not yet been announced.

Ford's Second Generation Hybrids

The Fusion Hybrid (and its twin, the Mercury Milan Hybrid) is the first vehicle to use Ford’s second generation hybrid system. The company says it has more than 200 distinct inventions and patents pending for the revised version. Its first generation of hybrids was launched in 2004 in the Escape Hybrid SUV (and, later, in its twins the Mercury Mariner HybridMazda Tribute Hybrid). The new version uses a nickel-metal-hydride battery with 20 percent more power, in a package that’s 30 percent smaller, meaning the Fusion Hybrid sacrifices only a negligible amount of trunk space compared to the standard version. and the

Hybrid-electric vehicle systems engineer Gil Portalatin told us that the control logic for the new hybrid system provides much tighter integration of engine operation and power delivery. The new logic goes as far as to vary the engine’s valve timing, fuel delivery, and spark timing to match the power delivered through the electric motor, permitting very aggressive fuel shutdown under light loads. The result is that the 2.5-liter engine shuts itself off twice as much as in the earlier Escape, as the electric system provides more power. In addition, new control logic for the regenerative brakes recaptures up to 94 percent of the braking energy and feeds it to the battery.

The new Fusions offer Ford’s popular Sync voice-activated digital entertainment and integrated mobile phone system. Other options include blind-spot information, cross-traffic alerts when reversing, and real-time traffic and weather through the Sirius Travel Link satellite radio system.

Early Comments from Press about Ford Fusion Hybrid

• "Looks like the whole 2009 Fusion lineup will get a refresh starting with the hybrid. New headlights and a bolder version of the three bar grille will grace the nose while the interior gets redone as well. Under the hood the hybrid drivetrain will be based on the one in the Escape/Mariner hybrid."
  AutoBlog.com
• "A base 4-cylinder Fusion sedan weighs almost 100 pounds less than a base 4-cylinder front-drive Escape. If the hybrid drive system adds about the same amount of weight to a Fusion as it does in the Escape, the Fusion hybrid should offer performance comparable to an Escape Hybrid."
  Consumer Guide Auto

• "The Fusion hybrid will be Ford's first foray into gasoline-electric cars and will borrow powertrain engineering from the company's hybrid-SUV trio: the Ford Escape, the Mercury Mariner, and the Mazda Tribute."
  Car and Driver