Ford Unveils 41MPG Fusion Hybrid Mid-size Car

The all-new Ford Fusion Hybrid is now officially Americas most fuel efficient mid-size car with a certified 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.

The new Ford Fusion Hybrid not only significantly exceeds the competition but also embodies Fords 100 percent commitment to fuel efficiency leadership, quality, innovation and advanced technology, said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. The Ford team set the bar high to develop Americas most fuel efficient mid-size sedan and that's what they delivered.

The 2010 Ford Fusions final fuel economy certification was completed this week at Fords testing laboratories in Allen Park, Mich., and the vehicle will carry an EPA label of 41 mpg for city driving and 36 mpg on the highway when it goes on sale this spring. The Fusion Hybrid, which beats even the much smaller Honda Civic hybrid by 1 mpg in city driving, can travel more than 700 miles on a single tank of gas.

To deliver the class leading fuel economy performance, Fords engineers spent the past three years developing in-house the vehicles next-generation hybrid propulsion system. It allows the Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrid to travel up to 47 miles per hour in pure electric mode, faster than the Toyota Camry and all other hybrids currently on the road. In addition, the systems Advanced Intake Variable Cam Timing allows the Fusion and Milan hybrids to more seamlessly transition from gas to electric mode and vice-versa.

The Fusion Hybrids ability to run at a much higher speed in electric mode allows drivers to maximize fuel efficiently in many driving situations, said Praveen Cherian, Fusion Hybrid program leader. For example, this would allow drivers to travel around their subdivision and parking areas in all-electric mode.