truth about domestics

More good news for the Dearborn, Michigan based Ford Motor Company.  According to a Bloomberg survey 36% of Americans have a negative view of Toyota, and only 49% have a favorable view of them.  While this news wouldn’t normally be that big of a deal, companies go through good times and bad no matter who they are, the big story here is Ford.  A staggering 77% of Americans have a favorable opinion of FoMoCo, which is 7% better than Honda!

As Autoblog points out, there are several reasons why the survey results most likely came out in this way.  First, Ford did not take government assistance, nor did they file for bankruptcy like General Motors or Chrysler.  Second, Ford is making some amazing products; probably the best products they have ever made in their 100+ year history.  Cars like the 2011 Mustang and 2010 Fusion that are not only more powerful than the previous model year, but are also more fuel efficient.  The F-150 has been a best seller for over 30 years and new products like the Transit Connect and Fiesta are already huge hits with consumers.

For the full report, head on over to Bloomberg.

(Image source: Ford)

The 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion hybrid have been huge successes for Ford; even with the economy in the dumps this year, sales are at an all-time high  The Fusion and its hybrid sibling even managed to break into the list of the ten best selling cars of 2009.  Ford also sold more hybrids this year than ever before, hitting nearly 31,000!  Even so, hybrid sales only make up 2% of overall Ford sales.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog Green.

(Image source: Ford)

You read that right folks!  The 2010 Ford Fusion beat out some of the “best” cars in the world to become Motor Trend‘s 2010 Car of the Year!  How exciting!  Can you blame Motor Trend for their decision though?  The Fusion offers unbeatable 4-cylinder and hybrid fuel economy, great styling inside and out and cutting-edge new technology like SYNC and the Blind-Spot Indicator System.  For more on the story, head on over to Autoblog, or hear it from the source, Motor Trend.

(Image source: Ford)

Even though the market is way down compared to just a few years ago, Ford has been seeing some very positive signs.  One of those happens to be the newly redesigned 2010 Ford Fusion and its hybrid sibling.  The Fusion is selling so well that not only has it set a new record for its own best sales year ever (besting the previous best year of 2007 already in 2009) but the Fusion has made it onto the list of the 10 best selling cars in America!  It is the only domestic car on the list (trucks seem to make it every year) but it sadly has a long way to go to catch up with the Japanese competition.  For more on the story, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Well this is the contest for you!

Fusion 41, part of the Ford Drive One campaign, is a brand new challenge and campaign seeking eight passionate 2010 Ford Fusion or Fusion Hybrid owners with an active social media presence.

For more information, check out the link above, or the original article at Mashable.com.

Jaime Case and Chris Hodges decided to get married in a rather unusual fashion.  They decided to take a road trip and visit around two hundred of their friends and family and then get married at the end of the trip.  Ford Motor Company got wind of their plans and donated a 2010 Ford Fusion for their trip.  Since they didn’t want to take either one of their last names, they decided to chose a new one.  After much debate, they came up with “Ford” as their choice.  I love cars…but even that’s a stretch for me.  ”Stephen Corvette”…hmmm…no…”Stephen Cadillac”…not so much…”Cadillac Stephen”…hmmm that might have some potential.  Head on over to the Detroit Free Press for the full story.

(Image source: The Detroit Free Press)

Ford seemed to have a hit on their hands with the 2010 Fusion ads that claimed, “We speak car.”  Well the Fusion is selling at record levels compared to last years numbers, so now the push begins to sell the brand new 2010 Taurus and its sporty, Ecoboost equipped sibling, the Taurus SHO.  The ads focus mostly on the technological goodies that are packed into the Taurus, as well as items not found anywhere else like SYNC.  For all of the details, as well as the comparison graphics, head on over to Jalopnik.

Ford Motor Company has been having one heck of a year.  First they were the only American automaker to not take government assistance.  Then they were the only one to not file for bankruptcy.  Now it’s being announced that they are going to have one of the freshest product lineups in the industry, thanks in part to the launch of 10 new or redesigned vehicles this year.  This includes the new 2010 Ford Taurus, 2010 Lincoln MKT, 4 vehicles with Ecoboost, the new Fusion, Milan and MKZ, and more.

In addition to those vehicles, 5 more will be launched next year.  The new Ford Fiesta being one, a new Focus, an electric version of the Transit Connect van, and a redesigned Super Duty pickup.  For more details, head on over to The Detroit Free Press.

It’s nice to see that Ford hasn’t had to make any changes to its product revamp, and that even in these tough times they can afford to put out some really great products.

Ford managed to sell 18,561 Fusions in the month of June, a 26% increase over the same month last year! That’s great news, especially in an economy where sales are severely depressed and Toyota and Honda are losing sales. While it’s still a ways off from the two leading competitors, Camry and Accord, Ford is making huge gains.

Read the full article at the Detroit Free Press.

Ford CEO Alan “the Man” Mulally was recently quoted as saying that Ford plans to “[increase] production to support the desirability of Ford products.”  What??  In this economy?  What great news!  Part of the reason for this could be the onslaught of new vehicles being released by Ford this year, including the 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid which both lead their class in fuel economy.  Or the 2010 Mustang which is priced lower than both it’s domestic and foreign competition while still maintaining quality leadership.  Perhaps it’s the new 2010 Taurus, or the EcoBoost SHO version, or the EcoBoost 2010 Lincoln MKT and MKS?  Whatever the reason, I’m glad to hear some more positive news on this last weekend of the first half of the year!

Head over to Autoblog for more details!