truth about domestics

The San Francisco Chronicle has published a piece on how long your modern hybrid will cost you over the long run, or more specifically, how long it will take you to recoup your higher initial cost of buying a hybrid vehicle over a conventional auto.  The winner may shock you, because it’s not the Toyota Prius, or the Honda Insight.  No, it’s none other than the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid!  A traditional sedan with a stellar hybrid powertrain, it not only won 2010 North American Car of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show, but it also won Motor Trend magazine’s Car of the Year award.  For the full article, head on over to sfgate.com.

(Image source: Ford)

I have been wondering how long it would take before Ford started to offer a Lincoln MKZ hybrid.  I mean, the MKZ went through a very substantial redesign for 2010 just like the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans, yet it was the only one not available with a hybrid option.  That will change this year, now that Ford has planned to unveil a hybrid version of the MKZ at this year’s New York Auto Show.  Since the MKZ hybrid will most likely feature the exact same powertrain as the Fusion/Milan hybrid, it should hit close to the same 41 city / 36 highway miles per gallon of the less sedans.  This would position it above the Lexus HS 250h as the most fuel efficient luxury car available on the market.  For more details, stay tuned or click on over to The Detroit News or Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Check out more of the Ford “Drive One” advertisements!

The ads you see above are Ford’s latest round of Drive One ads.  The segments are only 15 seconds long but they feature real Ford owners talking about their cars in a natural setting – their car.  The ads were filmed with the owners not knowing the video would be used for a Ford commercial, making the messages they’re sending even more authentic.  For more, head on over to The Ford Story.

There isn’t much I need to say about this review, except maybe this.  The author states that, and I quote, “the Ford Fusion hybrid is the best hybrid model in the U.S. market.”  Not only is the gas-only version of the Fusion the most fuel efficient mid-size sedan on the market, but the Fusion hybrid is also the most fuel efficient mid-size sedan hybrid on the market!  Can you believe the Ford Fusion hybrid gets 41 mpg in the city???  That’s 8, count em, 8 more miles per gallon than the Toyota Camry hybrid!  This article just reaffirms the Motor Trend Car of the Year award the 2010 Fusion won.  For the full scoop, head on over to MSN Autos.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford has had quite a year.  It managed to avoid bankruptcy, didn’t take any bailout funds from the government, and it has released some of their best products ever.  Not only that, but Ford’s green image has made a turn for the better, way better, selling more hybrids in 2009 than ever before!  Ford’s December 2009 hybrid sales were up 147% compared to December 2008!  That’s a huge jump in sales, thanks in part to the Motor Trend Car of the Year, the 2010 Ford Fusion.  Not only that, but Ford’s hybrid sales were up 72% in 2009 when compared to 2008.

Ford also posted its first full year market share gain since 1995!  That is a huge positive swing for the automaker, selling more vehicles in a really terrible sales year.  For tons more numbers in Ford’s press release, head on over to Autoblog Green.

(Image source: Ford)

It’s always good to see an American automobile on the top of the best selling cars list for 2009…we are after all, in America.  The Ford F-150 managed to take the #1 spot again for the umpteenth year in a row, and the Chevrolet Silverado wasn’t far behind in the #3 spot.  The Ford Fusion and Escape managed to make the list as well.  For the full list, head on over to Autoblog.

(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)

Ford Motor Company has a lot to be proud of this year.  The automaker was the only one of the Domestic three to avoid bankruptcy and they passed on the government bailout.  The 2010 Ford Fusion won Motor Trend’s car of the year, and now it appears they have something else to celebrate.  According to the results of the ALG January/February 2010 Residual Value Forecast, the average residual value of a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle is up an average of $1,310 versus the same period in 2009!  That’s the biggest jump amongst any automaker in the industry!

Ford has passed Toyota for best in initial quality, and the Fusion hybrid surpassed the Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city.  Now they have another award to add to their portfolio; the Fusion is worth $687 MORE than the Camry after 36 months!  The Flex also knocked the Toyota Highlander hard, being worth $1,800 more than the Toyota in three years!

The Ford Taurus and Super Duty trucks won the Kelly Blue Book Best Residual Value awards for their segments.  Ford also posted the highest customer consideration, even besting Toyota for the first time since the survey started in 2002.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Automobile magazine named it’s list of 2009′s All-Stars and the list has some big names on it.  Cars from Audi, BMW, Porsche, and Jaguar all made the list.  The surprises are the 4 domestic cars that made the list!  The Dodge Ram 1500, Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Flex and Fusion all made the list!  This just shows you how good these cars really are!  What I can’t seem to put my finger on is which automakers are not in the 10 All-Star list…lets see…oh wow, NONE of the Japanese automakers made the list!  That’s SOO weird!  I thought their cars were the best of the best???  This surely must be a mistake.  Or the magazine just knows what true car fans know, that the Japanese cars are too boring to be All-Stars.  For more on the list, head on over to Automobile magazine.

(Image source: Automobile magazine)