Five more 2010 Ford Motor Company vehicles – Ford Flex, Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ,
Lincoln MKT and Mercury Milan – have earned Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety (IIHS). The rating also applies to the Fusion Hybrid and Milan Hybrid.

Flex, Fusion, MKZ, MKT and Milan previously earned top possible scores for occupant protection in
IIHS’s front, side and rear tests, but had to pass IIHS’s new roof strength test to maintain the rating.
Vehicles also must offer electronic stability control to be eligible for a Top Safety Pick.

With each new model year, Ford keeps raising the bar on vehicle safety!

Mini bucking bulls at the Purcell Expo Center, November 2009, sponsored by Marc Heitz. A great time was had by all, including the Mutton-Busters… tomorrow’s mini bullriders !!

See the video here, as shared with us by Linda McKay at AAA Cattle.

In a poll of journalists at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Ford Fusion Hybrid was named North American Car of the Year while Ford’s Transit Connect was named Truck of the Year.

More than 50 vehicles were considered in the voting, with the Fusion Hybrid finishing ahead of the Buick LaCrosse and Volkswagon Golf. The Transit Connect finished strong over the Suburu Outback and Chevrolet Equinox.

The Car and Truck of the Year sweep shows another example of Ford’s growing strength of the competition.

Ford’s on a roll. The vehicles like the Fusion have excelled in all the categories which makes it a unanimous decision as winner of the prestigious Motor Trend’s Car Of The Year Award.

You get to select from a reasonable number of options in 2010 (104 to be exact). In 2008 you could have selected from 2600 possible combinations which just isn’t cost effective for the company.

The Fusion is simply a good choice on many levels, and deserves such praise at being able to accomplish so much for so little cost.

The mileage, price, styling, appearance, safety, efficiency, all collectively capture so many consumer interests that it’s as if you’d walked into a Ford dealer prepared to defend yourself against what you know you must buy.

Finding fault in Ford is like trying to build a case against common sense. Is it good on gas, yes. Does it look good, yes. Is it fun to drive, yes. Can I afford it, yes. Hybrid version available, yes. Done, sold.

Vehicles like the Fusion, well ones that want to be a Fusion when they grow up, have a ways to go. The stuff you don’t need was simply never even considered with this car, so expect that when you see one you’re likely to see yourself in one shortly thereafter.

Ford has nailed it, they made something that fit the demand, needs and budget of the majority of people. Its the sort of thing that success usually associates itself with, making a product that the majority of the market can be happy with.

Motor Trend evaluated 32 cars on six key criteria:

Advancement in design
Engineering excellence
Performance of intended function
Efficiency
Safety
Value

Some of the quotes taken from the judges who evaluated 32 cars were:

“The 4cyl was a revelation to me – could have written poetry about that engine from Ford”

“It was like a video game, you try to get the mileage right, get the leaves to grow”

“If Ford can carry this mindset from what they achieved with this car….the next gen of this car can absolutely be killer” Angus MacKenzie – Editor in Chief – Motor Trend

Ford’s recent news of higher sales in every product category propelled the company to a 33 percent sales increase for December compared to a year ago. Keep an eye on Ford, they’re immersed in the best interests and needs of the consumer where all good things come as a result.

It has just been announced that MotorTrend has selected the Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid for the prestigious Car of the Year award.

“The Ford Fusion is a truly competitive offering in one of the most competitive industry segments,” said Angus Mackenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend.

This is fantastic news for Ford, who has maintained a healthy pace this year despite the economy.

Check out our selection of the award-winning Fusion at Marc Heitz Ford in Purcell.

The truth is, the highest compliment you can pay to a hybrid car is that it drives “like a normal car.” If that sounds unusual, it’s because when driving some hybrids, you can always feel vibrations as the car cycles between its gasoline engine and electric motor.

The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, on the other hand, has impressed some of the auto industry’s most respected critics by the way it finesses the blending of its two power sources. Add to that the fact that it is the most fuel-efficient hybrid sedan available today, achieving an EPA-estimated 41 mpg in city driving. Incidentally, that’s eight mpg better than the tiny two-seat smart car!

Here’s what some of the experts have said after driving the 2010 Fusion Hybrid. James Healey of USA Today opened his review by saying, “OK, let’s just get it out there: The 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid is the best gasoline-electric hybrid yet.” His reason: “What makes it best is a top-drawer blend of an already very good midsize sedan with the industry’s smoothest, best-integrated gas-electric power system. It’s so well-done that you have to look to the $107,000 Lexus LS 600h Hybrid to come close.”

The Fusion Hybrid, though, costs $80,000 less than that Lexus model, with a starting MSRP of $27,270. You may also be eligible to receive a $1,700 federal tax credit if you buy a Fusion Hybrid before September 30, 2009.

Car & Driver magazine opened its road test similarly, saying, “The first thing you need to know about the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is that it’s the best midsize hybrid sedan on the market.”

Those and other professional road testers were impressed with the 2010 Fusion Hybrid overall, but were really sold by how smoothly the car drives.

“There was no — none, nada, zip — vibration or shimmying in the test car when the gasoline [engine] kicked in to help the electric,” USA Today’s Healey explained. In other words, the 2010 Fusion Hybrid drives as smoothly as any other Fusion – which is to say, smoothly indeed.

Redesigned for 2010, the Fusion shares the new exterior styling of the other Fusion models for 2010. The Ford tri-bar grille is more prominent, the lines a bit more pronounced. It’s still one of the most distinctive vehicles in its segment. Inside, new features and enhanced comfort build on already solid credentials as a comfortable vehicle. Let’s take a closer look at what makes the Fusion Hybrid stand out among other hybrid sedans.

As mentioned, the Fusion Hybrid is a “full hybrid.” It uses a gasoline engine – in this case, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder – and an electric drive motor. Combined, the Fusion’s gas and electric motors provide 191 total hp, giving it brisk acceleration and merging power. The “full” part means it can run exclusively on either the gas or the electric motor, or blend power from both thanks to an innovative, continuously variable-type automatic transmission. In comparison, a “mild hybrid” vehicle uses an electric motor only to supplement a gasoline engine – it does not run on the electric motor alone.

The Fusion Hybrid can cruise up to 47 mph on the electric motor alone for brief periods. When more power is needed, the gasoline engine kicks in, but you may not even notice when that happens, and that’s really the whole idea.

What you will notice is how well equipped the Fusion Hybrid is. The long list of standard features is shared with the luxuriously appointed Fusion SEL trim line and includes such features as the Ford SYNC voice-activated communications and entertainment system, dual-zone automatic climate control, six-CD changer, auto on/off headlights, auto-dimming rearview mirror and a reverse sensing system.

As with every Fusion, the hybrid model comes with the assurance of a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Standard safety technology includes front, side and side-curtain airbags plus AdvanceTrac® electronic stability control with traction control.

The toughest critics have already called the Fusion Hybrid the best hybrid. When you drive one, we think you’ll agree.

The initial $1 billion set aside for the program ran out in a matter of days but thanks to fast acting Congressional members from both the House and Senate (both sides of the aisle I might add) the Cash for Clunkers program will continue to run.

Proud to be a business partner serving the local Oklahoma City, Norman, Purcell & Pauls Valley car and truck market.

The challenge was to drive over 1,000 continuous miles on a single tank of gas. Using the most fuel-efficient midsized sedan in America, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid was not altered in any way other than an oil change and tire pressure check prior to the start of the test, and the tank was filled with regular (87 octane) gasoline. The course chosen for the test was in the often gridlocked Washington, DC. The actual route included a three-mile stretch of downtown streets (with upward of 30 stoplights!) and parts of the George Washington Parkway.

The result was amazing. Using a change of drivers over the 48 hours and common sense driving techniques, one tank of gas (17.5 gallons) propelled the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid to 1,445.7 miles through the nation’s Capitol. That averaged out to a whopping 81.5 mpg! Those commonsense techniques can be used by any driver in any car to improve mileage. They include anticipating traffic signal timings and slowing down to avoid unnecessary stops, keeping windows closed to reduce drag, avoiding ‘jack-rabbit’ starts and stops, minimizing use of heated seats, air conditioning and other vehicle systems and trying to avoid bumps and potholes that can reduce momentum.

One of the drivers during the test, Ford NASCAR racer Carl Edwards, said, “There is no question that the Fusion Hybrid will help consumers save fuel while driving it.” This quest for energy conservation is just one part of the environmental mindset at Ford Motor Company and may be part of the reason why Ford was just named the “Green Choice Award” winner by Natural Health Magazine.

The publication recently picked Ford for this prestigious honor, citing Ford’s “continuous efforts to building a greener future.”

Using criteria such as greenhouse gas emissions, alternative energy usage and recycling among others, the award highlighted some of Ford’s ongoing commitments to the environment. An example is Ford’s conservation of up to 900 tons of carbon emissions and 600,000 gallons of water by making its Escape Hybrid seats out of 100 percent post-industrial recycled fabric. Since 2000, Ford has reduced its global energy consumption by one-third.

Some companies wave their ‘green’ banners and just “talk the talk,” but through its commitment to reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainability, and with test results of 81.5 mpg from the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford proves that you don’t have to “put your money where your tank is!”

Did you know….The sale of Ford Hybrid vehicles hit an All-Time high in June 2009. Spurred by the arrival of the incredible 41mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid, sales of Hybrid Ford vehicles were up 90% from last year. American is going green. And, Ford is leading the way!