Ford intended to roll out a slow unveiling campaign for its important 2013 Ford Fusion sedan ahead of the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. However, a minor bug in its iPad teaser app revealed a complete front-three-quarter view of the new car. Acting quickly, the image has since been removed.

The iPad app only launched earlier in December and despite the rather limited amount of information, the new image leak looks to be very promising. Featuring a sporty and aggressive profile, the new Fusion also wears a new Ford corporate grill (also seen on the new Ford Focus Electric Vehicle). Overall, the exterior is handsome and well proportioned.

Moreover, we reported last week that the new Fusion will feature a trick lane-departure warning device as well. Be on the look-out for more information regarding the Fusion after its official revealing at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show on Monday and for a complete show preview see here.

[Source: Autoblog]

If you caught a glimpse of U2′s 360 Tour you might recognize the honeycomb-esque expanding and contracting screens at this year’s North American International Auto Show, albiet in smaller form.

They look more like something out of an alien invasion video game than modern art, but Lincoln hopes the miniature versions of Chuck Hoberman’s sci-fi style screens, along with some other art exhibits will help slingshot their brand back into the spotlight at this years Detroit auto show.

“This is the biggest statement Lincoln has ever made at an auto show,” Max Wolff, Lincoln’s director of design, said in a statement.”Our NAIAS display represents more than a vehicle debut. It represents the reinvention of Lincoln.”

If their plan works, people will be lured in to see their MKZ sedan concept for the first time. Art aside, the new design is what Ford‘s luxury brand is hoping will help reinvigorate their sales. Lincoln struggled last year while other brands in their segment surged thanks to continued demand in the U.S. and strong demand in China.

The concept being released represents Lincoln’s effort to offer a completely redesigned brand and will be the first of seven new or heavily modified cars in the future lineup. New means a lot coming from Lincoln, given their history of offering gussied-up Fords that in some cases are outshined by high-end versions of their less expensive ford counterparts (think back to the Aviator versus a similarly comfortable Eddie Bauer Edition Explorer about 10 years ago.)

Sadly, the grand tradition of putting a dress on a pig, but still having, well, a pig was alive and well as late as last year. The 2011 MKZ hybrid (pictured above) was just a prettier Fusion with little else to distinguish the car, which is why a fully re-designed car is big news for the brand.

The two-story, art-adorned display is 50 percent larger than last year’s Lincoln booth at the NAIAS, though it remains to be seen if their charm will churn out new sales.

GALLERY: 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

The lane-departure warning system will soon be found in a mainstream American family sedan as Ford introduces the new 2013 Ford Fusion at the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

The 2013 Fusion will feature a digital camera mounted on the windshield that will detect lane markers and position itself between them. If the driver allows the Fusion to cross a lane, then the steering wheel will vibrate to alert the driver with a “rumble strip” sensation. If the Fusion drifts across the lane a bit too frequently, a chime and a coffee cup icon appearing on the instrument panel will politely suggest the driver pull over for refreshments.

Ford will bring its lane-departure warning system to other models in the line-up as well, starting with the Explorer SUV and will also include the technology on some new Lincoln models.

Ford Development Engineer Michael Kane said, “We’ve put a lot of effort into ensuring the accuracy of the lane-detection and the smoothness of the assist.”

The NHTSA has estimated that drowsy drivers have caused 100,000 crashes every year, 1,500 of which were fatal, 71,000 of which resulted to injury. These accidents also cost about $12.5 billion in losses.

GALLERY: Ford Fusion Lane-Departure Warning

Ford is taking a clever approach to virtually revealing the new 2013 Fusion sedan before its official debut at the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Using an app, now available on Android and iOS systems for smartphones and tablets, is an augmented reality game app where users can virtually drive the new Fusion through a series of worlds that unlock to reveal the car.

Each track is loaded with video clips featuring insight on technology and design from key Fusion team members. A daily video clip will unlock more content to the app every day with demonstrations of key vehicle features on the new 2013 Fusion.

When the vehicle finally debuts at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, users will be able to unlock access to the full image of the car. At that point, they will also be able to drive any of the four Fusions on the virtual track in addition to creating a custom image of the car to share via Facebook or Twitter.

The all-new Ford Fusion will also be the Official Car of the 2012 CES show.

Check out an app walkthrough video after the break.

Continue Reading…

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has upgraded their investigation into consumer complaints that the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles are affected by wheel stud fractures that cause the wheels to come off.

The initial investigation of 317,315 Ford mid-sized sedans has been upgraded to an engineering analysis after more than 29 complaints and 128 warranty related claims were filed because of these fractures. ”We’ll fully cooperate with the government as they review this matter,” Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said. “We are not aware at this point of any allegations of injuries related to this matter.” The current engineering analysis investigation does not always lead to recalls, but that situation has not yet been ruled out.

[Source: Automotive News]

A group of green car enthusiasts are looking to set a Guinness World Record in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday, July 24 for the longest hybrid vehicle parade. The event know as Hybrids On Parade, will allow hybrid owners from throughout the Midwest to converge in Madison with 500 hybrids stretching over six miles to break the record. A previous record was set in Belgium in 2010 with a 140 hybrid car parade.

“It’s well known Madison has a green streak,” says Smart Motors HOP organizer, Paul Cooley. “So it only makes sense that we also hold a world record associated with the technology.”

Only the first 500 entrants will be accepted to the parade which will be made up entirely of everything from the Prius and Camry Hybrid (Smart Motors is a Toyota dealer) to the Volt, Fusion Hybrid and Civic Hybrid and more.

“The features of hybrid vehicles really lend it to a parade situation,” says Allen Foster, vice president and general manager at Smart Motors. Even with 500 vehicles traveling over 6.2 miles the end result is that they stay in electric mode for all of, or nearly all of the parade.”

Those looking to register or find our more info can visit Hybrids on Parade here.

Ford is planning to blitz the auto-market for the first quarter of 2012. According to a source inside Ford, no less than eight all-new or refreshed models will start production for Q1.

Ford’s largest project is the all-new midsize Fusion/Mondeo, which is currently scheduled to start production in January. Ford hopes for a 50-percent sales improvement for the Fusion in North America, which may help it exceed the 30,000 units per-month sales mark. With a new Fusion comes a new Fusion Hybrid and Ford is targeting an impressive 47 to 48-mpg rating in the city.

Also coming is a new Escape, which is being replaced by the Ford Vertrek Concept, with production out of the Louisville, Kentucky plant. The C-Max Hybrid will also begin production later this year.

The 2013 Taurus, which debuted back at the New York Auto Show in April with a face lift and new base 4-cylinder engine, will also launch during the first quarter of 2012. The Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and MKT will also gain face-lifts during the Q1 for a more modern look.

Ford will re-ignite the hot hatch segment in Q1 with a new Focus ST that will feature a 247-hp 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine.

Both the Ford Taurus Police Interceptor and and Explorer “PI” will replace the Crown Victoria and the Lincoln MKT Town Car will replace the Lincoln Town Car.

Europe will gain the all-new B-Max and South America will gain the EcoSport. The B-Max will come equipped with the highly anticipated turbocharged 1.0-liter 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine.

By the end of 2012, the oldest vehicles in the Ford lineup will be the Ford Edge and the Lincoln MKX, which recently underwent major overhauls themselves

[Source: Ford Inside News]

Ford continues to thrive despite less than favorable economic conditions, announcing today that its Fusion mid-sized sedan is now one of the top 10 best selling vehicles in America. With two months left to go, the 2010 Fusion has already broken the car’s 2007 sales record of 149,552 units, with a total of 151,137 units.

But Ford has more to brag about than just that. On top of this success, the Fusion is now the best selling domestic car in America.

“It’s extraordinary that a car could set a sales record in an environment where overall industry sales are down 26 percent from a year ago,” Ford sales analyst George Pipas said.

Another coup for Ford comes from the fact that 60 percent of Ford Fusion buyers are coming to the American automaker after having owned an import.

See AutoGuide’s Ford Fusion reviews here:

2010 Ford Fusion Sport Review

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Review

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

With the current state of affairs in the auto industry, smaller than expected losses have been cause to celebrate, so imagine the party the folks over at Ford must be having right now as the company announced today that it actually posted a sales gain.

Last month Ford’s 10 percent loss was seen as a sign that Ford is on the right track and that the economy might just be recovering. This month the American automaker posted a two percent increase compared to the same month a year earlier. But that number doesn’t even tell the whole story as retail sales were actually up nine percent. Less impressive fleet sales (notorious for low profit margins) curbed that number down to two percent.

As a sign that Ford is not only fighting off this recession, but that the automaker is actually producing products that consumers want to buy, this sales gain is the first since November 2007.

Ford’s sales and marketing VP Ken Czubay credited the company’s fuel-efficient vehicles, combined with the government’s Cash-for-Clunkers program for the positive results. “We had another strong month in progress before the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program started,” he said. “Our products, our dealers and our advance preparation enabled us to leverage the program and drive traffic and sales to another level. In addition, we achieved a sales increase even though we decreased incentive spending in an increasingly competitive environment.”

Particularly successful models for Ford included the Fusion, Escape, Ranger and Flex. Fusion sales were up 66 percent; Escape sales were up 94 percent; while Ranger and Flex sales were both up 65 percent over a year ago. In addition Ford saw a drastic increase in the number of customers opting for hybrids, with Ford’s hybrid lineup (including the Fusion, Milan, Escape and Mariner) posting an increase of 323 percent.

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Ford has just confirmed that it will bring an EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine to marker starting next year. The new engine will be a 2.0-liter gasoline four-cylinder and use a turbocharger to deliver at least 230hp and 240 ft-lbs of torque.

Much in the way that the 365-hp EcoBoost V6 delivers V8 power with V6 duel-economy, the EcoBoost four is designed to deliver V6 power with four-cylinder fuel-economy. Ford says it should deliver a 10 to 20 percent fuel-economy improvement over a similarly powerful V6 engine.

Ford will no doubt begin to use this new EcoBoost four as a replacement for many of its V6 engines in models like the Fusion, Edge and Escape/Mariner. There is the possibility that we could see the turbo-four replace the base V6 powerplants in models like the Mustang and F-150. Some rumors, however, have indicated that the Mustang could use the 3.7-liter V6 from the Lincoln MKS.

As with the current EcoBoost V6, Ford seems dedicated to using the new engines in higher-end trim levels of cars, such as with the SHO or the EcoBoost version of the Flex. That being said, there is potential that this new EcoBoost four could see its way in to a sporty version of the Focus.

Even smaller displacement (1.0- to 1.6-liter) EcoBoost engines are expected to follow for use in the Focus and the upcoming Fiesta, as Ford has its eye on becoming a bigger player in the high-volume sub-compact segment.

By 2010 Ford says it will have improve the fuel-economy of its vehicles by 20 percent as compared to 2005, with a goal of a 35 percent improvement by 2015.

[Source: Car & Driver]