Anonymous | 1 year ago | Comments (2)
The Dashboard Interface of the new Ford Fusion Hybrid.
The Ford Motor Co. is planning on releasing its Fusion Hybrid sedan in early 2009, the first in a line of energy efficient vehicles from the Detroit automaker. While we've heard a lot about the perilous state of the US auto industry in recent weeks, the Fusion Hybrid offers a glimpse at what Ford hopes will be the beginning of a turnaround effort going forward. While the corporation was the sole member of the Big Three to not say it needed bailout cash from the Federal Government in the ongoing back and forth between the car companies and Congress, it did say its current prospects looked bleak due in no small part to the credit crunch making it difficult for many previously qualified buyers to get an auto loan. Hopefully once credit starts loosening up, the Fusion Hybrid will offer an energy efficient enticement to consumers who would have otherwise been drawn to such Japanese manufacturers as Toyota and Honda.
But can the car compete with its foreign rivals? The early answer seems to be a resounding yes. The Fusion Hybrid is priced around $27,000, putting it square up against the Toyota Camry Hybrid in the marketplace. However the city mileage of the Fusion Hybrid is listed at 38 MPG, a full 5 miles per gallon above that of the Camry. Plus the new Fusion Hybrid comes with an easy to read digital dashboard (shown above) that redefines the user interface experience of driving a car. The interface shows drivers of the Fusion Hybrid their current MPG and battery power usage and also includes a "green vine" graphic on that grows as the driver exhibits good efficiency techniques like smoothing transitions between speeds. However when the driver slams on the brakes or floors the gas pedal, patently inefficient driving strategies, the vine withers and the leaves fall off. Looks like hypermiling has gone mainstream in the new Ford Fusion Hybrid! More
