What is Digg?76 Comments
- MrSteamTank, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8I completely agree lightspeed2. All this american car slamming is a little much. Particularly when american cars currently are getting much better and are quite close to Toyota and Honda in terms of reliability.
Also, remember that Ford, GM, Chevrolet, and many other american companies have huge unions and Toyota and Honda do not. So we should all encourage Toyota and Honda's inferior treatment of workers?
Although personally I'd rather have a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord over most american cars doesn't make me dislike the company personally. If anything I respect american companies more for their better worker treatment although that will soon change so that they can stay competitive. - JimNtexas, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6There are no Toyota parts on the Ford Hybrids, nor was their system 'Toyota-engineered'. Ford and Toyota have a cross licensing agreement in which instead of suing each other for making hybrid cars they agree not to sue each other for making hybrid cars.
The Ford hybrid system was designed, tested, and manufactured in the USA. - rroeserr, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8Personally I wish there were more diesel cars available in the US market. There are a lot of nice cars in Europe that we can't purchase here.
- JimNtexas, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8The Ford hybrid system is NOT 'Toyota Engineered'. The only relationship is cross patent licensing, with which Ford and Toyota (not being software companies) agree not to sue each other for making hybrid cars.
- Piedramente, on 10/10/2007, -6/+10I hope it looks nicer than the Prius. I never liked the look of the design.
- bobcrotch, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6The Green Peace Gestapo here on Digg, mostly.
- Lightspeed2, on 10/10/2007, -5/+9wow stereotyping an entire countrys production of cars based on absolutely nothing. you probably own a camry or something ***** anyways
- Cerpin_Taxt, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3"Nor do I, which i think is the reason the Toyota released the Camry Hybrid. A hybrid for people that don't want to feel like an ass for driving an ugly piece of *****."
Fixed. - brimg87, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Wow downeraj, don't be so ignorant.
- scecilio, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I used to own a Mazda6 until I traded it in for a 4 banger that gets me 34 MPG because I commute 66 miles per day. Fusion IIRC has the Mazda6 platform with AWD and Hybrid engine. Looks like I'll be getting me a new car in 09 :)
- Piedramente, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3You realize that there is actual design work involved right? I know it is shocking, but it takes time for designs to actually make it to market.
- YZBot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Maybe if you are legally blind.
- brufleth, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Another concern is still going to be re-sale value. I doubt a Fusion will hold value nearly as well as an Accord.
- Lightspeed2, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3A hybrid version of the Fusion was announced at the 2005 NAIAS, to be introduced for the 2008 model year. This has now been pushed back to a 2008 release as a 2009 model.
- bobcrotch, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Everyone is being buried! Oh noes!!!!!!!!!!
- slapded, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2ford = meh. oh wait i have a lincoln
- brimg87, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22008 model year cars are being released across all manufacturers now, they are always a year ahead. This Fusion is a test mule, meaning it is simply testing the mechanicals of the car.
- Lightspeed2, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3you got to be blind or something
- TrojanGuy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Who the ***** cares? People who want good gas mileage and think the Fusion is a nice-looking car. Which is actually a lot of people.
- ChromaVita, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Nor do I, which i think is the reason the Toyota released the Camry Hybrid. A hybrid for people that don't want to make everyone else feel bad for driving normal cars.
- skippy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2You can thank California for next to no diesels in the US.
- gtluke, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5IIRC toyota purchased a lot of the technology for the prius from ford initially, so they are probably sharing things back and forth for this. in the last gas crunch a lot of car makers dumped a ton of money into experimenting with things like this.
but the true pioneer of the hybrid system are the locomotives, and the german U-boat :) - mirunit, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2First of all torque is not everything, and a Toyota prius 0 to 60 is incredibly slow. As for the Saturn, I own one and I know how slow it is - its downright painful. I could not justify playing more for a car that I would lament driving.
- Haapi, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2OK, while I'm really happy that the car I'm driving today doesn't look much like the '54 I pulled out of my grandpa's field, why all the emphasis in the article about "OMG! New TAILLIGHTS and GRILL! WOOT!" I mean, jeez.
- ppww, on 10/26/2007, -0/+1Ford hybrid engineering is better than Toyota's. The Ford hybrid engine is not the same as Toyota's, and all the car reviews agree that Ford's performs better. For example, the Escape hybrid engine stays in electric mode longer than the Prius/Altima engine, and shifts from electric to internal combustion more smoothly. Yes, Ford licensed some patents from Toyota, but this was just to get "room to operate."
- MrSteamTank, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Actually the problem is that people that buy hybrids want to be noticed. They aren't willing to buy a hybrid that looks exactly the same as any other car. For example the now extinct Honda Insight was more fuel efficient and cheaper than the Toyota Prius but since it looked too much like a Honda Civic people wouldn't buy it.
- CarolFil, on 10/10/2007, -8/+9Don't buy a Ford!!!
Here is what happened to my Ford Focus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ-1iplmky4 - brufleth, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1My Japanese car was made in Ohio.
American car companies do a certain amount of flag waving to encourage people to purchase an inferior car because it is "domestic." Often times that's all just BS. - 07dcolem, on 03/21/2009, -0/+1Right, it's a ford fusion, not a lambo or bmw or something.
- DietMountainDew, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Wait, what happened to 2008? As far as I know it is still 2007.
- undeuxtroiskid, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2"Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., a Japanese automotive components supplier belonging to the Toyota Group, supplies the hybrid transmission for the Escape Hybrid."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Escape_Hybrid#Development - xdre, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Not exactly...Toyota patented the hybrid system first, and Ford was independently working on the same track. To avoid a lawsuit Ford gave (IIRC) diesel technology for the use of Toyota's patents--and ONLY the patents. Ford's hybrid tech is developed ENTIRELY in-house, as is Toyota's.
- brufleth, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So Ford was able to make a car that some thought was a bit better than Camry (one of the most boring cars on the market) and still not quite as nice as the Accord (again a staple of its respective company but nothing they try to pass off as "something amazing").
Then they compared an all wheel drive variant to the front wheel drive Accord and Camry. Did they also compare it to an all wheel drive Subaru maybe? No, they didn't. They compared cars with completely different drive train classes and said, "ZOMG Fusion ftw!!!11" because in a real comparison it wouldn't have been nearly as impressive.
The fusion is definitely a step in the right direction for US auto makers. Personally I'm happy to see another sedan with all wheel drive available (front wheel drive only gets you so far during a blizzard). I'll still be going for a Subaru as my next card instead though. The Fusion is hardly a Camry/Accord killer (even your excerpts rank it as only being competitive and not really dominating the competition). However if Ford can continue to leverage their various design and development houses to create cars that at least can be compared to foreign mid sized economy sedans then maybe there is still hope for a US car company. Not that Ford was going anywhere anyway. Ford just needs to make budget cars based on hand me down technology and innovations from their domestic and international holdings (Volvo, Mazda, etc). - MrSteamTank, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Thats why I said it will change. American companies are exporting their jobs overseas to stay competitive. Japanese car companies don't pay their american employees or provide them with nearly as many benefits as american companies used to. It's BS NOW but when american companies were seriously falling behind 10-20 years ago american companies were almost purely built in United States.
- jj2me, on 11/07/2007, -0/+1Bob Lutz, in a recent interview, said that the newest pollution laws in the leading states will be very hard to meet economically. He's saying it can cost up to $5,000 more (I think that was his max range) to the consumer. He stated that modern diesels need a "chemical factory" underneath to meet pollution requirements. And that includes the new Mercedes Bluetech technology.
Shame, I'm with you. - pvliii, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm gonna guess you had a system in your car. You and your cousin ran the wires in your driveway? A Ford, never mind any other brand vehicle just doesn't start on fire.
- pvliii, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1They're actually offering $2000 Customer cash on the 2007 S I4 now, or 2.9% financing for 60 months.
- in2deep, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1This will be interesting to see how this turns out!
- in2deep, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Again this is pretty cool!
- CarolFil, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Here is what happened:
I was driving with the cruise on. I was going up a hill and noticed that my speed was slowing dramatically. I turned off the cruise and put my foot down on the accelerator. At this point I'm starting to go down the hill and after putting my foot on the accelerator I was still losing speed.
I pulled my car over onto the side of the road, opened the hood and saw a small fire coming from the engine. We then ran away from the car.
If you watched the video you may have seen that we were on the highway.
Oh and please note, yes, Ford vehicles have been known to start on fire when not running.
http://www.fordfires.com/ - jj2me, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Remember that the Fusion is based on the Mazda 6 platform, and its 4-cylinder is Mazda-designed. But since it was introduced later than the 6, it contains many improvements. (Thus the great reviews it receives.)
Better to think of the Fusion as a Japanese-designed car that had a mid-cycle design makeover to correct all the bugs. At a price better than a Korean car! ($17995 U.S. for a new 2007 with manual transmission, before $1,000 cash back, and before any other price reduction you can bargain). - jshafer817, on 10/15/2007, -0/+0http://www.superhonda.com/photopost/data/506/22894 ...
http://www.innerauto.com/includes/images/Inner_Aut ...
Tadaow - Lightspeed2, on 10/10/2007, -9/+9nice, where are the american car haters now? rofl owned. Fusion owns all its competition, including the accord and camry.
In a December 2005 test, Car and Driver ranked the Fusion just below the first-place Honda Accord, edging out the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata by only a few points. "The Verdict: Not your father's Taurus" Consumer Reports has also given positive reviews to the Fusion, as it had to the previous Taurus. The magazine said it was "unexpectedly impressed" with its handling and ride, which it said was comparable to European models. In addition, CR pointed out that in its yearly car survey, where readers reply to questions about their cars, the Fusion stood out as having high reliability levels--an exceptional result for a first-year car.
Ford Fusion ranked highest among Midsize cars in the JD Power APEAL study for 2006.
In December 2006, Ford contracted with Car and Driver to conduct a "ride and drive" event in which approximately 600 of the magazine's subscribers would evaluate an all-wheel drive Fusion variant against the front-wheel drive Honda Accord and the front-wheel drive Toyota Camry. The testing was conducted on tracks set up at a parking lot at FedEx Field outside Washington, D.C. Testers remarked on each vehicle's driving dynamics, styling, room, and perceived quality. The overwhelming response was largely in favor of the Fusion, particularly in driving dynamics and styling. A second such event was held in the Los Angeles area in January 2007, sponsored by Road and Track magazine. Ford used the results and videos from these events in a marketing campaign called "Fusion Challenge" and later renamed "Ford Challenge". Predictably, the TV, and print advertisements pitted the Fusion directly against the Camry and Accord. Brazilian magazine "Quatro Rodas" put Fusion in the 1st place in a comparison between Fusion, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Vectra Elite and the all-new Honda Civic. The verdict: "If the Accord and Civic are the opposite, Fusion is the synthesis".
Brazilian magazine "Carro" elected Ford Fusion as the Best Buy 2007 in Brazil, thanks to its price. According to Ford, consumer response to the Fusion has exceeded their expectations, with 30,000 sold during the first quarter of 2006.
The Fusion was nominated for the North American Car of the Year award for 2006.
In July 2006, Strategic Vision gave the Fusion its Total Quality Award as the best-quality midsize sedan on the American market. An article reflecting on the retirement of the Taurus however noted that whatever its faults, Ford did sell a large volume of them, and at the time production ended, the Taurus was still outselling the smaller Fusion and larger Ford Five Hundred combined, thanks to Taurus' large fleet sales. In the first half of 2006, approximately 81% of Fusion sales were retail (as opposed to fleet). This sales mix has contributed, in part, to the Fusion's relatively high residual value compared to the Taurus. - brimg87, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Some people are interested in cars and care. You're telling me someone into computers wouldn't want to hear the details on an upcoming Mac product?
- douggmc, on 10/10/2007, -15/+15Who the ***** cares?
- jshafer817, on 10/15/2007, -0/+0HERE
http://www.innerauto.com/includes/images/Inner_Aut ...
http://www.superhonda.com/photopost/data/506/22894 ... - armourer, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2My Korean car was made in the US, while my friend's wonderful all American one was made in Mexico.
Who's more patriotic? - crackedplastic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Haha, you looking at my previous comments just to bury/comment them? The one that sucks at life is you, my friend.
- Kinjiru, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5Yo.. dumb *****... the Fusion is a Mazda 6 with new ugly bodywork.. (and it's designed in JAPAN not the USA btw)... for all your quotes perhaps next time do some actual research.
- joshuastarr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1You suck at life.
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