The Beach Blog

New 2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup Car

The 2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup car, unveiled yesterday as part of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour, was worked on by Ford designers in an effort to bring brand identity back to the sport. The result is undeniable with the 2013 Sprint Cup car mirroring the recently unveiled 2013 Ford Fusion production car.

Featuring a completely redesigned sleek new silhouette and fresh face, the 2013 Fusion Sprint Cup car was designed to be the face of a new era of stock car racing.

”We wanted Fusion to be the car that helped return ‘stock car’ to NASCAR.” stated Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “I think fans, when they see the car, are just going to smile and cheer. It is going to reengage them with the sport and make the sport better because there is just something natural about seeing race cars that look like cars in their driveways.”

This marks the third time Ford simultaneously launched production and NASCAR versions of a new model. The first dual launch came in 1968, with the sleek fastback Ford Torino. Legendary NASCAR driver David Pearson drove the Torino to back-to-back NASCAR championships in 1968 and 1969. The second time came in 2006, when the then newly introduced Ford Fusion appeared in showrooms and on the track.

The new NASCAR Fusion entries will be tested throughout the 2012 campaign in preparation for their racing debut at the 2013 Daytona 500 in February.

Source: Ford

Fusion Named Autoweek’s “Best in Show” at NAIAS

Just days after being revealed to the world, the new Ford Fusion is already bringing home awards. The Autoweek editorial staff has chosen Fusion for its Best in Show award at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).

The selection is based on one compelling measurement – the car people will remember most five years from now.

“It’s very rare for a midsize sedan to win Best in Show,” said Autoweek Editor Wes Raynal. “I think it’s the first of a lot of awards the Fusion is going to win this year.”

The highest award from Autoweek comes just one day after the car received the prestigious Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology’s EyesOn Design award at NAIAS.

Fusion is the first sedan to offer gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions – each expected to deliver top fuel economy and an engaging driving experience.

“I’ve been with the company for 13 years,” said J Mays, Ford chief creative officer, “and I can truly say this is the best car ever to come out of the design and engineering center in Dearborn. We are delighted for the entire global design team, because this really was a global effort.”

Smart, sleek and fresh, the new Fusion is set to change how people think about midsize sedans.

Source: Ford

Ford Brand Sales Up 13 Percent

Sales were up 13 percent for the Ford brand during the month of July.

“We are encouraged to see the stronger pace of auto sales, along with continued customer demand for our fuel-efficient cars, utilities and trucks,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.

Ford Brand Cars: Up 8 Percent

Fiesta and Fusion posted higher sales than a year ago.

Fiesta sales totaled 5,296, up 58 percent, and Fusion sales were 19,318 – a record for the month of July. Fusion has set a monthly sales record in each of the last 11 months. In the first seven months of 2011, Fusion was Ford’s top-selling car, with sales totaling 151,004, up 17 percent versus a year ago.

Focus sales, constrained by low inventory, totaled 14,889, down 3 percent. Fiesta and Focus remain the fastest-turning vehicles on the Ford showroom floor.

Year-to-date, Ford brand car sales totaled 430,633, up 24 percent.

Ford Brand Utilities: Up 43 Percent

Ford’s best-selling utility is the Escape, which set an all-time monthly sales record of 24,411 models. Year-to-date, Escape sales totaled 147,018, up 29 percent.

Explorer sales totaled 9,897, up 108 percent versus a year ago, and Edge set a July record with sales totaling 9,731 models, up 4 percent.

“Customers value the fuel efficiency and technology in our new utilities” said Czubay, noting that more than 90 percent of Explorers and more than 80 percent of Edges are equipped with MyFord Touch, Ford’s industry-leading hands-free system that controls entertainment, information and vehicle systems.

Ford recently announced that the 2012 Explorer, which begins production later this summer, has an EPA estimated highway fuel economy rating of 28 mpg when equipped with the new 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine.

Through July, Ford was the best-selling brand of utility vehicles in America, with sales totaling 330,619, up 27 percent.

Ford Brand Trucks: Up 1 Percent

Year-to-date, Ford truck sales totaled 442,262, up 9 percent.

Sales of the F-150 with new V6 engines continued to outsell V8s in July as V6 engines accounted for 56 percent of F-150 retail sales. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine accounted for 40 percent of F-150 sales, and the 3.7-liter V6 accounted for 16 percent. In July, F-Series 2011 sales crossed the 300,000 milestone, with 313,183 trucks sold.

Stop by Beach Ford in Virginia Beach or Suffolk and learn why everyone is buying Ford.

Source: Ford