Fuel-economy and safety go hand in hand in the Ford Fusion Energi, as the high-efficiency plug-in hybrid recently scored a 5-star overall grade for occupant protection from the NHTSA. Of course, providing that kind of peace of mind is no surprise, since the traditionally powered Fusion, as well as the conventional hybrid model, also earned 5-star grades from NHTSA. The IIHS also honored the Fusion with a Top Safety Pick+ designation after it passed the institute’s new, more rigorous safety evaluation.
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The final sales numbers for the first quarter of 2013 are now in, and they add up to a significant success for the Ford Fiesta in Europe. Backed by 77,800 deliveries in the January-March period, the Fiesta was the top-selling small car in the region during that time. In fact, Ford sold 41,600 units in March alone, when customers bought a new model at a pace of one car every two minutes. It was a performance that helped grow the car’s retail market share by 1.2 percentage points and marked an 8 percent jump in volume over the same month last year.
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When Ford unveiled its Atlas concept at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, auto fans collectively gasped in genuine surprise. We didn’t cover the show this year, so we jumped at the chance to check out the Atlas when it rolled out at the local Cars and Coffee meet.
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The Ford F-150 is now approaching its fourth decade as the best-selling vehicle in America, a title the truck is showing no signs of relinquishing. In fact, just last month, Ford sold 59,030 F-150s—the truck’s highest April sales total since 2006—while growing volume by an impressive 24.4 percent. To put those marks into perspective, the F-150 almost tripled the 8.5 percent growth rate of the industry as a whole, with the Ford outperforming the No. 2 vehicle in the country by nearly 20,000 units. Those strong sales have led to an equally strong response from Ford: The company is adding 900 jobs to its Kansas City (Mo.) Assembly Plant to build more pickups.
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It’s getting to be a habit: The Ford Fusion and Ford Escape—which both set monthly sales records in March—have combined to do it again in April. With those two leading the way, as well as another impressive performance by the Ford F-150, the Ford brand enjoyed a 17.8 percent sales increase last month on the strength of 204,969 deliveries.
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Retail drivers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from Ford’s new generation of hybrid vehicles like the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Ford C-Max. More and more fleet customers are switching to the Blue Oval’s greenest products to help reduce total operational costs, some by up to 45 percent.
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Thanks to its continued strong performance in the United States, Ford reported a pre-tax profit of $2.4 billion for its North American operations during the first quarter of 2013. This is the highest total ever since the company began reporting financial results for individual regions in 2000. Ford also earned $22.3 billion in revenue in North America for the quarter, representing an increase of 20 percent.
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Only a small number of vehicles can boast having seen 50 years of continuous production. To celebrate the Ford Mustang’s landmark anniversary, Ford has authorized 50 companies to sell products commemorating the event, including watches, T-shirts, model cars and video games.
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Even as Ford has sold more than 600,000 vehicles powered by its EcoBoost engines since 2009, global demand for their unique combination of power and efficiency just keeps growing. Luckily for owners, so is the EcoBoost family itself. In fact, Ford is now preparing to debut its fifth EcoBoost powerplant, a 1.5-liter four-cylinder that will increase fuel economy by 20 percent and reduce emissions by 15 percent compared to traditional engines of the same displacement.
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Surging sales for the Ford Explorer has led to another breakthrough for the Blue Oval’s award-winning SUV. To help satisfy increasing demand in the Russian market, production of the model has begun outside of the United States—in the Republic of Tartarstan—for the very first time.
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