Fuel-Efficient Ford Cars & SUVs
The Ford Fusion Hybrid, arriving in dealerships in Spring 2008, delivers 41 miles to the gallon in the city. That puts an American mid-size sedan just below the Toyota Prius as one of the most efficient cars available today.
Ford Motor Company is a paradox when it comes to hybrids and other alternative cars. Company executives make big promises for green cars, break those promises, and then finally deliver vehicles that show real technology leadership among American car companies. As recent as 2006, Ford Motor’s Chairman (and former CEO) Bill Ford said the company would build 250,000 hybrids a year by 2010. Five months later, that goal was scrapped.
Nonetheless, Ford offers the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market, the Ford Escape Hybrid, and a mid-size sedan with a city fuel economy rating of 41 mpg, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
Perhaps more significant than the hybrids, it appears that Ford—under CEO Alan Mulally—is ready to shift to a lean and mean lineup of smaller cars and will introduce a combination of turbocharging and direct injection technologies (labeled “ecoboost) to deliver better fuel efficiency at an affordable price. See our list of Ford models and read the latest news about Ford's fuel efficient models.
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Ford Hybrid and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
| Sort by: | Name | Combined MPG | Technology | MSRP | Available | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ford F-150 E85 | 11 MPG | E85 Ethanol | $22,100 | Now | Ford's best-selling pickup truck offers flex-fuel capabilities. |
 | Ford Escape Hybrid | 32 MPG | Hybrid | $29,300 | Now | The overall most fuel efficient SUV. |
 | Ford Fusion Hybrid | 39 MPG | Hybrid | $27,300 | Now | A full-size sedan that achieves 41 mpg in the city. |
 | Ford Focus | 29 MPG | Small Car | $14,700 | Now | Comfortable, controllable, efficient, and affordable. |
| Ford Focus EV | n/a | Electric | n/a | 2011 | An all-electric version of the Ford Focus, with 100 miles of range. | |
 | Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid | n/a | Plug-in Hybrid | n/a | 2012 | The proven fuel-efficient SUV hybrid will come with a plug in 2012. |
 | Ford Reflex | n/a | Diesel | n/a | Concept | Concept sports coupe marries 1.4-liter turbo-diesel engine with Ford's hybrid drive. |
Top news for Ford
The Excruciating Economics of Electric Cars- With oil prices reaching record levels for the year—and potentially heading higher—the prospects for electricity-powered cars is also on the rise. Deutsche Bank said prices could surge to $100 a barrel in the next two quarters if the US dollar continues to weaken. Rising oil prices alone are not enough to ensure the future of electric cars—but there are clear signs of a massive transition to plug-in hybrids and electric cars.
Key to Hybrid Minivans: Getting Small- When will we ever get a hybrid gas-electric minivan? That’s been the most frequent question over the years from hopeful (but frustrated) hybrid shoppers. After all, they say, Japan has had hybrid minivans for about a decade. The explanation that Japan’s minivans are much smaller than US models—and therefore better suited for gas-electric drivetrains—offers little solace. But help might be on the way, in the form of pint-sized three-row family haulers coming to America, maybe even with plug-in capability.
Automakers Race to Design Car-to-Grid Communications- Major car companies are working on ways that plug-in cars will communicate with the electric grid. Ford, Nissan and Volvo have displayed their visions. We spoke with Greg Frenette, Ford manager of battery electric vehicle applications, to learn which driver controls are essential and feasible—and which charging technologies are more fantasy than reality.
Ford Smart Charging Can Target Clean Power- Ford Motor Company has developed an intelligent charging system that previews how its production vehicles will interact with the grid. The unnamed system enables all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners to restrict charging to when electricity prices fall below a certain threshold, or even "when the grid is using only renewable energy such as wind or solar power," according to Ford.
Blogosphere Responds to Nissan’s Electric Car- No longer an amorphous concept, Nissan’s electric car can now be stacked up against other hybrids and plug-in cars for its look and feel, features, and likely cost. The reviews from the blogosphere—usually an irreverant crowd—were mixed.
Ford’s 2010 Lineup Focuses on Efficiency- Ford Motor Co. unveiled plans today for higher fuel efficiency across its 2010 lineup. The company said the new vehicle lineup will improve fuel economy by about 20 percent compared to 2005 levels. The focus on efficiency is helping Ford earn customers who did not previously own Fords.
Mulally Prioritizes Ford’s High-MPG Technologies
- Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford, pledged yesterday to form an alliance with the Edison Electric Institute to work on plug-in cars. Speaking at EEI’s annual convention in San Francisco on Thursday, Mulallly outlined his company’s path toward high fuel-efficiency, which included—but by no means was limited to—electric vehicle technology.
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$8 Billion in Loans Goes to Ford, Nissan & Tesla- Department of Energy Secretary Chu announced the first round of $8 billion in low-cost loans from its $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. The loans are going to Ford, Nissan and Tesla. This funding was set aside not by President Obama as a bailout to keep auto companies afloat—but in September 2008 by former President Bush in order to retool plants to build more advanced technology vehicles.
Mileage Loop: Ford Fusion Hybrid- Our recent drive of the Fusion Hybrid proved that the vehicle—if driven with a light foot—can achieve mileage in the mid-40s. That makes the Fusion Hybrid the first American hybrid sedan to hit the mpg big leagues. And that earns Ford a spot on any hybrid buyer’s consideration list, despite the un-truth of their primary marketing claim.
Ford Retools for Small Cars, Drops SUVs- In a dramatic sign of the profound transformation under way in the auto industry, Ford said today it will invest $550 million to retool its Wayne, Mich. assembly plant to produce fuel-efficient compact cars and electric-drive vehicles. The plant formerly made Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigators SUVs.