2010 Hybrid Fusion & Milan Go 47 MPH in Electric

In late October, Ford officially unveiled to the public the newest additions to the world of hybrid sedans – the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid and 2010 Mercury Milan hybrid. These ramped up new models represent some big advances in technology and Ford is hoping that it pays off by doubling their sales in the next year. Currently, the automaker sees about 25,000 cars sold each year, but by adding two competitive hybrid sedans to the market, they hope they can skate around the financial instability of the auto industry and watch sales climb to 50,000 per year.

So, what is it that makes these 2010 hybrids better than the hybrids Ford and Mercury already have on the road, like the Escape and Mariner? Well, first there is the electric driving and the fact that these sedans can do a lot more of it. They can for go up to eight miles, going 47 miles an hour without using a drop of gas. Even when gasoline power is used, the sedans get up to 38 miles per gallon, which isn’t too shabby and beats the competition (Camry) by 5 miles per gallon!

Although these are model year 2010, Ford expects to be selling them by the spring of 2009. Similar under the hood, both cars have 155 horsepower engines with 2.5 liter four cylinders.

One of the most amazing feats with these sedans is that their batteries are smaller and more powerful than those in older models of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids! The new battery uses the car’s interior air to cool itself, rather than using the AC directly, which saves power. In addition, the air conditioning runs on pure electric power, which means that you can turn the car off and still have the AC blowing in cool air.

Only the Ford Fusion got a true makeover. Its new exterior is designed to look more “muscular” and a little less curvy. The Milan will retain its look for the 2010 model year.

Another cool feature is the Smart Gauge technology, which will teach drivers of the sedans how to drive their hybrid as efficiently as possible. How cool is that?

Check out the official release on both cars from Ford. Here is more from NYTimes.com and a hybrid video from Cnet.