Ford Fusion (Americas)

The Ford Fusion (code name CD338) is a mid-size car produced by the Ford Motor Company since the 2006 model year. The 2010 model is the Motor Trend Car of the Year. The Fusion is manufactured at Ford's Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly plant in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, where the similar Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ are also built. All three cars are based on the CD3 platform shared with Mazda's Mazda6 (M/Y 2003-2008)[2] and were launched simultaneously into the market (the MKZ as the Zephyr).

Production on the first Fusions began on August 1, 2005.[1] The Fusion replaced the Mondeo for the Latin American markets—except in Argentina (where the current European Mondeo is available) and in the United States and Canada (where it superseded the mid-size Taurus, which was being phased out). By United States Environmental Protection Agency size category,[3] the Fusion is positioned between the compact Ford Focus and full-size Ford Taurus.

The Fusion was the first production car to feature the "new face of Ford" three-bar grille, which (along with two matching bars below the bumper/fascia forming a five-bar design) was first seen on a retro V-10 powered rear wheel drive concept car called the Ford 427, unveiled in 2003 at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The look has since been used on most of Ford's product line.

At its launch, the Fusion was available in S, SE, and SEL trims. The base engine was the 160 hp (119 kW) Mazda-designed 2.3 L Duratec 23 I4, paired with either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission. SE and SEL models were available with a 221 hp (165 kW) 3.0 L Duratec 30 V6 and a 6-speed automatic.