While Ford hasn’t revealed any new images of the upcoming Ford Fusion sedan, they have begun to leak some key features on the car.
For starters, we now know to expect a technology typically found on luxury vehicles, which Ford calls Lane Keeping Assist for its particular take on the concept. This technology is intended to help drowsy drivers in several ways to keep them from accidentally drifting into other lanes or off of the road entirely.
LKA works by utilizing a digital camera that is mounted in the rearview mirror attached to the windshield, detecting lane makers and monitoring the position of the car in relation to its respect lane. Should the system detect signs that the driver is possibly drowsy and drifting side to side in the lane, the system will first alert the driver with a chime sound, an icon on the dash and then a vibration in the steering wheel and a nudge back to the center of the lane thanks to the electric power assist steering (EPAS).
Should the system make an incorrect assumption or the driver to decide to continue with the lane change, the system can be overruled either with a manual steering input, braking or acceleration.
It is also worth noting that the system only comes on at speeds over 40 miles per hour and only if the system deems the road has sufficient markings for detections to be made. At that time, the vehicle will display a special icon notifying the driver that LKA is active.
“Fusion’s Lane Keeping System combines a digital imaging sensor with our own state-of-the-art control software to process images and determine what level of warning or assistance to provide to the driver,” said Michael Kane, Ford development engineer. “We’ve put a lot of effort into ensuring the accuracy of the lane detection and the smoothness of the assist.”
While the technology has been fairly popular amongst more expensive luxury vehicles as of late, Leftlane will withhold judgment of the system until after we get the opportunity to test it first hand and report back to you.
What else we know about the 2013 Fusion
Ford announced that it will be doing a digital reveal of the all-new 2013 Fusion midsize sedan by allowing owners of Apple iPhone and Android phones to download a special app which will activate by taking a picture of any Ford oval (digital, physical or printed) and then physically touching the oval on the touchscreen.
From there, app users will be able to take a virtual test drive of the new Fusion before its reveal at the 2011 Detroit auto show. The app will reveal special features about the car, exclusive video content, special interviews from the car’s creator and eventually reveal the car itself on January 9th.
Along the way there are a total of 19 tracks to unlock and enjoy, along with three different versions of the car. Want to try it for yourself? Download it to your phone here.
Ford has been remarkebly tight-lipped about the upcoming Fusion, and understandably so given how competitive and crucial the segment is. As a result, Ford hasn’t given spies or leaky employees a whole lot to share, except of course for some unverified predictions about the hybrid variant of the Fusion.
The folks at Ford Inside News say they have privileged information suggesting the next-gen 2013 model year Fusion Hybrid will be sporting an EPA city rating as high as 47 to 48 miles per gallon city, a six to seven mpg jump over the current model’s rating. The change will come from a combination of tweaks across the board – but mostly due to the switch from nickel to lithium-ion batteries.
Look for the next Fusion Hybrid to also gain a little but more differentiation from the rest of the Fusion models in the styling department, following a similar packaging strategy to the Hyundai Sonata lineup. The next Fusion will also be a global model, which will be largely the same as the European Ford Mondeo, aside from minor details and powertrain options. Both the Fusion and Mondeo will share the CD4 platform.
Ford believes its new Fusion will be such a strong product that it might even see sales rocket by 50 percent, potentially into the 30,000+ realm on a monthly basis. If the next-gen Fusion does come to market as inside sources describe, it very well could become one of the strongest contenders in an increasingly competitive segment vying for the sales leadership spot long-held by Toyota ’s vaunted Camry.
Be sure to check back frequently between now and January 10 as new details about this, and other vehicles will surely make its way into the news before finally being revealed in official channels.
Description: 2013 Ford Fusion comes with a new style and new features
Rating: 3.5
Reviewer: Eman
ItemReviewed: 2013 Ford Fusion comes with a new style and new features
