2001 Ford Fusion Concept

TOUGH, URBAN, COOL: FORD UNVEILS FUSION CONCEPT

BRENTWOOD, 11 September 2001 – As new Fiesta debuts at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford is pointing towards more ‘near-future’ small car technologies, with the unveiling of a new concept – the Ford Fusion. Speaking at its reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Martin Leach, vice president, product development, Ford of Europe said: “Ford Fusion Concept is our vision for an urban adventure vehicle of the near future. It showcases the potential for merging innovative, practical forthcoming technologies and an exciting new shape, all designed specifically for the style-conscious urban motorist. “Uniquely, it combines small car agility and manoeuvrability with an SUV-style driving position and styling cues. We believe it succeeds on three levels – tough, urban, and cool”, he added. Ford Fusion Concept displays a host of intelligent and practical new technologies designed to enhance the experience of driving, living and working in a tough, urban environment:

- Turbocharged, direct-injection petrol engine that emphasises fuel economy without compromising power

- Durashift EST automated manual gearbox, combining ease of use with excellent fuel economy highly advanced navigation system with brand new telematics functions state-of-the-art, intergrated multi-media entertainment system new exterior lighting concept featuring bi-xenon technology

The Ford Direct-Injection, Spark-Ignition (DISI) petrol engine Ford Fusion Concept is the ideal platform for Ford’s small, turbocharged Direct-Injection, Spark-Ignition (DISI) engine, which meets the needs of the urban motorist by combining economy and performance in an advanced, new-generation technology. It successfully employs direct-injection principles first seen on diesel engines to a small, light petrol engine. Ford’s turbocharged, 100kg, 1.1-litre, three cylinder DISI engine is derived from the 100PS, 1.6-litre Zetec SE Ford Focus engine and delivers 110PS and 160Nm of torque. The addition of a small turbocharger and variable cam timing (VCT) generate the performance feel of a larger displacement engine, with the benefits of excellent fuel economy – 15 percent better than a standard four cylinder petrol engine of the same power. Combining this smaller engine with a Ford Durashift Electronic Select Transmission (EST) increases fuel economy even further.

Ford Durashift Electronic Select Transmission (EST) Ford Fusion Concept is a showcase for innovative and practical technologies and it is for this reason that Fusion Concept showcases Ford’s Durashift Electronic Select Transmission (EST). Combining the benefits of both automatic and manual gearboxes, Durashift EST features an electronic shift map, adapted to the specific characteristics of direct petrol injection and uses electronic actuation motors in shift and clutch operations. Durashift EST operates smoothly and with only two pedals and buttons to control the gearshift. The result is between four and eight percent fuel savings over a conventional automatic transmission. A unique feature of Durashift EST is its electronic shift map, which prevents both sudden gear changes and undesirable up- and down-shifts. The system constantly monitors the power levels required for accelerating, rolling at constant speed or decelerating, then automatically selects the proper shift strategy for the situation, smoothly and with minimal interruption of power. Integrated navigation system Making the most of each day and living life to the full with friends and family requires good information while on the move. To provide this information, a highly advanced and integrated navigation system was developed for Ford Fusion Concept in cooperation with Visteon. In addition to navigation assistance and modern Internet functions – such as downloading news, pictures or music – the system offers the transfer of real-time traffic and parking information into the moving vehicle. Additionally, the system can provide information on airline flight schedules so if a flight arrival or departure is delayed, Ford Fusion Concept will know before arriving at the airport. Onboard entertainment For friends and family, the rear seats of Ford Fusion Concept are the best in the house thanks to an advanced, integrated multi-media system. While the driver concentrates on the hustle and bustle of city driving, rear seat passengers can be entertained with movies, games or access to the World Wide Web. With an Internet connection, a break from driving can also be turned into a productive work stop for communication with business partners, an online shopping foray, or even a videoconference opportunity. Each rear seat occupant can select a preferred entertainment, from DVD/video, console games or Internet browsing. Two high-resolution monitors are integrated into the rear of the front seat head restraints and can be operated independently, via remote control or through a central control module, while headphones prevent driver distraction. Technical details:

- Two high resolution colour TFT monitors with 17.8 cm screens

- Connections for current PC components and game consoles

- DVD or video player (stereo/ VHS)

- Video camera playback possible

- Plug & Play (laptops, video games, consoles, camcorders)

- 12-volt power supply

- Four headphone connections

Adanced Xenon lighting system

Ford Fusion Concept also showcases a new Hella bi-xenon headlamp system which provides exceptional levels of light for seeing and being seen at night Xenon headlamps are brighter and project a wider angle of light on the road than conventional systems. Xenon light is also 2.5 times as powerful as halogen, although it uses less than two thirds of the power. Its operational colour is ‘cool’, resembling that of natural daylight. In this bi-xenon system, the main and the dipped beams are generated by a single source of light, providing benefits in lower energy consumption, new design possibilities, and the same colour of light for both the main and the dipped beams, which relieves the driver’s eyes of the stress of continual readjustment.

SOURCE: Ford