Toyota says Ford Fusion Hybrid competes with the Prius, not the Camry Hybrid

Posted: Jan 26, 2009
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So FoMoCo is pretty proud of its 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid – and they definitely should be with an EPA fuel-economy rating of 41/36 mpg (city/highway). Ford says that the 2010 Fusion Hybrid is America’s most fuel-efficient mid-sized car beating out the Toyota Camry. Well, Toyota disagrees.

Writing over at Toyota’s Open Road Blog, editor Jon F. Thompson says that Toyota disagrees with the definition of a midsize car.

“The folks at Ford are pleased that their Fusion hybrid, rated at 41 mpg/city, has better EPA fuel economy estimates than our Camry Hybrid, which is EPA-rated at 33 mpg/city. We point out that while that”s true, the Camry is bigger than the Fusion,” writes Thompson.

Thompson says that a more appropriate comparison would be the 2010 Toyota Prius which is also classified as a midsize car with a fuel-economy rating of 50 mpg.

Nonetheless, Thompson points out that the mpg wars are good for everyone.

“When mpg numbers are generally on the rise and when other manufacturers compete with us on the basis of fuel-efficiency, their efficiency apple against ours, that”s the kind of comparison that we like. No matter which vehicle is incrementally better than another, it”s a comparison that”s good for everyone.”

Your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.

2010 Ford Fuison Hybrid:

 

 

2010 Toyota Prius:

 

Source: Toyota Open Road Blog


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  • Pat

    I agree with Toyota… however the average American consumer doesn't think that the Fusion competes with the Prius – they think it competes with the Camry and that's what counts.

    The Ford Taurus actually competes with the Camry

  • John

    The Camry competes with the Fusion. The EPA says they have the same interior size. (oddly, so does the Prius, so both must compete with the Fusion)

    And Pat, the Taurus competes with the Avalon.

  • neil

    What really counts is the Ford is at least according to JD Power as high quality as the Camry

    Ford actually has a chance to get out of thid mess

  • Nel

    I disagree the Ford Fusion is a 4 door sedan, like the Toyota Camry. The Prius is a 4 door hatchback not sedan.

  • Alex Portney

    Who are you kidding Toyota? Are they hiring the PR folks who used to work in Detroit? Size is not as relevant as the market segmentation, Fusion/Camry compete with midsize sedan buyers, Insight/Prius compete with greenies who dont mind trading style for aerodynamics. How many Prius buyers thought about a Fusion before their purchase?

  • LMAO

    Toyota as usual, is always trying to depend themselves. First of all Midsize family sedan means an average sized sedan that fits 4 adults comfortably but it is a little short for fitting 5. If you increase your vehicle's dimension to gain an edge over the competitors, then thats fine, it gives u more marketing and bragging rights with more trunk space or shoulder/hip space. But your vehicle is still a sedan within the mid size category. The Taurus is pretty much a full size sedan. The Prius is clearly not a sedan, it is an Hatch, a 5 door hatchback. An in-between of a Sedan and a station wagon. Now to say that the ford fusion is in the same class as the Prius is a bit of a far fetch.

    I mean, you might as well say the Fusion completes with a solara coupe, since the Solara is not as big as the camry, it is still a “midsized” vehicle.

    Think about it .

  • Ivan Gutierrez

    Its not about what the manufacturer claims, its what the consumer believes. And most consumers will compare a fusion to a camry, not a prius.

  • Bobmarley

    you would think that most prius buyers would consider other hybrids and gas models in and around the segment….but its amazing how ignorant people can be when buying a new car…. I'm guessing these are the people toyota is tryong to reach out to?

  • Soren

    According to edmunds

    The 2009 Camry is a 4 dr sedan that's 189 inches long and 72 wide
    The Fusion is a 4 dr sedan that's 190 inches long and 72 wide

    That pretty much makes these cars the same size (along with the Malibu and the Altima)

    You can see why Toyota would like to compare apples and oranges – getting your midsized hybrid outgunned by 8mpg by a Ford isn't great PR; and Prius is used as the corporate shield wherever possible.

    But you do the search and you're always going to get a Fusion, Camry, Malibu, Altima result.

    Hell wasn't Ford's last Fusion campaign all about going up against Camry too?

    Pat – the Taurus is in Avalon territory… at 203 inches long it's a full size and more than a foot longer than the Camry

  • peoc

    what the people don't understand is that the camry hybrid gets over 40 miles to a gallon but regulations to make american cars compete limits toyota gpa plus Toyota design Ford hybrids. So before people talk as someone with a camry hybrid how many miles they get.

  • peoc

    what the people don't understand is that the camry hybrid gets over 40 miles to a gallon but regulations to make american cars compete limits toyota gpa plus Toyota design Ford hybrids. So before people talk as someone with a camry hybrid how many miles they get.

  • Jeff

    OK. So Toyota apparently are a bunch of whiners. I took the comparison of 3 vehicles (Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion) and come to find out, the Fusion is actually a littel bit bigger than the Camry in Overall Width, Overall Length, Hip, Leg, Head. Not every aspect, but many. And with these measurments, they are much closer to the Camry than the Prius. So the Fusion is and should be compared to the Camry in everything. Toyota is just whining that Ford could produce a midsize sedan that is more fuel efficient than something they have. I am sick of Toyota trying to lie there way back to greatness. Toyotas quality is lacking recently and people are looking at other options. So Toyota is trying to get an angle where they don't have an angle.

    Good Luck Toyota.
    I praise and support Ford Motor on their efforts and success in becoming First Class in Quality, Fuel Economy, Smartness, Ease of Use, American!

  • Christbennett

    For your information peoc, ford manufactures and designs everything in house. You werent entirely incorrect though, the nissan altima hybrid and the toyota camry share a similar powertrain but dont get it mistaken with anything shared with ford as thats not the case.