Troubled automaker Ford certainly needed a boost in its efforts to meet the demands of the new administration and “go green” – and now it has received one.
Buyers of the new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Mercury Milan Hybrid will qualify for a staggering $3,400 tax credit in the USA – the highest credit amount ever offered to a hybrid car.
It’s a huge boost for the company as it attempts to make ground on Japanese car manufacturer Toyota. The Toyota Prius and the Toyota Camry Hybrid both sell in the mid $20,000 range and have comparable fuel efficiency to the Ford Fusion Hybrid. However, they no longer qualify for the tax credit because the company has surpassed the 60,000 unit limit that is part of the federal incentive program.
By contrast, the Ford Fusion Hybrid has a base price of around $27,300 with fuel efficiency at 41mpg in the city and 36mpg on the highway – and now it has a tax credit to boot.
Derrick Kuzak, the vice president of global product development for the Ford group, commented that the company is glad the government is helping promote these advanced fuel-efficient vehicles to the consumer. It is hoped that the tax credit could stimulate interest in the new saloon cars.
The arrival of the Mercury Milan Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid double the number of hybrid vehicles in the company’s stock – it already boasts the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid.
