福特转型之作出新意

    从外形上看，福特汽车公司（Ford Motor Co.）全新设计的家用中级轿车Fusion与其上一代车型明显不同。老款车实用至上，中规中矩；新款则颇具动感，就像一位歌舞队的舞蹈演员取代了巴诺书店（Barnes & Noble）的店员。

    新款Fusion在车身架构上也焕然一新：这款中型车的架构是全新开发的，替代了此前曾与马自达（Mazda）共用的架构。这款车在欧洲和中国市场被命名为蒙迪欧（Mondeo），但会稍做改动，而在南美市场上仍然叫Fusion。

    这款最新中级家用车作为所在阵营中最畅销的车型必须在美国竞争最激烈的细分市场上参与角逐，毕竟每卖出四辆车，就有一辆属于这个级别。正因为这样，福特更加卯足了劲儿要让福特从车海中脱颖而出，在外形上绝不混同于丰田凯美瑞（Toyota Camry）或本田雅阁（Honda Accord）这类日系车。

    福特Fusion产品线总监朱迪•柯伦接受电话采访时称：“这款车非常抓人眼球，比老款更加高档。它的车身比例协调，做工精致。”汽车网站TrueCar的分析师杰西•托普拉克则称：“这款车的外形非常漂亮，设计出众却并不极端。”

    已经有不止一位评论者指出，Fusion外形的设计灵感似乎来自阿斯顿马丁（Aston Martin），这是福特曾经拥有的一个子品牌。近年来，福特的首席执行官艾伦•穆拉利致力于优化和简化管理，启用了新口号“一个福特”（One Ford），以便提高全球业务运营的效率，同时避免成本高昂的复制。

    再过一两周，首批Fusion就将从福特位于墨西哥埃莫西约的工厂运抵美国经销商处。明年某个时候，福特就打算在其密歇根州弗拉特洛克的工厂增加一条生产线，扩大产能。

    Fusion在美国市场上的销量紧随丰田凯美瑞、本田雅阁和日产阿蒂玛（Nissan Altima）之后，同时领先于现代索纳塔（Hyundai Sonata）和雪佛兰迈瑞宝（Chevrolet Malibu）。而在欧洲，福特亟需帮助，因为欧洲市场对汽车的需求已急剧下降。8月份，福特的实际销量与去年同期相比骤降29%，这可真让人不好受。对福特来说，与销量一样让人揪心的还有每台车所能带来的实际收入。据柯伦称，Fusion现在起价“低至两万美元出头”，顶级配置的钛金版定价也只有30,995美元。

    柯伦表示，该车将可选装价值1,000美元的“安全套装”，包括盲区探测仪、车道偏离警报系统和自适应巡航控制系统，它们能帮助驾驶者避免由于分神或不集中而发生追尾事故。这三大配置现在同时出现在一款主流中级车上表明，一度只有顶级豪车才能享用的这些配置是多么迅速地成为中级车的标配。随着这类技术的成本进一步降低，更先进的技术不断面世，这种趋势必将继续下去。

    Ford Motor Co.'s restyled Fusion midsize family sedan clearly departs from the model it replaces in the looks department. The old one was utilitarian and sensible; the new one borders on racy, like a chorus line dancer stepping in for the clerk at Barnes & Noble.

    The new Fusion is a departure mechanically as well: Ford's (F) new midsize car architecture is all its own, replacing one that was derived from one shared with Mazda. The same vehicle, with minor differences, will be sold in Europe and China as the Mondeo and in South America dubbed the Fusion.

    Ford's latest midsize family car, the best seller in its lineup, must contend in the most competitive segment in the U.S., responsible for one in four car sales. As such, Ford is turning its game up a notch, bidding to make the Fusion stand out from the crowd rather than blend with the appearance favored by Japanese carmaker's Toyota (TM) Camry and Honda (HMC) Accord.

    "I would call it eye-catching, definitely more upscale," said Judy Curran, Ford's vehicle line director for Fusion in a telephone interview. "It's got great proportions and is very sophisticated." Jesse Toprak, an analyst for TrueCar, an automotive website, said Fusion "looks pretty and is designed to stand out without being polarizing."

    More than one critic has noted the design cues on the Fusion's exteriors that seem borrowed from Aston Martin, another subsidiary that Ford no longer owns. Alan Mulally, Ford CEO, has been relentless in his push to streamline and simplify the automaker, using the slogan "One Ford," so that worldwide operations are efficient and avoid costly duplication.

    The first Fusions should be reaching U.S. dealerships in the next week or two from Ford's factory in Hermosillo, Mexico. Sometime next year, Ford intends to expand production by adding another assembly line at a plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.

    In the U.S., Fusion sales trail those of Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan (NSANY) Altima, while leading those of Hyundai Sonata and Chevrolet (GM) Malibu. Ford will need help in Europe, where demand for vehicles has collapsed broadly. In August, Ford's unit sales on the count were down a gut-wrenching 29% from a year ago. Just as critical as the sales numbers for Ford will be the revenue per unit it can realize. According to Curran, the vehicle's retail price starts "in the low 20s" and rise to $30,995 for the premium Titanium version.

    Curran noted that a $1,000 "safety package" of options will include blind spot detection, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control, which helps drivers avoid rear-ending a vehicle ahead due to distraction or loss of attention. That all three features are offered on a mainstream sedan shows how quickly features once offered in only the most expensive vehicles are migrating to the mainstream. The trend is bound to continue as the technology becomes less costly and more advanced variants are developed.