We KNOW The New Fusion Will HURT Camry, Malibu And Accord - But Will It Steal Sonata and Optima Shoppers?

I agree, Accord and Camry have been coasting on rep for so long that the only buyers that are left have no idea what to look for in a car visually or technically.

It looks great and will definitely eat in to Camry/Accord sales....way to go Ford

Love the Aston-Martin cues. Stud for this segment.

I dont think the camrey and accord will be affected much...I would buy the fusion over a passat though!

It's a cute design & all but the base models with small wheel & tire to body height clearance will look goofy. An Aston Martin is an Aston Martin because u get extreme body width & proper low to the ground design. This will fail the Taurus though. The thing with these cars is they come from the factory overly styled & if u add any personal touch to it, it will start to look tacky. But even the new "bland" looking camry with a proper lowering kit, camber & wheels looks very serious. True, this thing is gorgeous - it's more gorgeous than many cars, forget Camry & Accord. Looks nicer than most BMWs or MB. Btw, side window profile is exactly of Mazda 6, which was a nice looking car too.

Crowded segment. Fusion looks to be well positioned, as long as Ford prices it right. Accord will remain down until next gen arrives. Camry will come back this year.
I think Kia and Hyundai will remain strong and make it tough for the others, especially any competing product that isn't "up to the minute"

Sounds like a lot of folks are basing opinions on old perceptions not in tune with the market. Fusion sales over the last few years have been strong despite an outdated perception of Ford not having reliable, quality vehicles. In fact, the Fusion itself was a major factor in changing that reality.

While I'm 50/50 on liking this design vs. the outgoing model I think it will continue to gain market share because the car itself has been developing a good rep of its own with real value to hang its hat on; things like ride quality, build quality and ergonomic feel, and the smart moves by Ford corporate to lead the segment in it's technology integration with Ford Sync, App link, etc.

Well-You cannot judge sales on 1 individual's unfortunate problems with their Ford Fusion. It is really hard to say how this new Fusion will do.The old car had a conservative body style which would favor buyers of the Camry, Accord, and Passat. This new body style(which is very similar to the old European Mondeo and now is the new Mondeo)would seem to favor buyers of the Sonata,626,Optima. It may get down to how well it drives. If it is anything like the Euro Mondeo in suspension tuning it should be fantastic. The Euro Mondeo in ride and handling was considered the best FWD D class saloon in Europe and it compared well to the BMW 3 series.Of course the tuning could be different for the USA(usually is with less agressive tires).It's styling is what i would call mid road aggressive. What I mean is simply that it's not as aggressive as Hyundai and Kia and Mazda but more aggressive then Malibu,Accord, and Camry. For that reason people will look at it. The critical points will be it's quality, roominess,trunk space,performance,ride, and handling. It looks promising. Also although it does not have the top horsepower in the segment the 2.0 ecoboost should still have decent performance and get decent gas mileage.Until the car has been road tested and compared by various publications(including Consumer Reports)we are just mindlessly speculating. It is a very Euro looking sedan as is the Ford Focus.The Focus has done well for Ford but I don't believe it's the top selling C class compact here. I think the Cruzw and Elantra are fighting for the top spot. That may be a clue how the Fusion does against the competition.

I used "googles" to educate myself and found out that many of the major auto manufacturers (Japanese ones) took low interest loans and grants from the US government to help fund green vehicle research.

Malibu is the only car that Fusion will compete against.

Wrong-The Fusion should compete against everyone. Further Ford has the marketing dollars to help it compete.

Autospies gets its required hits due to flamebaiting headlines. News at 6. (And I'm just as guilty by responding, lol)
I see Camry buyers as pretty loyal. Fusion will take some, but I think Hyundai will suffer most, Its already dated styling and still questionable quality will reveal last year as its peak. And it will be the oldest one around after the Fusion, 'Bu, Altima, and 6 debut.
This will be an easy year for Camry to remain number one, with a modest increase in sales (maybe 5-10%) Remember, it is still months before these new models debut. Keeping number 1 in 2013 may be a bigger stretch, but by then the whole market could be shaken up. 2013 may be the year that Prius takes over the top. :)

Good styling improvement over the current Fusion, given it had the ugliest grill in its class. The new grill though looks more like what should be on their trucks. No chance it will hurt Camry, Accord, Sonata, or Optima. More likely will take Taurus customers given its styling, and general downsizing in the car market.

The new Fusion is a design triumph from front to back. Its a very seductive car and it will win new buyers from every mid-size class. The most difficult to steal from will be S. Korean car companies due to greater incentives. It will also win some buyers from luxury marques like BMW and Cadillac due to its perfectly executed styling. Let's hold the jury on any predictions pending its first drive. But I drive Range Rover SC and I'd buy the damn thing in Energi form if it ends up driving well.

Ford fusion sales 2011: 248,000
2007: 149,000


Toyota Camry sales 2011: 308,000
2007: 473,000


Ford has quickly closed the gap in sales fusion vs. Camry. The new fusion with it's stylish exterior and much improved interior versus the last fusion could unseat Camry in US sales during this redesign.

This new fusion looks way better inside & out than the Camry. And with Honda's recent missteps and the Coupe concept they just debuted at Detroit I can't imagine Honda growing sales of the Accord. If the refinement & quality are there then Ford might have the best selling midsize car again in the US, since the Taurus of the mid 80's to early 90s.

Criticize this car all you want, but the numbers tell the story - Fusion enjoyed record sales in the last 2 years, with momentum at its back.