CHICAGO AUTO SHOW: Chrysler Passed Over The Japanese And Targeted Ford's Fusion With New 200

Since when did Fusion become the benchmark in the segment?

I've seen only one person driving 200 in my life, and most likely no one will be driving this one as well.

And I have never really seen anyone driving Fusion around here. It's mostly Camrys, Sonatas, etc.

Clearly you are not up to speed. The Fusion is a game changer for Ford and very much has stirred the market.

stirring the market does not equal becoming the segment's benchmark.

Ford has more money to spend on advertising than GM or Chrysler

@MorePower...the Fusion IS being benchmarked. Ever see a prototype convoy of the new Sonata? Fusions are the chase cars.

Where do you live Tokyo or Seoul? This car looks pretty nice, the wheels a cool. Interior looks like it has better than average finishes too. The Fusion is a benchmark for the segment for sure especially in style and mileage. Is this platform the Alfa 159 platform?

You are truly a fool, just like how you always have been.

Hyundai retreated from Japan years ago (Not sure what happened now), so how would I see Sonatas in Tokyo?

And Toyota Japan has tons of cars that only the Japanese market gets. Just because Toyota's biggest seller is Camry in the U.S. does not mean it's the same in Japan.

But then again, you never were a wise one to begin with. You've ever even driven a Japanese car before, which only shows more of your stupidity.

Hmmm.. "passed over" the Japanese, or didn't shoot high enough?

Let's face it, the Fusion is good, but it still hasn't bested the Accord. The only area where it may have the Accord beat is in exterior design.

The odd thing about that statement is that, if Chrysler did target the Fusion, then it must have been targeting the previous version. The Fusion just came out last year and I'm sure Chrysler's development of the new 200 began well before that. I could be wrong as maybe Chrysler has other means to gain access to a competitor's new products, in order to scrutinize it so carefully, outside of rumors and words of mouth information.

cid - I have to agree with you, the Accord is a terrific car. The Camry is an appliance and the Sonata, well it has better looks, but the Accord has much more than both. The Fusion, you're right, its a contender but I agree, the Accord is the benchmark.

Camry is an appliance, in your dreams.

Drive a Japanese car first and then talk. You don't even know what a "benchmark" is, really.

Chrysler admitted who the leader is in design and leadership if not in sales.

I wonder what 1977 Trans Am the stole the gold wheels from.

the tacky gold interior trim looks like it would from a vintage Trans Am, but the gold wheels looks like there are a few Subaru fans in Chrysler's Design department.

The headline cannot be true. The Fusion was shown in 2012 so it had not been on the market long enough for Chrysler to have benchmarked it, designed the 200, prototyped it, and brought it to market.

"So Chrysler punted", in addition to the exterior football design language.

I think the Accord is the Benchmark in the segment. Chrysler is trying to woo people with exterior styling, but the car itself is likely a disappointment.

Cars in this segment pretty much all have the same basic shape. they are all starting to blend together. While Ford is doing better, they still suffer from reliability issues. The same with Chrysler. Hopefully they are both taking steps to improve.