Ken Evans Ford

Dearborn, Michigan - The 2011 Ford Fiesta has become the first mini-car to earn a Top Safety Pick from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) since the introduction of a new roof strength test. The award applies to Fiesta models built after July 2010.

The Fiesta is Ford's eighth vehicle to earn the top designation, breaking a tie with Toyota for the most Top Safety Picks of any automaker, the company said.

To earn the Top Safety Pick designation, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of "Good" in front, side and rear crash tests, earn a "Good" score for roof strength, and be equipped with electronic stability control.

As North America's largest auto show, Detroit's NAIAS always has an abundance of new cars, new announcements and, of course, awards. Detroit is also where Canadian and American Auto Journalists vote on the North American Car of the Year Awards.

Ford scored a historic doubleheader, capturing both the Car of the Year and Truck of the Year awards for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Ford Transit Connect, respectively, at the NAIAS. It is only the third time in 17 years that one manufacturer has won both titles

Fusion, a large reason why Ford is the top-selling brand in Canada this year, is available starting at $21,499, but the test car featured here is the hybrid version with a base MSRP of $31,999. It's the most fuel efficient midsize sedan you can buy with a range of up to 1,200 km on a tank of gas.

It's been getting rave reviews. Ford's next-generation hybrid system with SmartGauge, which made its debut in the Fusion, has been named 2010's best new green technology by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). And the entire Fusion lineup - gasoline and hybrid - won Motor Trend's 2010 Car of the Year.

Fusion's hybrid system features a 2.5-litre Atkinson Cycle inline four, mated to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT), that's augmented by a 275-volt permanent magnet electric motor. On its own, the gasoline engine produces 155 hp, but the electric motor can boost that to 191 hp, which makes the hybrid quicker off the line than the gas-only four-cylinder Fusion that makes 175 hp. In AJAC testing, the gas Fusion sprinted from zero to 100 km/h in 9.9 seconds and from 80 to 120 in seven seconds. The hybrid model reached 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds and 120 in 6.1.

The SmartGauge LCD instrument panel is programmable in four modes. A cluster of green leaves grows or diminishes depending on how efficiently you drive. This car delivers better fuel economy in city driving where the gasoline engine doesn't operate at stops or slower speeds, making it quiet around town because it can be driven on electric power alone up to 75 km/h.

You can find many of our environmental achievements already operational in our current vehicle lineup.

• Escape Hybrid - Escape Hybrid, the world's first full hybrid SUV, is Canada's fifth most fuel-efficient vehicle. Even more fuel efficient than the smallest traditional gasoline ICE vehicle being offered for sale in Canada today
• Canada's first hydrogen fuel cell fleet - five Ford fuel cell vehicles, powered by a Ballard Fuel Cell Stack have been operating in Vancouver since April 2005. Since then, we have been the only automobile company in Canada with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles operating on Canadian roads
• Canada's first hydrogen internal combustion engine fleet - in December 2006, Ford delivered Canada's first H2ICE vehicle, a 12-passenger shuttle bus to Ottawa for use on Parliament Hill as part of a 10-bus demonstration project that Ford is pursuing in Canada. In 2007, we became the only automobile company in the world with hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles operating on the road
• $600 million plus investment in Ballard Power Systems - since the early 1990s, Ford has recognised the promise of hydrogen fuel cells and that is why we have invested over $600 million in Ballard Power Systems of Burnaby, BC
• Elimination of energy waste - we're eliminating waste in every vehicle system, such as power steering, cooling and electrical systems, as well as minimising wind drag through design and optimising our new six-speed transmissions
• 2008 Focus - we've increased highway fuel gain by three percent over the 2007 model year thanks to a series of improvements, including aero and electrical efficiencies
• Canadian GHG Challenge Registry® Gold Champion - Canada's only voluntary, publicly accessible national registry of greenhouse gas baselines recognised Ford of Canada as a Gold Champion level reporter. This means Ford surpassed the most rigorous reporting standards. Ford of Canada has received a Gold Champion Level award for their GHG Challenge Registry submissions every year since 2000