Detroit Auto Show 2012: Ford pushes the 2013 Fusion to 100 mpg

Later this year, Ford Motor Co. will launch this: the 2013 Ford Fusion midsize sedan in three variations — including a plug-in hybrid that gets 100 mpg, besting every other liquid-powered vehicle for sale to the American public. It could be a winning equation, but there's a few key variables Ford hasn't revealed.

The current Fusion has turned into a mainstay of Ford's lineup, and the most popular car built by an American automaker, with sales hitting 248,067 in 2011. For its redesign, Ford will run the same play it's called on with the smaller Fiesta and Focus −- build one version of the Fusion for sale worldwide, using the Mondeo name in Europe and elsewhere, to lower costs while raising quality. Assembled in Mexico and Michigan, styled in Europe to follow the new Ford global look, two of its three engines will be built in Spain and England.

All three of those engines will be four-cylinder units, in line with the trend among downsized motors for midsize sedans. The base 2-liter four returns with 170 hp and 170 lb.-ft. of torque; the top engine is now a 2-liter EcoBoost turbocharged plant with 237 hp and 250 lb.-ft. of torque — a step down from the top 3.5-liter V6 offered now.