When Ford first introduced the Fusion sedan in 2006 it was met with moderate success in the market, but nothing groundbreaking and certainly nowhere near the segment leading Toyota Camry in terms of sales.
The Fusion’s decent-yet-nothing-special sales numbers continued for three years, sticking in the 140,000+ realm, before beginning to take off in calender year 2009 with the early sales of the model year 2010 model and its thoroughly refreshed face, engines and interior. That upward trend has continued, and Ford says the Fusion is on pace to clock 240,000+ sales in 2011 – marking the best year ever for the car.
So why is this unique? Usually (not always) cars enjoy their best sales years soon after launching a new model, later slightly dropping off as the model ages and the refreshed replacement approaches – which is exactly the opposite of what the Fusion has done.
While not quite an apples to apples comparison, Nissan’s Altima (an older nameplate with a mid 1990s market debut) has also been enjoying strong sales in 2011, having moved 243,005 cars through November to Fusion’s 226,445. Altima sales are up 17.8 percent so far this year, slightly outpacing Fusion’s 15.2 percent improvement compared to 2010.
The Altima is also due for a refresh for 2013, which our spies have caught in testing.
While the Fusion and Altima both share strong performance leading up to 2011, the reasons behind them differ. The Fusion’s surge can likely be explained by the fact that the mid-cycle refresh Ford performed on the Fusion in 2010 was more extensive than the usual nip-and-tuck to front and year fascias every two to three years. As a result, most buyers saw the 2010 Fusion as an all-new car, despite it actually retaining the side, roof and trunk panels from the original car – among many other things.
A truly all-new Fusion (the first since launch) is set to arrive at the Detroit auto show in less than two weeks, then go on sale in early 2012 as a 2013 model year car. If the 2013 Fusion is what analysts and Ford are suggesting it will be, expect the upward-trending sales to continue even more intensely once the all-new car arrives.
For now, we can only speculate what Form the Fusion will take and what success – or failure – it will bring.
