Teresa’s View
Here’s a news flash: Women buy cars.
I don’t know who told the auto manufacturers, but Ford’s all over it. So, to complement the launch of the all-new Fusion, Ford has embarked on a marketing campaign targeting the elusive female audience. Part of the plan includes a partnership with Benefit Cosmetics to sell – wait for it – special edition, Fusion eye shadow.
“We’re reaching out to a target audience that we haven’t talked to in a long time,” says Linda Perry-Lube, Ford car communications manager. “So, we needed a creative way to break through and get on their consideration list.”
This isn’t the first time Ford has paired cars and cosmetics. A similar promotion last year offered Mustang nail polish that coordinated with the colors of the car.
The Fusion marketing strategy includes a touring Fusion Studio D (the “D” stands for Life in Drive) that will visit select malls across the country – the only West Coast date was in Los Angeles. The show encourages women to interact with the Fusion while being treated to beauty services, fitness training, music, health information and a drawing for a boob job. I just made that last one up.
Pardon my sarcasm, but do women really need to be suckered into car shopping with the promise of beauty services?
The irony is that the Fusion doesn’t need this type of hype. Larger than the Focus, but smaller than the Five Hundred, the just-right Fusion is offered with a choice of two engines – a 160-horsepower 2.3-liter in-line four cylinder or 3.0-liter V6. When mated with the five-speed manual transmission, the four-cylinder delivers impressive fuel economy, promising 23 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.
Partly squared off and partly rounded, Ford calls the exterior design concept a “squircle.” It features crisp, muscular lines, a chrome grille and a smart line of the shiny stuff below the side windows.
Our tester’s pleasant, pebble-touch panels and dash, optional leather-trimmed seats with white topstitching and analog clock ensconced in faux chrome set a refined tone.
A lengthy standard features list includes a tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, intermittent speed-sensitive windshield wipers, air conditioning, cruise control, heated front seats and a six-disc in-dash CD player that reads MP3-encoded audio discs.
What Is It?: The all-new Fusion is a midsize, five-passenger sedan. Affordably priced at $18K for the entry-level S, the Fusion also comes in a mid-range SE and upscale SEL version.
Grocery Sack Test: Cargo space is ample, although the trim is cheap. Watch your head when accessing the trunk. The lid is low and tends to be in the way.