Imported from Detroit? Made in the USA Foundation Doesn’t think so, Sues Chrysler and Ford

Chrysler's “Imported from Detroit” campaign that began airing during the Super Bowl earlier this year and continued with several more spots later on, has grasped the interest of viewers and consumers alike.

Unfortunately for Chrysler, it has also caught the attention of the Made in the USA Foundation, which filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Chrysler's claims for false advertising. And it’s not only Chrysler as the non-profit consumer group is also targeting Ford for the same reason.

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SPY SHOTS: 2013 Ford Mondeo Prototype Snapped in Station Wagon Trim

The end of the current European market Mondeo and North American Fusion is nearing as Ford is ramping up tests of a new common replacement for both models in the mid-size category.

We've already shown you spy pictures of the sedan model, but now our scoopers captured a test-mule of the station wagon derivative. It’s too early for Ford to talk about availability, but it's fairly certain that the Estate version of the next Mondeo/Fusion series will not be sold in the States.

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Ford in Talks with UAW About Adding 10,000 Jobs, Move Fusion Production from Mexico to the U.S.

The Ford group is currently negotiating a four-year contract with the UAW (United Auto Workers) union, which could add as many as 10,000 new jobs at its American factories.

Citing sources familiar with the issue, Bloomberg News reported that the job-discussion is part of the negotiations between the two parties that also include wages, benefits and employment status in the new contract.

Among the moves being considered, is shifting production of the Ford Fusion mid-size sedan from Mexico to the U.S.A., which could help in the creation of nearly 4,000 new jobs alone.

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SCOOP: New Ford Mondeo Prototype Spotted Out in the Open, will Replace the U.S. Fusion as Well

Our spy photographers captured a development prototype of Ford's new global mid-size sedan sporting a modified platform but with most body parts sourced from the current Mondeo saloon, during testing in Europe.

In the likes of the latest Fiesta and more recently, the new Focus that are available in more or less the same form worldwide, the next generation of the Mondeo will serve as truly global model for Ford in the popular mid-size segment.

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Union of Concerned Scientists Releases 2011 Hybrid Scorecard: Prius = Good, Touareg Hybrid = Bad

The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology’s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans.

A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called “forced-feature premium”. The latter is features that don’t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.

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VIDEO: Ford Fusion Accident Leads to an Epic Landing

Now here's a scene you don't see every day. In fact, even if you tried to do it on purpose, we seriously doubt that you'd manage to pull it off no matter how hard and how many times you tried. The truly epic landing and vertical rest of this silver colored Ford Fusion (or at least it looks like a Ford') in the snowbank is the result of a multiple vehicle accident that took place on I-93 South bound just before Exit 3 in Windam in New Hampshire on Tuesday. Video follows after the break.

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NHTSA Probes 2010 Ford Fusion Over Wheel Stud Fractures

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] today announced that it has opened a preliminary investigation to assess a possible safety concern on certain 2010 Ford Fusion models, following four complaints that allege wheel stud fractures.

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America's Top 10 Selling Vehicles in 2010

The U.S. auto sales numbers for 2010 are out and once again, Ford's F-Series pickup truck has been crowned the best-selling vehicle of the year, a title which it has held for 34 years in a row. According to Autodata Corp., the Dearborn-based brand moved 528,349 units of its F-150 light-duty and F-250, F-350 and F-450 heavy-duty trucks in 2010, recording an impressive increase of 27,7 per cent over 2009.

The Chevrolet Silverado took second place with 370,135 units, or some 158,000 less than the F-Series. Sales of GM's pickup truck were up 16,9 per cent from the previous year.

Despite Toyota's recall debacle, the Camry finished third overall earning the title of the best-selling passenger car in the States with 327,804 units, posting an 8.1 per cent drop from 2009. The Honda Accord and Toyota Corolla followed in fourth and fifth positions respectively.

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VIDEO: Chrysler Promo Compares New 200 with Chevy Malibu and Ford Fusion

In what may be a sign of the times, the Chrysler Group is using bloggers, and members of social media sites and forums to promote its newest models on film. Here we see the company's latest promotional clip showing off the restyled and upgraded Sebring sedan, which as most of you know, has been renamed to 200.

The video hosts a number of people from various websites as well as one of its own marketers, and compares the mid-size sedan with Chevrolet's soon-to-be-replaced Malibu (see the official drawings here) and the Ford Fusion. Being a Chrysler made / edited promotional video, we'd take everything said with plenty grains of salt. Follow the break to watch the short clip.

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Ford to Provide NYPD with Fusion / Escape Hybrid Patrol Cars

Not to be left behind in the quest to clean up our planet, the NYPD announced that it will be adding 200 hybrid vehicles to its fleet in the form of Ford Fusion and Escape Hybrids.

The announcement comes after officers across the five boroughs began testing copped-out Nissan Altima hybrids this time last year.

NYPD spokesman John McCarthy explains, "These [Altimas] were the first hybrids outfitted with a police package being used for patrol. We wanted to see how they held up after being subjected to use on patrol. After a year of use, the feedback has been positive."

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2010 Ford Fusion Facelift Gets Chrome Monobrow, New Engines and a Hybrid Version

Ford has issued the first official picture of the 2010 Fusion that will be revealed along with its revised Lincoln MKZ and Mercury Milan siblings at next month's LA Auto Show. The facelifted Fusion profits - or the opposite, we'll leave that for you to decide, from a fully redesigned front end that features something that was designed to look like a car but ended up resembling a gigantic chrome monobrow. The mid-size sedan also gets a new hood design and a restyled front bumper. Ford is still keeping the rest of the photos under a cloth of secrecy, so we'll have to see if there are any other styling changes. -Continued

The 2010 model year Fusion (as well as the Milan) gains from a new engine lineup that includes Ford's brand-new Duratec 2.5-liter 4-cylinder unit that delivers an output of 175HP and 172 lb.-ft. of torque, 14HP more and 16 more lb.-ft. of torque than the preceding year's 2.3-liter unit. The 3.0-liter V6 engine has been reworked producing 19HP more and 23 more lb.-ft. of torque than before for a total of 240HP and 228 lb.-ft. of torque while for 2010, there's also a new 263HP 3.5-liter V6 engine.

What's even more important is that all three engine are paired with Ford's new six-speed automatic transmission. While Ford has yet to release any specific figures, the company supports that paired with the 6-speed auto, the 2.5-liter Fusion delivers a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency while the V6 configurations gain a 4- to 6-percent efficiency.

In 2009 Ford will also introduce the Fusion and Milan Hybrids equipped with a next-generation hybrid propulsion system. Te hybrid sedans can operate up to 47 mph in pure electric mode while Ford claims that the city driving range on a single city tank of gas is expected to be more than 700 miles. Furthermore, the company said that both the Milan and Fusion hyrbids are expected to achieve class-leading fuel economy, besting the Toyota Camry hybrid by at least 5 mpg.