Ford midsize comeback a Fusion

Filling an open space in its lineup, Ford sought to equip its newest entry not with technological marvels but with great balance between attributes.

Ford has thrown a lot of resource at its brand-new entry, the Fusion sedan, with the expectation that enough of it sticks to help turn the company's car fortunes around-or, as Ford President and Chief Operating Officer James Padilla put it, lead the company “back into the midsize car segment in a big way.”

That quote by-and the very presence of-Ford's number-two executive at a sundrenched August 30 to September 1 media presentation/ride-and-drive for the Fusion in the hippest enclaves and on the most serpentine roads of Los Angeles underscores how important Ford views the car to its success. Padilla pointed out that the midsize segment is a large one-2.5 million units-and one from which Ford has been absent for a number of years.