3 hybrids up for Green Car of Year

The greenest of them all?

Three hybrid cars are up for this year's Green Car of the Year Award, at least according to Green Car Journal.

The Honda Insight, the Mercury Milan hybrid, and the Toyota Prius will join the VW Golf TDI and the Audi A3 TDI as the final nominees for this year's award. The winner will be announced at the LA Auto Show in December.

Rush to the best Ford Fusion tax credit

Worth up to a $3400 tax credit

If you're interested in purchasing a Ford Fusion hybrid, it's best to act now. While the EPA has told Ford that the Fusion hybrid will qualify for a $3400 tax credit, that credit will only be available until March 31. After that, until September 30, the Fusion hybrid will qualify for a $1700 tax credit. After than, until March 21, 2010, the tax credit will be $850.

The Fusion hybrid will start at $27,270, although dealer markups could increase those costs.

Also, the Mercury Milan hybrid qualifies for the same tax credits as the Fusion hybrid.

Fusion hybrid 5mpg better than Camry hybrid

No competition for Ford's new hybrids?

InsideLine is reporting that the new Ford Fusion and Milan hybrid vehicles will achieve fuel economy that is at least 5 mpg better than the Toyota Camry hybrid on the EPA's city cycle. That would mean at least 38 mpg..

To achieve this level of fuel economy, Ford's new hybrids will have an electric range of up to 8 miles and be able to run on nothing but electricity up to speeds as high as 47 mph.

According to Ford, these impressive numbers were achieved by downsizing all hybrid components, as Toyota has claimed it will also do with the next generation Prius. That means a battery that is 20 percent lighter than the battery pack used in the Escape hybrid, for instance.

Sounds like a winner. It would be nice to see Ford live up to the hype. Of course, if Ford only produces 25,000 Fusion hybrids, I still won't be that impressed.

Bold predictions for Ford's new hybrids?

Same production limitations as the Escape hybrid?

According to MotorTrend Ford will soon roll out new technology that will "meet or beat the competition in fuel economy." At least that's what Ford's president of the Americas Mark Fields is claiming.

A piece of that new technology will be some new hybrid vehicles, as Ford is prepared to launch both the Fusion and the Mercury Milan hybrids late this year.

Since Ford's hybrid system is largely leased from Toyota, does that mean Ford has figured out a way to make better hybrids than Toyota with the same technology? That seems more like marketing spin than reality. And, even if true, can Ford increase hybrid production to levels that will really mean something?