NEW YORK: The second generation of the Ford Fusion debuted at the 2012 North American International Auto Show as a 2013 model year. Now we have the 2016 Ford Fusion, known as the 2015 Ford Mondeo facelift in Europe. A cosmetic overhaul of the sedan is being prepared to be launched as the 2017 Ford Fusion and this is the very first photograph of the darn thing.
As a four-door mid-size sedan, the Fusion is an important product for the Ford Motor Company. This generation has been developed under the One Ford strategy. Though its design is led by Ford of Europe, the Fusion is a global car, hence the Mondeo name being used on the other side of the deep blue pond.
So what do we have here? In a nutshell, a corporate PowerPoint presented by the Blue Oval during the J.P. Morgan Auto Conference, containing a small, pixelated photo of the 2017 Ford Fusion on slide 9.
Pictured next to the Escape, Fiesta and EcoSport (erroneously labeled Eco-Sport in the presentation made by Hau Thai-Tang, FoMoCo vice prez of global purchasing), the big news is that the Fusion gains a modern-looking front fascia for the 2017 model year. Our first impression is “Is that a Fusion? For real, with those angular blades instead of fog lights? Oh man!”
We tend to believe it is the real deal, more so when you consider that the presentation is uploaded on the corporate.ford.com website. Wider, pointier grille, redesigned headlights, and no changes to the body sides are the name of the game as there’s only a single angle for us to analyze at the present moment.
Our spy photographs of 2017 Ford Fusion test mules showcase taillights and a chrome trim on the trunk, inspired by what an Australian might find on a Falcon FG X. Overall, we dig where Ford is taking the Fusion in terms of style. In terms of mechanicals, we don’t hope to receive more than carryover bits and bobs.
One element we do expect is a rotary dial placed on the center console instead of a traditional gear lever, something you can also find on the China-spec Ford Taurus sedan, Range Rovers and Jaguars.
