2013 Ford Fusion

2013 Ford Fusion, Ford’s redesigned 2013 Fusion, introduced today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, will add a plug-in hybrid version and feature technology previously available only on luxury models.

The new Fusion will come with a choice of power plants, each of which the company says will deliver better gas mileage than competing mid-size sedans of similar engine type. The turbocharged, 1.6-liter gasoline “Ecoboost” engine will get expected ratings of 26 MPG in city driving, 37 on the highway.

The revamped Fusion Hybrid ratings should be 47 MPG in city driving, 44 on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata hybrids. The new lithium-ion batteries will allow the Fusion to continue under solely electric power to 62 mph before the gas engine kicks in instead of the previous cutoff at 47 mph.

The all-new model will be the oddly-spelled Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid. With a power plant similar to the regular hybrid, its batteries can additionally be recharged by plugging in the vehicle. Ford expects to get a rating of 100 MPGe -the mileage per gallon equivalent used by the Environmental Protection Agency for plug-in cars. That will better the Chevrolet Volt and the forthcoming Toyota Prius plug-in model, Ford says.

Ford also has loaded the 2013 Fusion with new technology features, some of which were available previously only on luxury models. Here’s a closer look at some of that new technology:

Dodge Dart 2013

Dodge Dart 2013, Digging deep into its past, back to the year 1960, in fact, Chrysler Group has resurrected the name of the Dart as its moniker for the new 2013 compact sedan that will debut at the Detroit Auto Show on January 9, 2012.

Though the Dodge Dart, which came out for the 1960 model year, endured for 16 years to 1976 in the U.S., its heyday was the first three years of production when it sold more than 622,000 units, according to Automotive News (sub. required), citing Allpar.com.

Announcing both the name and its debut at the forthcoming Detroit Auto Show, a press release from Chrysler Group says that “Similar to the Dodge Dart of the late 1960s, the 2013 Dart offers a special blend of style, performance and innovation.”

The two teaser photos just released give glimpses of the front and rear of the Dart, a car that the company hopes brings Dodge back to the compact segment “in a big way.” As our sister publication GreenCarReports opines, this “may be its [Chrysler’s] most important car in decades.

Old name aside, the new Dodge Dart will reside atop a Fiat platform, adapted from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, but lengthened and widened for segment-leading interior roominess. The 2013 Dodge Dart replaces the Dodge Caliber.

2013 Dodge Dart

2013 Dodge Dart, Dodge has pulled the sheet off of its new Alfa Romeo–based 2013 compact car and announced that it will be called Dart. Set to debut in January at the Detroit auto show, the Dart features three engines and three transmission options and aggressive styling reminiscent of the larger Charger. We’ve only got one question: How do you say “Dart” in Italian? Actually, it’s a three-part question: Wouldn’t you rather say “Demon” in Italian? Or “Hornet”?

Front-Drive, Not a Muscle Car If the resurrected Dart name had you daydreaming of late-1960s Mopar muscle, we’ll stop you right here. The 2013 Dart rides on a front-wheel-drive platform adapted from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Compared to the Giulietta, the Dart is wider and longer, its new architecture dubbed Compact U.S. Wide. Don’t let all of the air out of the Fun Balloon quite yet; the small Alfa is a fine driver’s car

The Dart’s appearance at least fulfills Dodge’s sportiness claims. The company released just two images of an up-level R/T model, but what’s visible is very Charger-like. The front wears a crosshair grille stuffed into a large, blacked-out cutout and flanked by swept-back headlights. The rear is basically a downsized rendition of the Charger’s, complete with a full-width LED taillight treatment and dual exhaust outlets. As opposed to many others in its segment—as well as its Caliber predecessor—the Dart will exist only as a four-door. Dodge has given no indication that a hatchback is in the works. An image of the interior will be released on December 13, according to a mini-site set up for the Dart, but our spy photographers already took a peek inside.