of the Southern Automotive Media Association (SAMA); Stacey Mancuso, principal of the Design and
Architecture Senior High (DASH), and Jay Mays, Ford vice president and design chief.
Ford Motor Company sent one of its top executives to Miami on Sept. 18 to introduce the all-new 2013 Fusion Hybrid, a vehicle with exceptional fuel economy and crisp design cues, and one that the company says will be the standard for future models across the Ford product line. The new Fusion made its debut at Soho Studios in northwest Miami’s blossoming Wynwood Arts District and was presented by Jay Mays, group vice president of design and chief creative officer for Ford, to an enthusiastic audience of South Florida auto writers, artists, designers and business executives.
“This is the first of a wide range of vehicles that will be influenced by Ford’s Evos concept vehicle,” Mays said about the Fusion, while noting that it took three years to create the car from design concept to finished product.
Mays then invited his audience to take a close look at the half-dozen examples of the new Fusion that were positioned in the Soho auditorium.
“This is a chance to see the lines and the design of Fusion up close,” Mays said. “This is where it all starts to make sense, where you can see that there are no compromises in great design and exceptional fuel economy, and the end result is dropdead gorgeous.”
The unveiling of the sleek, new Fusion was attended by many of Miami’s most prominent artists, designers and “fusionists,” including Stacey Mancuso, principal at Miami’s Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH); Jaime Florez, president of the Southern Automotive Media Association (SAMA); celebrated street artist Daniel Fila (better known as Krave), and popular tattoo artist Chris Nunez, star on the popular tattoo reality series Miami Ink.
Mays told the gathering that the Fusion Hybrid delivers EPA-certified ratings of 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway and 47 mpg combined, making it the world’s most fuelefficient midsize sedan. He said the innovative Fusion Hybrid has a top speed of 62 mph in the EV (electric vehicle) mode, enabling it to match city and highway fuel economy ratings.
As part of the event, Mays moderated a panel discussion on design and inspiration that featured several local “fusionists” prominent in the fields of art and education.
“To obtain that final, appealing creation, you have to fuse things together,” Mays said. “It might be a combination of new ideas, unusual ingredients, diverse thoughts or vivid imagery, but to do it consistently and well takes motivation and inspiration.”
