As we all know, the auto industry is going through a disastrous stretch, plagued by both mismanagement and a toxic global economy. We thought we’d accentuate the positive and list some of the kudos that the Ford Motor Company has recently received in its effort to get greener.
- On January 28th, leading patent analyst, The Patent Board, found that Ford outperformed all other automakers in the quality and significance of its patents. The 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid have 119 patents, making the Fusion Hybrid the most fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly mid-size sedan on the market.
- The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released environmental ratings for model year 2009 vehicles listing the Ford Escape Hybrid and Ford Ranger on its “Greener Choices” list.
- February 6th, USA Today’s James Healey voted the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid the best gas-electric hybrid yet, even over the Toyota Prius, for its 41mpg in city driving and styling.
- On February 17th, Kelley Blue Book’s (kbb.com) named the Ford Escape Hybrid one of its “2009 Best New Family Vehicles” by citing the Escape Hybrid for its improved, more powerful and more efficient, gas-electric power-train, and its fuel economy rating.
It’s going to be a tough, ugly process to get America’s auto industry back in gear, but it appears that Ford is making some progress in meeting the coming demand for greener vehicles.
Now, is there anyone out there actually shopping for a car? If you are, here’s some good news. You may qualify for some tax breaks that pertain to some new vehicles purchased after Feb. 17, as part of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. According to The Washington Post,
“The deduction for state, local sales and excise taxes on new cars, light trucks, motor homes and motorcycles is allowed from Feb. 17 through Dec. 31, 2009. The deduction is phased out for joint filers with modified adjusted gross income of $250,000 to $260,000. For other taxpayers, it’s phased out if your modified adjusted gross income is $125,000 to $135,000…The deduction is limited to the tax on up to $49,500 of the purchase price of an eligible motor vehicle.”
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