Vehicle Shoppers on KBB.com Choose Ford as Best Car Styling Brand

Watertown, 04/01/2013 / SubmitMyPR /

While auto journalists and other industry experts are often the deciders of car-of-the-year awards and the like, it is ultimately the car shopper who determines the long-term success of an automaker’s lineup. To that effect, Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com recently released its 2013 Brand Image Awards, which were decided by thousands of prospective buyers who visited the auto researcher’s site. After opinions were analyzed, Ford emerged as the Best Car Styling Brand among non-luxury contenders, marking the third straight year that KBB.com has recognized the marque for its exterior designs.

Determined by the feedback of more than 12,000 KBB.com visitors, the Brand Image Awards measure an auto brand’s ability to maintain certain attributes that create enthusiasm among buyers. KBB.com editors cited Ford’s attractive new design language when dishing out its Best Car Styling Brand award, including its application on the Ford Fusion midsize sedan and Ford Escape compact SUV, both of which received redesigns for the 2013 model year.

"Since the middle of the last decade, Ford has invested a lot into its lineup to create models that manage to be edgy and exciting, but also extremely fuel efficient," said Peter King, general manager of Watertown Ford, a Massachusetts Ford dealership. "The redesigned Ford Fusion is the latest and perhaps best example because it has the boldest design in the midsize segment, yet it is available with a variety of efficient-yet-responsive drivetrains."

In December, KBB.com named the Ford Fusion its 2013 Best Redesigned Vehicle, calling the model the “hottest-looking” car in its crowded class. Ford’s new midsize sedan is set apart by a prominent hexagonal grille, laser-cut headlights and sharp creases on its front fascia and flanks. KBB.com editors also praised the impressive fuel efficiency of the car's five available drivetrains, which include a standard 2.5-liter engine, two EcoBoost powerplants and two gas-electric options: the Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid.

Despite its sleek exterior, the 2013 Ford Fusion was designed to be just as functional as it is fashionable. As allergy season arrives this spring, Fusion owners will benefit from interior materials that were chosen to limit allergic reactions and prevent the irritation of existing allergies. Ford engineers tested more than 100 materials and components of the Fusion to eliminate or reduce the use of potential irritants like natural latex, nickel and hexavalent chromium.

"Whether it is style, safety, sustainability or just a case of the sniffles, Ford thought of everything when designing the new Fusion," King noted. "Allergies can be an unwanted driving distraction when the pollen count is high, but the Fusion was outfitted with advanced air filters to keep most of those particles outside where they belong."

About Watertown Ford:
Watertown Ford is where Greater Boston Ford lovers head for the best deals on new and used Fords. No other Massachusetts Ford dealer has the same dedication to the customer, and that dedication has earned Watertown Ford the loyalty of Ford owners all over the state. Their new and used Ford inventory can be viewed online at www.watertownford.com, and interested customers can visit their showroom at 625 Pleasant St. in Watertown, Massachusetts. They can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MyWatertownFord and reached by phone at 800-584-6486.