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[/media-credit]Ken Czubay Chosen as Honorary Pace Car Driver for Ford Focus Electric at Richmond NASCAR Event
· Ken Czubay, Ford vice president for U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, has been chosen as honorary pace car driver for the Ford Focus Electric when it takes the field to the green flag in Saturday’s Capital City 400 NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway.
· Ford Focus Electric will be the first all-electric pace car in NASCAR history.
· Focus Electric is the flagship of Ford’s transformed lineup that features 10 vehicles with leading fuel economy.
RICHMOND, VA, April 27, 2012 – Ken Czubay, Ford vice president of U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, will be behind the wheel of the Ford Focus Electric pace car when it makes its historic NASCAR debut Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.
Czubay, an executive actively involved in Ford’s motorsport efforts, will use the Focus Electric to take the 43-car NASCAR field to the green flag as the race’s honorary pace car driver. Following the start, NASCAR’s Brett Bodine will take over his normal duties as the series’ regular pace car driver.
“I’m excited about being the pace car driver of the Focus Electric Saturday night,” said Czubay. “Not only will it be a historic first as the first all-electric pace car in NASCAR, but we are going to have the chance to show the thousands of fans there that night and the millions more watching on TV that you don’t have to compromise fun-to-drive capability for fuel efficiency.”
This marks the latest in a line of groundbreaking moments for Ford in NASCAR. In addition to being the first manufacturer to compete with a four-door sedan as its flagship model in 1998, Ford was also first to use a hybrid to start a NASCAR event when the Fusion Hybrid served as pace car for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2008.
In January, Ford became the first manufacturer to show off its 2013 NASCAR race car when it unveiled the new 2013 Fusion racer to media in Charlotte, N.C.
Fuel-economy leadership
The all-new Fusion range, which includes EcoBoost, a hybrid and the Energi plug-in hybrid version, is the best example of how Ford is giving customers true power of choice for fuel-efficient vehicles.
This year, Ford will offer nine vehicles reaching an anticipated 40 mpg or more. Plus, the company is building six new electrified vehicles by the end of this year.
“The Focus and Fusion are great examples of how we transformed our fleet of cars, utilities and trucks with leading fuel efficiency – by electrifying entire vehicle platforms, instead of one-off specialty models,” said Kuehn.
Ford will offer fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines in 11 vehicles in 2012, up from seven in 2011, tripling the production capacity of EcoBoost-equipped Ford vehicles. This expansion of fuel-efficient offerings will be led by the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine in the high-volume Escape compact utility vehicle and Fusion sedan.
Delivering up to 20 percent better fuel economy than conventional engines, EcoBoost uses smaller overall size combined with turbocharging and gasoline direct injection to bring customers the power they want and the fuel economy they need.
Focus Electric is America’s most fuel-efficient five-seat car that offers the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon (MPGe) city, 99 MPGe highway and operates entirely on battery-generated power. Focus Electric has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to offer 105 MPGe combined.
By comparison, the Nissan Leaf is certified at 106 MPGe city, 92 MPGe highway and 99 MPGe combined. Focus Electric features more passenger room, more motor power and a faster charging system that can nearly halve the charging time of the Leaf.
Production of the Focus Electric began in December at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. More information about MAP can be found here.
Ford is ramping up Focus Electric retail production in the first half of this year for dealership availability in California, New York and New Jersey. By the end of the year, Focus Electric will be available in 19 markets across the U.S.
More information about Ford’s electrified vehicle lineup – including press releases, technical specifications and other related material – can be found online here. Photos of the Focus Electric can be found here.
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit .
