Ford to offer start-stop feature on Fusion to boost mpg

Ford Motor Co. plans to offer a 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine with an auto start-stop option on the upcoming 2013 Ford Fusion.

The automaker said it will offer the start-stop option in the United States for $295 and the Fusion will be the first non-hybrid mid-sized sedan available with the technology.

Ford has not said how much the EcoBoost engine option will be for the Fusion.

The auto start-stop technology automatically switches off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, but restarts as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal.

Samantha Hoyt, Ford Fusion marketing manager, said in a statement that the automaker expects Fusion drivers with the option "will save about $1,100 more than other midsize sedan owners during five years of driving,"

The company said owners who spend most time in heavily congested urban areas and city traffic will benefit the most, up to 10 percent, and fuel efficiency will be improved by about 3.5 percent on average.

The 2013 Fusion, which goes on sale this fall, will get a projected 37 mpg highway with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost, Ford said.

Ford plans to produce as many as 1.5 million EcoBoost engines globally by 2013 for use in a variety of vehicles, the company said.

Ford said in January that it plans to offer EcoBoost engines in 11 vehicles in 2012, up from seven in 2011. The company built 127,883 vehicles with EcoBoost engines in North America last year.