Ford

Ford Motor Company is a paradox when it comes to hybrids and other alternative cars. Company executives make big promises for green cars, break those promises, and then finally deliver vehicles that show real technology leadership among American car companies. As recent as 2006, Ford Motor’s Chairman (and former CEO) Bill Ford said the company would build 250,000 hybrids a year by 2010. Five months later, that goal was scrapped. Nonetheless, Ford offers the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market, the Ford Escape Hybrid, and a mid-size sedan with a city fuel economy rating of 41 mpg, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Perhaps more significant than the hybrids, it appears that Ford—under CEO Alan Mulally—is ready to shift to a lean and mean lineup of smaller cars and will introduce a combination of turbocharging and direct injection technologies (labeled “ecoboost) to deliver better fuel efficiency at an affordable price. See our list of Ford models and read the latest news about Ford’s fuel efficient models.