Ford believes it is filling a void with the 2013 Fusion.
A recent survey carried out by Ford revealed that drivers regarded electronic driver-assist options to be the features they would most like to see added to their cars.
"We found the drivers we talked to were definitely inclined toward features that provided real practical benefits by alerting them to potentially hazardous situations they may have missed," said Billy Mann, managing director of Penn Schoen Berland, which carried out the survey. "For them, assistance features that increase awareness ranked high among their priorities."
Assistance features can combat driver fatigue or inattentiveness, dangerous traffic conditions, or bad weather or lighting. Nearly nine out of ten respondents said that they would welcome programming that gave their car the ability to slow itself in the face of collision danger. Two-thirds were similarly receptive to a car that gave them the ability to see around other cars while backing out of a parking space, or alerted them to vehicles in their blind spots.
"Basic transportation has long been the dominant style in the midsize family sedan segment," Amy Marentic, Ford Group marketing manager, said in a statement. "This survey shows that as consumers have become accustomed to using electronic assistants in other aspects of life, they are increasingly recognizing how technology can help them cope with the stresses of driving."
The survey found that respondents - even those who considered themselves generally safe drivers - admitted to unsafe behavior behind the wheel. Three-quarters admitted to eating or drinking while driving, and more than half to speeding or using a hand-held mobile phone. Eighty-three percent admitted that they or someone they knew drove while excessively tired.
The Fusion includes Ford's lane-keeping system, which uses a forward-facing camera to watch for visible road markings, and alerts the driver by causing the steering wheel to vibrate if the car starts to drift out of its lane. Ford calls Fusion the only car in its segment to also apply a torque to the steering wheel that helps orient the car back into its lane when it begins to drift.
For the Fusion, Ford claims to have developed a suite of driver assistance technologies usually available in vehicles costing $100,000 or more. These features include: a blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning with brake support, a lane-keeping system with driver alert, active park assist, a rear-view camera system, and Ford's SYNC infotainment system.
The Fusion starts at $21,700.
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