Oh Ford. How can you possibly build a light-duty truck that gets worse gas mileage than the Hummer H2? Well, that’s precisely the case for the 2010 Ford F-250 Lariat which was recently credited by Consumer Reports for getting the worst mileage of all 2010 vehicles with a shocking 10 mpg in real world tests.

That’s right, 10 miles per gallon. Amazingly, it seems like the Ford F-250 Lariat engine is operating like an ancient dinosaur. Sure, you’re getting plenty of power, but at what cost? With current gas prizes and regular driving, it won’t take long for a Ford F-250 owner to have paid for the vehicle twice, not to mention the amount of greenhouse gases they will have pumped into the air.

The most fuel efficient vehicles in CR’s real world tests were the Toyota Prius at 44 mpg, the Smart Fortwo at 39 mpg and the Honda Insight EX at 38 mpg.

As the public magnifying glass zooms in on all the issues surrounding the Toyota recalls all Car manufacturers are probably getting nervous. As the amount of Toyota recalls rises, it’s becoming clear that the problem lies with the US Department of Transportation as much as anywhere else. Clearly there is a disconnect between consumer complaints and action from the government.

Hot on the heels of the Toyota Prius hybrid recalls due to brake problems, the Ford Fusion hybrid and the Milan hybrid are getting updates to their software to address a braking problem of their own.

Ford has started a repair program which will alert all known owners of Ford Fusions or Milan hybrids built before October 17, 2009. They will be directed to their nearest dealer regarding, their “Customer Satisfaction Program 10B13.”

In the meantime, the Toyota recall story continues to make headlines as it has now been revealed that Toyota has known for years that the Prius had break issues.

Stay tuned to Eco Auto Ninja for the latest on the Toyota recalls and breaking news on issues with the Ford Fusion.

In what must be a major sigh of relief for those who’ve been watching the American auto industry with concern, Ford announced today that it made $2.7 billion over the course of last year.

Ford also predicted that it would continue to be profitable in 2010 as well as the rest of the foreseeable future.

Ford primarily attributes its recent success to its massive cost cutting measures, debt reduction and the popularity of its vehicles like the environmentally-friendly Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Escape SUV.

While this is great news for the Ford Motor Company, it’s still got a ways to go to make up for four years of straight losses including 2008 when it lost $14.6 billion.

The Detroit Auto Show has announced its North American Car of the Year and the prize has gone to the Ford Fusion Hybrid.

The North American Car of the Year is awarded based on an assessment by 49 journalists. One of the judges, Csaba Csere, a writer for Car & Driver, described the Ford Fusion as “simply the best one (hybrid) ever built. In addition o delivering terrific mileage, it looks and drives like a regular car – and a very good one indeed.”

The Ford Fusion hybrid shared the top honors with another Ford vehicle, the Transit Connect, which won the award for North American Truck of the Year.

This marked the third time in 17 years that the same automaker has won both awards.

The Ford Fusion hybrid is a mid-sized sedan which, like all hybrids, has gas and electric capabilities. The Fusion can run on electric power alone for up to 47 miles and features a 2.5-liter 155 horsepower engine to kick in when needed. A basic model cost starts at $27,270.

A sign of things to come and the direction of the automotive industry, Sanyo, one of the largest producers of nickel hydride batteries used in hybrid vehicle production, is boosting their production levels by 75 percent.

The bulk of Sanyo’s hybrid vehicle batteries are currently being sold to Honda and Ford and to lesser degree Audi and VW for upcoming hybrid lines.

This is particularly big news for Ford which has had a bottle neck in it’s hybrid production levels due to lack of components like batteries. As Ford starts to focus on smaller more eco-friendly vehicles like the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (pictured above), it will definitely be looking to acquire more batteries.

Sanyo will crank its hybrid battery production up from 2.5 million per month to 3.5 million. It has not yet been announced which companies will get how many of the new Sanyo batteries.

Ford bought a little extra advertising tonight when they gave American Idol finalists Adam Lambert and Kris Allen each a new 2009 Ford Fusion hybrid.

Acting on behalf of Ford, last year’s American Idol winner David Cook handed off the keys to the happy contestants.

Kris Allen was particularly grateful as he said that he really needed a new car. Well, it’s probably safe to say that Kris should be a hot enough commodity in the music business now since he will be finishing at least second in this year’s American Idol.

While the decision hasn’t been made yet, it’s generally agreed that Adam Lambert is the favorite to win it all but upsets have been known to happen so we’ll see how it goes.

Ford is planing a new battery-electric version of the Focus for the North American market in conjunction with battery maker Magna, slated to debut in 2011.

“In the worst of times worldwide, we’re here today to celebrate a plan to profitably grow Ford,” CEO Alan Mulally said. “We’re fighting for the soul of manufacturing in the United States of America and worldwide.”

The battery-electric Focus will run up to 100 miles without using gas or emitting greenhouse gas.

“We’re building the highest tech vehicle in our fleet here in Michigan,” Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said. “It going to be a critical step toward the commercialization and ultimately the acceptance of electric vehicles.”

In addition to the battery-electric Focus, the Ford is working with Smith Electric to sell a battery electric commercial vehicle for North America in 2010, the Transit Connect. It also plans to introduce in 2012 a next-generation hybrid vehicle and a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

LemonFree.com Used Cars

You might have heard a lot of hubbub about how hybrid vehicle sales are down from last year. The economy was great in most of 2008 and gas was going for $4 a gallon. Hybrids were hot. Toyota posted a drop of 42 percent in overall sales this April from last April.

But in the cases of Ford and Honda, things have been looking up.

Despite car sales being pretty dismal this year, Ford still managed to move a record number of Fusions in April with 18,321 sold. Not considering that over 1,000 of those Ford Fusions were hybrids. Combined with sales of the Ford Escape hybrid, Ford ended up selling 2,300 hybrids in total for April, helping make for an increase in Ford hybrid sales by 21 percent over last year.

Meanwhile, Honda saw a 25 percent drop in overall sales in April from last year, but saw a surge in hybrid sales. With the new Honda Insight selling 2,096 units and the Civic Hybrid selling 3,461, Honda hybrids manage to sell 25 percent more than last April.

If you’re thinking of buying a used hybrid vehicle yourself, check out LemonFree.ca and their hybrid vehicle section.

Ford is planning on proving that the 2010 Fusion Hybrid (pictured above) is capable of averaging 57mpg with a fundraiser drive that will see it go more than 1,000 miles on a single tank of gas.

In support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation the Fusion Hybrid will be driven for 43 continuous hours using eco-driving techniques that have already seen the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid attain 70mpg in testing.

This stands out as a pretty good demonstration of not only the Fusion Hybrid but the efficacy of good eco-driving practices (unnecessarily fast acceleration we’re looking at you) all while raising money for a good cause.

President Barrack Obama has made it clear that he considers the environment a priority of his administration. He started back when he was a mere presidential hopeful in August of 2008 when he called for a million plug-in hybrids by 2015. He even traded in his V-8 Chrysler for a hybrid while on the campaign trail.

Now, in office his economic stimulus package provides about $80 billion for renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency, improving and expanding mass transit, updating the electrical grid and research.

This Thursday, President Obama will continue to emphasize the role that hybrids and other clean vehicles play in America’s future by visiting the Southern California Edison Electric Vehicle Technical Center in Pomona to check the progress being made by SCE and Ford on their clean vehicles like the Escape hybrid.