Ford is a manufacturer, a global employer, and a victim – a victim of its own success. Typically, when you think of Ford’s sales hits, vehicles such as the Mustang and F-150 come to mind. It seems the Fusion should be on that list, too.
In 2014, Ford sold 306,000 Fusions – more than doubling the 142,000 it moved in 2006, the first full year of Fusion sales. Not only that, but it’s doing well in two huge markets: California and Texas. According to Ford sales analyst Erich Merkle, “Since its introduction, Fusion – in style-conscious California – has grown at almost six times the rate of the overall segment.” Based on vehicle registration data, Texas alone is the home of 14 percent of the Fusion’s U.S. retail sales growth.
An attractive redesign for the 2013 model year which brought striking lines and an Aston-Martin-esque front end certainly made its contribution to that kind of popularity.
Ford isn’t the only victim of its success, though. It’s taking customers from Honda. In 2012, the Accord had a roughly 90,000-unit sales edge over the Fusion. That chasm narrowed to a gap of roughly 12,000 cars through June of this year.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
