NASCAR's new favorite eco car, the Ford Focus Electric. Image from Ford.
Perhaps the best way to convince eco car buyers to purchase a vehicle is to let them watch it race around a NASCAR track at top speeds. Ford recently did just that, when the Focus Electric ran as the pace car in the Sprint Cup Richmond 400. Since many car buyers are motorsports fans, and recent surveys at the Vancouver International Auto Show prove a growing number are interested in eco cars (especially those they’ve seen in fast action), Ford Canada is well placed to fill a growing consumer need.
A “pace car” is sent onto a race track when there is an obstacle on the course, such as a wreck, that could pose a significant danger. The pace car zips out and immediately takes over first place, driving at a regulated speed. The lead car is forbidden to pass the pace car, and other racers are forbidden to pass each other.
Ford’s surveys show that a full 78 percent of new car buyers are NASCAR fans. The Vancouver International Auto Show survey showed that 76 percent of car buyers were likely to consider an eco car as their next purchase. What this all adds up to is that, thanks in part to the Focus Electric’s performance on the track, Ford Canada’s eco car options are in high demand.
The Focus Electric is one of the most efficient five-seat eco cars in the U.S. and Canada, getting approximately 110 MPGe city, and 99 MPGe highway. It operates on 100 percent battery power.
Ford dealers, such as Ford Canada, also offers the Fusion line, an eco car range that includes EcoBoost technology. The Fusion Hybrid was the first hybrid eco car used in NASCAR when it ran as the pace car at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2008.
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