It was probably a matter of time before someone picked up the Consumer Reports review that accused Ford of misstating the 2013 C-MAX Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid fuel economy numbers and filing a lawsuit.

The publication contested the 47 mpg city/highway/combined figure and said that the two Ford hybrids had the “distinction” of recording the greatest difference between the EPA-approved mpg and the ones it achieved during its own tests.

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There's no end in sight to Ford's war of words against Toyota and its Prius family of hybrid models. Adding to a long list of press releases and statements targeting the Japanese brand's hybrid models, Ford came out with a new announcement today saying the 47mpg C-MAX Hybrid outsold the Prius v minivan in its first full sales month. Read more »

After announcing plans to shut down its Genk factory in Belgium at the end of 2014, Ford came out today with new details about its European restructuring efforts that include the closure of two more plants, the allocation of production, the loss of up to 6,200 jobs and other actions to increase cost efficiencies.

The announcements come against the backdrop of the persisting economic crisis in Europe with Ford estimating its loses in the region for the full year 2012 to exceed $1.5 billion (€1.15 billion).

The two additional factories receiving the axe are the Southampton Transit van plant, which is Ford's last vehicle-making facility in the United Kingdom, and its stamping and tooling operations in Dagenham, again in England.

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California’s Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (CARB) announced that Ford’s C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid MPV has been approved for the Green Clean Air Vehicle Sticker, which gives it access to the state’s much-coveted High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes. Read more »

Thanks to an EPA certified EPA-certified 108 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in the city, Ford's new C-MAX Energi has been afforded the title of America’s most fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid.

The compact minivan that shares most of its parts with the regular 47 mpg C-MAX Hybrid adding plug-in capability, also returns 100 MPGe on the combined cycle.

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If you take a moment to check out Ford U.S.A.'s recent press releases on the new C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, you will notice that the Blue Oval always finds some room to insert a reference or two…or three to Toyota's rivaling Prius V minivan, be that for its fuel economy numbers, pricing or features.

In Ford's latest release, the word "Prius" appears…15 times, but that's to be expected since the automaker is bumping the challenge to the next level by launching a new campaign to "establish C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid as better, more fuel-efficient hybrid alternatives to Toyota Prius V".

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