. . . Ford has released details of its slightly updated 2019 Ford Fusion mid-size sedan, which includes not only the Hybrid version but also the Energi plug-in hybrid model. The front-end styling has been mildly revised, once again, for the seventh model year of the current Fusion generation. It was previously tweaked for the 2017 model year.
The Hybrid gets no significant mechanical updates, but the Energi model—Ford's sole plug-in hybrid for 2019, following the death of the C-Max Energi in late 2017—gets a battery-capacity boost to give it a higher projected electric range rating. . . .
Specifically, the capacity of the pack has risen from 7.6 kilowatt-hours to 9.0 kwh, courtesy of a new cell chemistry that's slightly more energy-dense. The pack fits within the same form factor as all previous Fusion Energi batteries, according to Jan De Pena, the global chief engineer for the Fusion vehicle line. In the next-generation Fusion, he added, the battery might be more compact, and placed in a different location. (Under the rear seat, we surmise). . . .
Ford did not yet have a projection for the 2019 Fusion Energi's combined gasoline and electric range; this year's figure is 610 miles. The plug-in 2019 Fusion qualifies for a $4,600 federal income-tax credit for buyers. The company says the 2019 Ford Fusion Energi will be in dealerships by "late summer" this year. . . .