Does Ford Suffer from a Case of Honda or Hyundai Envy?

Think Ford First, says the automaker. So why are new Ford cars making us think of Honda and Hyundai instead?

It all started with the redesigned Ford

Escape, which looks

to the Honda

CR-V. After writing about the similarities last fall, many readers chimed in to inform me that new Escape was based on a car from Ford's European division called the Kuga. That is true. What those readers neglected to realize is that the current version of the Kuga was not introduced until model year 2008; the current CR-V (the smooth, rounded crossover that has inspired a legion of copycats) was introduced in model year 2006. I bring this up not as a fan of Honda or as someone looking to defend the Japanese automaker. Rather, I come to you as a fan of Ford vehicles. For years I have appreciated the company's quality and originality. And I have repeatedly argued that Ford manufactures the best-looking cars in the world. That is why I am so troubled – and most of all puzzled – by the company's decision to copy its most attractive Japanese competitor. Now it seems that Ford is taking a few cues from its leading South Korean competitor. Early this morning, Ford confirmed that the

of the 2013 Ford Fusion were real. The car was

at 12:01 a.m., complete with details regarding the impressive electric version, which could

at 100 MGPe (miles per gallon equivalent – a metric used for electric vehicles). The car looks great – not as cool as the

unveiled last summer, but still great. There's just one problem: the 2013 Fusion is sporting more than a few similarities to the Hyundai Sonata.