The production of the popular Ford Fusion – known in Europe as the Mondeo – begins, for the first time since its inception, in America. To this end, Ford has invested the considerable sum of $555 million in upgrading the Flat Rock Assembly Plant and hiring 1,400 new employees.

This is a direct response to the surging demand for Ford Fusion, as it is setting sales records for Ford. The new produciton plan will boost the Fusion output by more than 30 percent – up to 350,000 units annually. What’s more, the new hiring puts the company more than 75 percent of the way toward its goal of creating 12,000 hourly jobs in the United States by 2015.

The Fusion/Mondeo has always been a great mid-size sedan that remained obscure, even though it always sold well. The new generation of the car, however, is too beautiful to be ignored. It adds great looks to the long list of what’s good about the car, including value for money, features and equipment, efficiency, and a very pleasant driving experience.

No wonder then that it is selling like hot cakes. Through July, Ford sold more than 181,000 Fusions, 21,000 more than were sold in the same period last year. Ford Fusion has caused a great deal of trouble for the Asian cars in this segment, as it continues to win over buyers from other automakers, particularly Asian manufacturers, with a competitive conquest rate of 50 percent.

2013 Ford Fusion comes with a range of EcoBoost engine including a hybrid version, and a whole host of technology features such as Lane-Keeping System, adaptive cruise control, active park assist and MyFord Touch.