Fill up your fuel efficient Ford Fusion and cruise into affordable living!

Ford Motor Company swept the North American Car and Truck of the year awards at the 2010 North American International Auto Show with the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Transit Connect. That’s especially good news for Detroiters who are anxious to see new life rise from the embattled auto industry.

Detroit got more good news this month from Forbes magazine: Detroit’s gas prices are consistently among the lowest in the nation. That, coupled with the area’s low housing prices, is helping Detroit make inroads into the cost of living, which, in turn, affects the quality of life.

Gas prices nationwide have spiked dramatically since Christmas. Last week, the U.S. average for a gallon of unleaded was $2.63; as of Jan. 8 it was $2.72 (up more than $1 per gallon from $1.71 a year ago–and rising). Oil prices are above $81 per barrel for the first time since November 2009.

The pain is relative, though. Despite Detroit’s current average of $2.75 per gallon, and the price increase we have experienced over the last week to ten days, Detroit consistently has some of the cheapest gas in the nation. Detroit ranked 10th, just behind Indianapolis, and joins Denver and Atlanta on the list of the cities that routinely offer some of the best gas prices in the nation.[1]

Tell the world – efficient cars, inexpensive housing, inexpensive gas, fresh water, parks and entertainment – Detroit is the value of the decade!

[1] To determine the cities with the best gas prices in America, we used data provided by GasBuddy Organization, a Brooklyn Park, Minn.-based group that administers a collection of local websites that post recent retail gasoline prices. We selected the 10 major U.S. cities with the lowest average regular unleaded gas prices for the 12 months ending Jan. 4, 2010. Current and national average prices are listed as of Jan. 7.