There's nothing that can get consumers motivated to go green like a competition, and Ford knows it. That's why the ailing car company has installed a fuel efficiency "score" on the 2010 Ford Fusion's dashboard.

Fuel efficiency is represented on the dashboard by a vine. Increasing efficiency causes buds and leaves to grow on the vine, while decreasing efficiency makes the vine wither. 

The dashboard also features a display that records mileage and fuel used. The display can be set to record personal bests and compete with a second driver.

The drawback to these gimmicks, of course, is that they are a distraction. With drivers already consumed by PDAs and cell phones, is it really necessary to add even more electronic gizmos to the list of road hazards?