Archive for the ‘Mercury’ Category

Ford announces Mercury Tracer small car based on the new Focus

Monday, February 15th, 2010

2011 Ford FocusFord executives confirmed today the Mercury will get is own new car on the same platform as the 2011 Focus, which was recently unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

According to the same sources, the new car dubbed Mercury Tracer will hit the dealerships in 2011, same year the new Focus arrives. “Here in the United States, the trend toward fuel-efficient vehicles is very important, and the trend toward small cars is coming back,” Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, said after the meeting. “Our strategy is pretty simple: have a broad-based lineup.” Also, it appears that Ford already told its dealers that they can start ordering the new Fiesta on February 15. The Fiesta will hit showrooms this summer.

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Ford says it will fix software in Fusion and Milan hybrids

Friday, February 5th, 2010

2010 Mercury MilanFord Motor Co. will update the software of the regenerative braking system on already-delivered 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrids and 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrids. But before you rush into any conclusions, this is not be labeled as a recall. Ford calls this update a “customer satisfaction program.”

Each of the 17,600 owners of Fusion and Milan hybrids will be notified by mail. In a statement, Ford said that it has received complaints about drivers getting a different brake feel when the hybrid’s unique regenerative brakes switch to conventional hydraulic braking. Continued after the jump!

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Jaguar, Mercury win top honors in the J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction Index

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

2010 Mercury Mariner HybridIt’s certainly no fluke that the Jaguar brand has won top honors in the annual J.D. Power and Associates Sales Satisfaction Index for the fifth time in six years. Last year, Ford Motor Co. sold Jaguar to India’s Tata Motors. There are five sales process factors to this index, which measures how customers are satisfied by their buying experience.

Jaguar, which Ford sold along with Land Rover for $2.3 billion in 2008, gathered a score of 898. The J.D. Power survey pointed to Jaguar getting high points for salesperson and paperwork/finance process factors. Continued after the jump!

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NHTSA probes Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey over transmission complaints

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Ford FreestarThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating complaints concerning the 2004-05 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans, which have been reported to have defective transmissions that can cause the moving vehicles to stop suddenly. Federal safety officials say that as many as 205,000 vehicles could be affected.

According to the NHTSA website, investigators are focusing on the torque converter output shaft. The shaft, in the rear of the transmission, drives the wheels. To date, the NHTSA has received 654 customer complaints and 2,791 warranty claims related to the vehicles’ sudden inability to move on the road. Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, considers it a safety defect that calls for a recall. The agency’s engineering analysis will be completed in 12 months, according to NHTSA. Ford has yet to issue a statement with regards to the ongoing investigation.

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Ford’s dealership consolidation strategy hits stand-alone Lincoln-Mercury dealerships

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

2010 Lincoln MKTFord CEO Alan Mulally was asked recently by Automotive News about how its current strategy of promoting the combo Ford-Lincoln-Mercury retailers over the stand-alone Lincoln-Mercury stores has fared so far after the changes were made starting 2006. Continued after the jump!

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Ford dropping the Explorer Sport Trac and Mercury Mountaineer

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

2009 Ford Explorer Sport TracAs sales of the Ford Explorer decline, so does its lineup. In 2010, Ford will drop the Explorer Sport Trac and the Mercury Mountaineer SUV. This move will occur when Ford switches the Explorer from a body-on-frame to a unibody platform. Based on the D3 platform used on the new 2010 Ford Taurus, the unibody 2011 Ford Explorer will go into production in 2010 at the Torrence Avenue plant.

Expect an EcoBoost model to follow after the standard gasoline engine choices make their debut. Since peaking in the 1990s, sales of the Explorer have fallen drastically. In 1999, FoMoCo sold 507,091 Explorers and 49,281 Mountaineers. In 2008, sales of the Explorer declined to 78,439, while Mountaineer sales were 10,596. Both are down more than 50 percent so far in 2009.

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Mercury to focus on smaller mid-sized cars and crossovers

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Mercury MountaineerFor future viability, Ford’s two luxury brands, Mercury and Lincoln, will be moving in different directions. While Lincoln will be going further upmarket, Mercury will be getting rid of its larger models and focusing on smaller mid-sized cars and crossovers that are more fuel-efficient.

According to the marketing plan, Blue Oval will do away with the Mercury Grand Marquis in 2011 and the Mercury Mountaineer SUV in 2010. Having more Ford cars on the global platforms is expected to be good for the Blue Oval’s bottom line. Mercury will instead turn its attention on a new compact car based on the Ford Focus. Production for the new Mercury model, which will be a four-door sedan, will begin by the end of 2010 or early 2011. In 2013, Mercury’s Milan mid-size vehicle will be on Ford’s global mid-size platform, which will also highlight the Ford Fusion, Ford Mondeo and Lincoln MKZ. With this move, Ford’s production costs are expected to decrease and will also allow for these products to be shipped globally. Mercury will also get a redesigned variant of the Mercury Mariner crossover at the end of 2011. By then, this car will sit on Ford’s global small-car platform, which remains front-wheel-drive.

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Mercury Sable production coming to an end this Thursday

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Mercury SableThis Thursday, the manufacture of the Sable sedan of the Mercury brand will come to an end at the Ford Assembly plant in Chicago, which will also signal the start of the production of the 2010 Ford Taurus model. As the company’s mid-luxury line and intended to fill in the gap between the Ford and Lincoln brands, Mercury has been absorbing the sales of the two brands.

Ford has denied rumors suggesting that the carmaker will be totally getting rid of the brand. However, this denial by Ford is not supported by any action considering that, after the Sable is gone, the five remaining models still do not have any replacement after their present product cycles. Ford has said that it will provide Mercury a small car but the recession that has been making a toll on the industry may be a strong reason the Mercury will be totally shutdown. Last month Ford sold 1,158 Mercury Sables, down by 37.9 percent from April last year. Compared to last year, the Mercury brand is down almost 41 percent for April in contrast to last year and has fallen 43 percent in the first four months of this year. Ford is down by 40 percent and Lincoln by 35.6 percent. Ford’s facility in Chicago is also responsible for producing the Lincoln MKS and the Taurus X crossover which ended production last month. Photo gallery after the jump!

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2008 LA Auto Show: 2010 Mercury Milan

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

2010 Mercury Milan To be introduced together with the new Ford Fusion at this week’s LA Auto Show will be its Blue Oval company cousin, the new 2010 Mercury Milan and the Milan Hybrid. Highlighting fresh styling inside and out, adding a series of upgraded engines, the latest 2010 Milan is scheduled to arrive in displays in the first six months of 2009.

Modifications to the exterior design were concentrated on the grille, and front and rear fascias. The chin was extended forward and the fascia was pulled down to give the car a much wider and a more athletic appearance.

The newest car’s dual-tone appearance on the interior is in keeping with the Milan distinction, with satin-aluminum highlights and a wood finish around the center of the dash. An enhanced seat design with new perforation pattern has been added as well. The seat curve itself was changed, with more side support to help create a completely softer seat. Details and photos after the jump!

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