Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Crossovers/CUVs, Mercury
Ford offering Mercury Mariner Hybrid with livery package
Over the past two years, the Ford Escape Hybrid has demonstrated its robustness as a taxi in New York City and other major metropolitan areas. Meanwhile, hybrids like the Toyota Prius have become increasingly popular among limousine services catering to companies that want to demonstrate their green credentials. Now Ford wants a piece of that action too, and it's using the Escape Hybrid's stablemate, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid, to get it. Ford is now offering a hybrid livery package on the Mariner Hybrid that it hopes will make the green conscious CUV more appealing to care-for-hire services. Curiously, however, the press release after the jump makes no mention of what differentiates a Mariner Hybrid with the hybrid livery package from the standard vehicle. The only difference between the two appears to be the buyer.
It definitely seems like Ford is trying to get taxi services to replace their Crown Vics with the Escape Hybrid and limo/car-for-hire services to replace their Lincoln Town Cars with the slightly more luxurious Mercury Mariner Hybrid. More power to 'em we suppose, but in both cases the person being chauffeured is giving up a lot of legroom. Nevertheless, the Mariner should be a popular choice in the car-for-hire business thanks to its larger passenger and cargo volume compared to the Toyota Prius.
[Source: Ford]
PRESS RELEASE:
FORD INTRODUCES FIRST HYBRID LIVERY PACKAGE
Ford Motor Company is promoting its luxuriously equipped, fuel-sipping Mercury Mariner Hybrid as an eco-friendly alternative to stretch limos at a time when the Ford is the first automaker to introduce a hybrid livery package, which demonstrates the company's commitment and innovation to the limo/livery industry, said Doug Walczak, Ford North American Fleet limousine and livery manager.
"There has been demand for a hybrid livery vehicle for some time," said Walczak. "More and more livery clients are asking operators for environmentally friendly options. In turn, the operators are coming to us for a solution."
Ford is offering the Mariner Hybrid with a luxury package as an alternative to its Lincoln Town Car, which is the premier choice of luxury sedans in the limo/livery industry and accounts for more than 80 percent of the market share. Walczak said that the small SUV is getting serious consideration.
"The Mariner Hybrid addresses a market need," said Walczak. "Compared to the other hybrids, the Mariner Hybrid is roomier and has more cargo capacity than the Toyota Prius and is much less expensive than Lexus hybrids."
The Environmental Protection Agency rates Mariner Hybrid at 34 mpg in city driving and 30 on the highway. By comparison, the fuel economy of larger livery vehicles is often less than half or even a third of the Mariner.
The Mariner Hybrid turned a lot of heads at the recent Limo and Limousine & Chauffeured Transportation (LCT) Eastern Conference and New England Livery Association trade show and convention in Connecticut. In fact, Mark Shpilner, owner of Limousine 18 in Boston recently took delivery of his first Mariner Hybrid from the Lincoln-Mercury dealership in nearby Acton, Mass.
"I sold a 2003 Chevy Suburban and decided to try a Mariner," Shpilner said. "We're going to put it out there (as an option for our customers), and see what happens."
According to the National Limousine Association, the growing limo/livery industry has nearly 9,500 companies nationwide, operating approximately 131,600 vehicles from sedans to super-stretch SUVs and tour buses, and serving 1.38 billion passengers annually. There are an estimated additional 2,500 limo/livery operators around the world. The annual gross revenue for operators in the United States is $2.4 billion and the industry's suppliers (i.e., vehicle modifiers) rack up $2 billion in annual sales.
The use of hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles is seen as a growing trend.
"A lot of operators are really interested in it, but a lot are still hesitant," said Camella Lobo of LCT magazine. "A lot of the larger operators that serve corporate clients are driving the trend."
Johan DeLeeuw, president of Olympus Limousines in Atlanta, said some of his corporate clients require or encourage their use environmentally responsible "green" vehicles. A number of prominent hotels, for example, promote Olympus' use of flex-fuel vehicles and participation in a carbon offset program as part of the hotels' earth-friendly operations.
"We also work for big companies like Coca-Cola that require us to have a 'green' program in place. Without it, we won't even get on their property," DeLeeuw said, adding that he doesn't see the trend turning around down the road. "Five years from now, if a transportation company doesn't have a 'green' program, it will have a serious problem."
Olympus is reducing its carbon footprint as a founding member of the Limousine Environmental Action Partnership (LEAP), a consulting firm that assists limo/livery companies to become more sustainable.
"Sustainability is here to stay," said LEAP founder Patricia Charla, whose background is in corporate travel. "Being 'green' is a competitive advantage for corporations today. Limo/livery operators that deliver on their corporate clientele's demands for environmentally friendly transportation will win more business."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mr. Oak 4:18PM (11/09/2007)
I like these, and have taken the Escape taxis around NYC. Somehow though, I think a Hybrid version of the Explorer would better as a replacement for the Corwn Vic. The back seats of the Escape can be a little cramped after the partition is installed.
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Jim Pease 4:42PM (11/09/2007)
In my opinion, the rear seats in the Explorer are too low while the Escape has more of a stadium seating set up. But with the required partition, I could see a lot of leg room lost.
Maybe Ford needs to do like they did with the Continental. Offer a long wheel base model.
antrow 4:44PM (11/09/2007)
Being a Prius owner I would argue about the Escape being better for Taxi service. The Escape gets far less gas mileage and is more comfortable and refined, in my opinion. We test drove an Escape Hybrid and it felt like a late 80's truck. Very bouncy and unrefined.
As for limo service, I think a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid would be the way to go. Or, maybe add a hybrid battery pack to the DTS and keep it around a little longer. It can spare a little trunk room. No one wants to pay a few big $$$ to ride in an Escape.
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AZMike 12:14AM (11/10/2007)
this is a total joke. I owned a livery company for seven years here in Arizona, and learned a few things.
some basic facts:
-this business is all about status and comfort. otherwise, people would just take a taxi.
-we got smart early, and didn't have a single Town Car in our fleet, just Cadillac deVilles. the cars were replaced every two years, when they reached 350,000 miles. we kept meticulous records on maintenence and fuel economy.
our average fuel economy? 25.4 miles per gallon. that's an average for over 14.7 MILLION miles! (that's 42 vehicles we owned in seven years, times 350,000 miles each).
-not ALL livery vehicles are on the east coast, and driven in congested city conditions. as a matter of fact, the urban east coast only comprises about 35% of the livery vehicles in the US.
-as I mentioned, this business is all about comfort. comfort is NOT going to be provided in a little teeny SUV, or in a large one where you ass is lower than your knees in the second row seat, like it is in an Escalade or Navigator. those second row seats feel like a leather-covered marshmallow, and only get worse after a few thousand butts have sat in them.
in contrast, the rear seat in a REAL livery sedan is a very comfortable place to be. plenty of stretch-out room, with amenities like mulitiple power points, rear seat vanity mirrors, and rear seat reading lights. many also have fold-down writing tables that lower out from the front seat backs. many are now long-wheelbase versions, and have over 42 inches of rear seat legroom. THIS is what livery customers pay for.
some national companies like Dav-El even have oriental rugs and bars in the rear seat. bear in mind here, we're not taking about limousines, but regular sedans. for those not familiar, the rule in the livery business is that folks with money would never be caught dead in a limousine. the limos are for the rock concert, quinciniera, prom, bat and bar mitzvah, and wedding crowd.
in many cases in the livery business, there is not much conversation with the customer during the ride, especially in the morning. they will many times be reading the paper, working on their laptop, or talking on the phone. none of this is very condusive when the driver's right elbow is about three inches from the rear passenger's leg, like it would be in a teeny SUV like the Mariner. rear seat amenities? please.
cost is really not much of an issue, either. a new, livery-specification Town Car or DTS can be purchased new for less than $35,000; both makes include a 3 year, 150,000 mile special livery warranty at no additional charge.
I wouldn't want to think how well one of these Mariners would hold up after 350,000 miles.
AZMike
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LMdealer 7:52AM (11/10/2007)
HYBRID LIVERY PACKAGE (47L) (fleet only)
Includes:
• Hybrid Premium Package
• Heated front seats
• Reverse Sensing
• Roof Rack with Satin inserts and black crossbars
• Energy Flow/Navigation system
• Cargo Area Cover
• Heated Mirrors
• Body Color Mirrors
• Premium Leather Seating Surfaces
• Lumbar Controls
• 6 way Power Driver seat
• 110V Power Outlet
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priusguy 2:25AM (11/11/2007)
Is that what "Livery" implies? I had no idea. i guess that's why I read the post. The Mercury package sounds like an option package I got on my Prius, certainly not something that would be that beneficial in a commercial application.
I think the Prius makes a better taxi than an Escape. It is very roomy and gets great gas mileage - it will save cab drivers some serious cash in terms of gas savings.
Real Prius Car Prices from Real People
http://www.pricehub.com/price/Toyota/Prius
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