Autoblog

There's further proof that Ford's planetary division could soon wave goodbye, according to Automotive News. While we've already reported on the apparent lack of supplier deals for the ailing upmarket brand from Ford, some further dissection reveals just how close Mercury may be to the brink of extinction. For instance, no Mercury vehicle currently exists which isn't a mild rebadge of a Ford product. While we have had hints of new models wearing the Blue Oval badge, not a peep has been provided regarding future Mercury products. Lincoln too has gotten some love as of late with its new MKS sedan, but a Mercury flag-bearer is conspicuously absent.

While the Mariner and Milan could arguably justify their positions in Ford's lineup, the Sable, Grand Marquis and Mountaineer seem completely irrelevant. Are two models really enough to justify an entire brand? While no official announcements have been made regarding the death of the Mercury brand, the new product silence is deafening enough for many to conclude that there's just not enough money in Ford's pockets to worry about anything past its bread-and-butter Ford brand and the ailing Lincoln luxury marque.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click on the photo for a gallery of the 2008 Mariner in action

Ford provided the journalists assembled in Dearborn the chance to drive many of their 2008 models back-to-back with their 2007 equivalents so that the new models' improvements could be experienced firsthand. Among the vehicles available to us were Ford's compact crossovers, the Escape and Mariner. AutoblogGreen recently did a full review of the 2008 Escape Hybrid that you can check to find out what it's like to live with. We'll focus here on the improvements made to the '08s in general.

Out front, the new Mariner has a much more distinct and upscale face compared to the Escape. While the Escape is styled with more of a family resemblance to the big F-Series trucks, with a bumper that stands in front of the grille, the Mariner sports the Mercury family's vertical bar grille, sharing itd DNA with the Milan and new Sable. It flows all the way down to the bottom of the bumper and definitely looks more carlike than Escape. Once you climb inside, everything else applies equally to both the Mariner and Escape the driving experience is identical, save for some color/trim differences.

Check out our impressions of the Mariners old and new along with a video after the jump.

Gallery: 2008 Mercury Mariner at the track

Gallery: 2008 Mercury Mariner

Mazda has a new styling chief. Dutchman Laurens Van den Acker will be putting the rather cumbersome appliqué "General Manager of the Design Division of Mazda Motor Corporation" on his office door, replacing Moray Callum (design head since 2001) who has been appointed to Ford's automotive design director post.

Van den Acker comes to Mazda from parent company Ford, where he was the automaker's Dearborn-resident Chief Designer, Strategic Design. The gifted multilingual designer has had a hand in a number of Blue Oval concepts from the last few years, including the Bronco, 427, 24/7 and Model U. Production-wise, some of his influence can be seen on the Escape and Mercury Mariner.

In light of Callum's move, Patrick Schiavone will be Ford's Design director for trucks.

The promotions are effective immediately.

[Sources: Mazdanews.com; Ford; Mazda]

(Tip nod: Igor)

Ford Motor Company announced yesterday that sales of its hybrid SUVs rose 50 percent year-over-year in April to 2,800 units, largely on the backs of sizeable incentive initiatives.

The numbers indicate a 75 percent increase over March, which would appear to indicate that Ford is gaining some traction thanks to the zero-percent 60-month loans on its Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids, as well as the ramping up the ‘Kermit Factor’ (read: spending more $$$ on advertising).

Ford also attributes government tax benefits and increasing gas prices for the demand uptick.

[Source: Reuters via Planet Ark; Autos.163]

Not much is known about the next Ford Escape, other than the fact that the U.S. version is becoming more distinct from its foreign-market counterparts, like the re-nosed model set to run Down Under for 2007. Of course, as can be plainly seen here, the American version of the popular small SUV will get a new look as well, though markedly more aggressive than its Australian counterpart. With a bolder chrome grille and bumper inlet and headlamps similar to that of the 2007 Expedition, the look is definitely more grown up and aggressive, with designers having exorcised the overly prominent front bumper fascia of the current iteration.

No word yet on powertrain or interior refinements, though the Aussie Escape gained variable valve timing on its 2.3-liter four-cylinder model, and all models received an upgraded interior. From the looks of things, it would appear that the domestic Escape will receive a more thorough going-over than that of other markets, which should keep it in the hunt against vehicles like the new Toyota RAV-4 and Hyundai Tucson, along with upcoming competitors like the Mitsubishi Outlander.

[Source: The Detroit News]

The slow roll to the red carpet at tonight’s Academy Awards is likely to be a quiet one for many of the night’s biggest nominees. Oscar-intenders like Joaquin Phoenix and George Clooney are slated to arrive curbside in Toyota hybrids, as part of the company’s fourth annual “Red Carpet, Green Cars” marketing shtick. Given the massive amounts of traffic (vehicular and human) ‘round the event, expect a near-silent processional as the company’s parade of hybrids will likely arrive in full-electric mode.

For their part, the Ford Motor Company is finally starting to get into the pre-Oscar eco-promotional sweepstakes, as Cathy Schulman (producer of Crash) will exit a Mercury Mariner Hybrid, and Jake Gyllenhaal of Brokeback Mountain fame is set to roll up with his homies in a biodiesel Ford Excursion.

Wither the General? GM will forgo all the green posturing, and instead bring the bling, with a fleet of 50 Cadillacs, largely 2007 Escalades.

No word on if Michael Moore will be attending, and if so, what his 'Whip du jour' will be. (Sorry 'bout the pic, we couldn't resist)

[Source: The Associated Press via The Washington Post]

Mazda Motors donated ten of its hybrid Tribute prototypes to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) at the organization's headquarters in Irvine, California. The Ford subsidiary will eventually donate a total of thirty hybrid Tributes among various fire agencies in the Golden State.

The prototypes are similar to its hybrid Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner siblings. It is unknown if they will eventually go into full production, as Mazda recently announced that it will suspend production of the compact SUV from May through the end of this year.


[Source: Ford Media via TMCnet]

Ford Motor Company has awarded the Cleveland Police Department with keys to its very own Mariner Hybrid. The force won the car as a result of a campaign designed by Ford and implemented by 11 police forces around the country to help boost public awareness of green technology and fuel-efficiency.

Ford Hybrid Patrol, as the program was called, first educated police officers on fuel-saving tips before turning them loose on the general public to do some green good. Of the 38 officers who participated, the average fuel economy was achieved 45.38 mpg. The officers then went out and awarded drivers with positive citations (and a $25 BP gift card) for good driving behavior.

Other participating forces were from Chicago, IL; Somerville, MA; Boston, MA; Alexandria, VA; East Point, GA; Phoenix, AZ; Los Angeles suburb, Glendale, CA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; and Miramar, FL.

[Source: The Ford Motor Company via WebWire]

There will be no 2007 model year Mazda Tribute for U.S. consumers. The Blue Oval subsidiary's Escape/Mercury Mariner doppelganger will go on sabbatical from May on through the end of the year, though the move will reportedly not alter production levels (or employment) at the automaker's Claycomo, Kansas plant.

According to Ford sales analyst George Pipas, the Escape/Mariner/Tribute platform's 2007 model year run will be on the shorter side, as the company is readying a redesign for next January (to be designated a 2008 model). Mazda has opted out of the abbreviated schedule, but Escape and Mariner are to continue production.

[Source: The Kansas City Star]