Autoblog

A paucity of hot product, and an unintentional buyer boycott has claimed the last Mercury-only dealership. Dealerships trading singularly in Mercury products were always few and far between; the brand was usually paired with Lincoln, but Community Motor Company in Canonsburg, PA has sold only new Mercurys for 57 years. The small family run dealership will continue to sell used vehicles, which have seen the franchise through even as yearly sales of new Mercurys have dropped to one third of their 1989 high point of 300 cars. The only salesperson, Joe Mastrangioli Jr., didn't feel any pressure from the Blue Oval to hang it up, but Ford does need to trim its retail network. Elevated age, health concerns, as well as a tough sales climate have made it feel like the right time for Community Motor to bow out.

Mercury appears to be gasping for breath like a porgy washed ashore. They are nice enough cars; the Milan is handsome and nicely trimmed, the Sable got a more distinctive face this year, and the Mountaineer is what every Explorer should be. Initial quality is better than most, according to JD Power, and the brand knocked it out of the park on Power's 2007 Dependability ratings, too. Despite that, nobody seems to be paying any attention to Mercury (sales are down 6.7% through November). It could be that the brand has nothing unique to offer other than tarted up Fords. The fleet-only status of the Crown Victoria makes the Mercury store the only place to get the Panther platform without the Town Car drag, but the Grand Marquis long ago had its day in the sun. Every time we lament the fortunes of Mercury like this, we get an email from Ford letting us know it has product in the pipeline for its Roman god of Commerce and Speed (how ironic is that?). We'll have just have to wait and see.

[Source: Auto News - sub req., Photo: Larry Rippell]

Word filtered down this week through the interweb that Prodrive's operations in the U.S. would cease to exist when the 2007 calendar year concludes. Prodrive America has been around for over five years, mainly supplying Subaru enthusiasts with all the necessary gear to flog road courses and plug holes on rally stages. There's no word as to why Prodrive is pulling out of the U.S., but to all its employees, we wish them the greatest of luck on their future endeavors.

[Source: Driving Sports via Straightline]

The writing's on the wall for Ford's pseudo luxury brand Mercury, which is now tipped to face extinction within the next couple of years. Flagging sales and no major new products in the pipeline mean Ford execs are likely to close the book on Mercury for good, and it could happen as early as 2012. Both industry experts and Mercury's own dealers are predicting the brand won't be around much longer. In fact, a recent survey of 125 dealers found that nearly four out of every five dealers were concerned that Ford is planning to dump Mercury.

Sales for Mercury last year totaled 180,848 units in the U.S., less than eight vehicles a month per franchise and the lowest total for the label since 1960. Remember, Chrysler killed the Plymouth brand because its sales dropped to 246,000 units per year and GM said goodbye to Oldsmobile when its annual tally dropped to 289,000 vehicles. So where does that leave Mercury? According to one expert, it leaves Mercury on life support. Of course, we've heard similar reports before, and yet Ford brass continue to pledge support for Mercury with their words. Too bad they refuse to do so with decent products.

[Source: Automotive News - Subs. Req'd]

The "Way Forward" has claimed its latest victim, this time in the form of the 50-year-old Wixom plant in Michigan. The production center, tasked with building Lincolns since 1957, has built its final White Chocolate Town Car destined for a customer in Washington D.C.

However, the Town Car hasn't met its demise yet. Production will continue at the St. Thomas plant in Ontario, Canada, along side its Panther brethren, the Crown Victoria and the Grand Marquis.

Wixom was housed production in the recent past for the Lincoln LS, Continental and Ford Thunderbird. Even Ford's ultimate halo car, the GT, received its finishing touches at Wixom.

[Source: Ford]

It's twisted and a bit pathetic, but I will be shedding a tear next week in honor of the Ford Taurus officially and finally going out of production. It had a 21-year run that in retrospect is the longest fall from grace in history. During that time Ford sold 7 million Tauruses and another 2 million Mercury Sables. Since January 1st of this year, however, Ford had halted sales of the Taurus to the public, accepting orders only from fleet and rental companies. Despite that, the Taurus remained Ford's best selling passenger car almost every month this year, selling more units than the Focus and even the red hot Mustang. The Taurus saved Ford when it was introduced in 1985 and immediately sold 263,000 units during that first year. That number would rise to 410,000 units in 1992 when the Taurus overtook the Honda Accord to become the best selling passenger car in the U.S., a title it held for five straight years.

We've been talking a lot around here lately about what mistakes Ford has made in the past that are responsible for its current dire straits. Perhaps the single biggest one is abandoning the Taurus. Ford knew the controversial redesign of the third generation Taurus wasn't going to recapture the passenger car sales crown from the Toyota Camry, and SUV sales at the time were beginning to gain momentum. Rather than reinvest in the car, Ford spent the next ten years pissing away the good name of the Taurus by abandoning development on the car or a competitive replacement, as well as not bothering to market the car responsible for saving the company in the mid-Eighties.

Workers at Ford's plant in Hapeville, GA are particularly upset over the Taurus being discontinued, not just because the plant will be closed and they'll be unemployed, but also because the team had become a world class workforce, even raising quality levels at the plant after Ford announced it would be closed. Mark Fields, Ford's current President of the Americas, admits even he doesn't understand how the company strayed so far from the Taurus. He also claims he's attempting to lead Ford's current turnaround with appealing new products, just like the Taurus led the turnaround back in 1985. We're sorry Mr. Fields, but the impact of the original Taurus is unlikely to be matched by anything in the Blue Oval pipeline right now.

[Source: Yahoo News]

We found two articles today that focused on the state of Ford Motor Company's various manufacturing plants in North America, one that offers a little bit of hope for one plant and the other not so much for the rest.

The ray of hope piece comes from Automotive News, which says that the Canadian Auto Workers union has given a proposal to Ford that if accepted could save the St. Thomas, Ontario plant where the Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis are built from being closed. While the CAW refrained from revealing the specifics of the plan, it involves putting Canada in the running with plants from Mexico and the United States for the contract to build Ford's upcoming B-segment small car. The plan would also have parts maker Magna International build an accompanying plant next to the St. Thomas facility where more Ford cars could be made. The resulting pair of plants would likely become the flexible manufacturing facility Ford said would become part of its recovery plan.

In an article entitled "Ford pits plant vs. plant", the Detroit News explores Ford's strategy of demanding that each plant being considered for closing increase its efficiency, with the added caveat that the most cost-effective and efficient plants will survive the closings. Some analysts quoted think the move by Ford could backfire and create resentment for the company among plantworkers, but really it seems that Ford's just being honest. Time honored union institutions like rigid job descriptions and ample overtime are quickly being tossed out the window as each plant strives to be leaner and meaner the other.

So far only seven of a total 14 plants have been identified for closing, so until the remaining seven are chosen UAW members can expect a lot more belt tightening.

[Source: Automotive News, the Detroit News]