38 Articles
Report: Last Mercury for retail business built on Sunday

Ford is already well into winding down its Mercury line, and the autoamker has announced that the very last of the soon-to-be dead brand's products built for retail sales was manufactured on Sunday, October 3. The final Mercury Mariner rolled off of the assembly line at the company's Kansas City facility, putting an end to a brand with over 70 years of history behind it.

Mercury production to cease in late September?

If Automotive News is correct – and they usually are – it looks like Mercury won't make it to Thanksgiving this year. Heck, they won't even make it through Halloween according to a new report. AN is saying that three dealers have come with forward with news of the automaker's plans. What they're saying is that the 71-year-old brand will start winding down production at the end of September. The ancient Grand Marqu

Mercury dying: No updates planned past 2010

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

Ford hybrids to turn a profit in 2008

Ford's been cranking out hybrid CUVs on the CD2 platform for four years now, and with over 40,000 produced, it's gotten to be old hat. Since it started in 2004, Ford's managed to make the Escape, Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute 30-percent cheaper to build. That cost reduction, coupled with the pending introduction of the hybrid Fusion and Milan platform-mates, will allow Ford's hybrid program to actually turn a profit for the first time in 2008. The Mariner and Escape hybrids find about 21,000

2008 Mariner hybrid costs $2K less than 2007

The hybrid price war is heating up. Mercury has released pricing for the 2008 Mariner hybrid. It's $26,620 and 2WD. The 2007 Mariner Hybrid was only 4WD and $28,615. Okay, maybe the price is lower because it's 2WD and not 4WD. I guess the price drops maybe a response to the loss of some tax deductions. So, there might

Ford of India's new SUV/polar bear ad could be considered a tad insensitive

Something tells me that Ford of America and Ford of India do not share any information or assistance when it comes to advertising and marketing strategies. With all of the thought that apparently goes into advertising, one might think that somebody would have realized that this new ad in India - featuring an SUV and polar bears - might upset a few people. For more commentary on why this ad might be a bit insensitive, Jeremy Korzeniewski

2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner priced below outgoing models

Today Ford announced pricing for both of its redesigned compact sport utility vehicles, the 2008 Ford Escape and 2008 Mercury Mariner. The Escape will start at $19,245, including $665 for destination charges, which is $740 less than the base price of the current model. The Mariner begins at $21,345, again including $665 for destination, which is $460 less than the current model. Across each lineup, Escape prices will drop an average of $1,100 and Mariner prices $1,300. The hybrid versions of eac

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