You Gotta Scratch Mercury Sable Off Of Your List!

Quick, what Mercury model is the most memorable one of all? The Milan Hybrid? Mountaineer SUV? Maybe its the aged full-sized Grand Marquis sedan?

Well, if you’re a guy that answer would be Jill Wagner, the pretty young woman from North Carolina who has been successfully hawking Mercury cars and SUVs over the past few years. Jill has been the main spokeswoman for Mercury since 2005, helping to raise Mercury from obscurity to at least minimum visibility as she ends each commercial with the same statement, “You gotta put Mercury on your list!”

Kiss The Mercury Sable Good-Bye!

Whether people put Mercury on their list or not, the brand will soon be eliminating the Mercury Sable, the twin model to the Ford Taurus (see Sable Reaches end of the line Thursday, The Detroit News).  Like the Taurus — which took the Five Hundred’s spot two years ago — the Sable replaced the Montego, but as the next generation Taurus rolls out in June, Mercury will not be treated to its own version.

The Ford Motor Company has been saying that Mercury will eventually be recast as a small car division, which means that the Mountaineer will be the next model to go followed by the Panther platform Grand Marquis. That latter model, which is a driving museum piece, is probably the worst representation of what Mercury is all about, the antithesis of the youthful Jill Wagner (notice she has never been cast to sell a model that predates her!) Then again, besides the Milan and Mariner, there isn’t any other reason to enter a Mercury showroom unless you’re looking for a Lincoln which is in the middle of its own brand revival.

Will The Next Mercury Come From Ford Europe?

Ford’s plans for Mercury includes adding one small car to it’s line up. Though nothing has been confirmed yet, that car could be one of the six European models heading to North America, perhaps a vehicle that won’t be sold by Ford dealers here.  The Transit Connect, Fiesta and Focus will each be sold as Fords, but the Ford Ka may also make its way across the pond, perhaps badge-engineered as a Mercury.

Ford has been making the three-door hatchback Ka since 1996, rolling out the latest generation of the 1.3L I4 powered city car beginning with the 2008 model year.  That model sits on the Fiat Panda platform which powers the Fiat 500, the same car that Fiat hopes to introduce in the United States through its newly acquired Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealer network.

At this point, it is nothing but speculation for what Ford plans to do with Mercury. Right now, Ford is showering new model love on Ford and Lincoln while trying to get a good price for Volvo. This means that Mercury will have to wait, but we’ll probably have Jill Wagner around to sell the Milan and the Mariner and their hybrid variants for the foreseeable future, just what her guy fans want.

2009 Mercury Sable Pictures And Review

Changes to the new Sable from the existing Montego included a new front end with Milan-inspired headlamps, as well as exterior satin-aluminum mirror and door-handle accents, and new LED taillights. Also new was the addition of the 3.5 L Cyclone engine from the Ford Edge, as well as the replacement of the continuously variable transmission (CVT) with a conventional one to counter criticism of the Montego being underpowered. On Wednesday February 7, Ford confirmed the changes.
Mercury Sable Pictures

Mercury Sable Pictures

Mercury Sable Pictures

Mercury Sable Pictures

Mercury Sable Pictures

Auto Sales: Looking For Signs of Recovery

April 2009 new car sales in the U.S. market were down once again, a drop of 34.4% over April 2008. Moreover, nearly 40,000 fewer new vehicles were sold in April compared to March 2009, even with one more selling day for April.

Finding Good News Amongst The Carnage

Reading some of the news releases from the manufacturers and you would think that April was a good month. Not surprising, since PR folks are looking for every possible ray of light and when they find one are eager to reflect the good news.

Take Ford: As the Blue Oval continues to map out its future, one where they’ll likely pass its chief rival, General Motors, sometime this year or next, the company was quick to emphasize the acceptance of their all-new mid-size sedans — the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ and the hybrid variants offered with the first two models. According to Autodata, Ford sales were off 31.5%, but the company sold more midsize vehicles than expected while also picking up market share. Best news of all, Ford passed Toyota in sales for the month.

Chrysler continues to struggle as its current bankruptcy state and pending relationship with Fiat unfolds. Although Mitsubishi posted the worst month over month loss of any full line manufacturer at 55.9%, Chrysler showed the biggest drop amongst the Big Six, falling 48.1% for the month. That bad news hasn’t stopped Chrysler from touting its good news which included both the Dodge Challenger and Chrysler Town & Country seeing a sales increase over the previous month while the Jeep Wrangler saw its sales increase by 7% over April 2008. Chrysler was also one of the most vocal in claiming that the market may have finally stabilized.

More Good News To Report

Among the other manufacturers offering their reports the following good news could be found:

• Kia says that its all-new Soul, the Scion-like urban utility vehicle sold 3,228 units for April.

• The Audi A5 increased 40% in sales over April 2008.

• Sales for the luxury Hyundai Genesis continue to climb, reaching 2,076 units for the month.

• Honda had the best performance of all Big Six automakers, dropping 25.3% for the month, its best month so far in 2009.  Sales of the redesigned Acura TSX are up for the year by nearly 6% over 2008.

• Wounded GM continues to lead all manufacturers maintaining a 38,000 vehicle cushion over its closest competitor which for April was Ford. Monthly sales for April were actually up 11% over March. With Pontiac winding down and with Saab, Saturn and Hummer all expecting to be sold or closed down before the year ends, GM’s hold on the top position looks precarious at best.

Looking Forward to the Coming Months

The months ahead are a big question mark for all manufacturers as future sales hinge on two events: an economic recovery as well as a “cash for clunkers” program now being considered by the U.S. Congress.  An improvement in the former and the implementation of the latter could go far to stimulate sales, perhaps bringing about a sustained recovery.

Related Reading — Sales Data Shows Promise Amid The Gloom

Dealerships Looking Into New Tax Incentives

Car dealerships in the south suburbs have been hit by both barrels in the past few years.

The first ball was the already crippling property accuse rates in south Cook County. Property taxes have doubled according to some dealerships in recent years.

If that wasn’t plenty to put them out of business, the recession has slowed car sales to a crawl, taking down several dealerships in the area and putting others on the edge of closing.

One notice of hope that’s emerged is Cook County’s approval this month of new rules for a property tax incentive that could drastically divide participation taxes for businesses - including car dealerships - that narrow.

The rule change was prompted by Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld in an effort to keep a dealership in the village from closing.

“If they coalesce we have a dealership that will not reopen, and that means canaille out of toil and no sales tax,” Hofeld said.

Steve Phillipos, principal owner of Steve Peters Chevrolet in Homewood - one of only two dealerships in the village - had appealed to Hofeld that without the impulse the dealerships would close.

“Without it we’re dead,” he said.

Hofeld went to the Cook County Board several months ago in an essay to get the requirement waived that a business must be abandoned for two years to acquire the tax incentive. The board voted to do so April 15.

Phillipos said he still has a hardly any hurdles to get over before his business can be fully operational. Currently, the dealership is from the top to the bottom of to a six-person staff trying to stay public long plenty to get approved since the incentive and receive financing from GMAC to restock its register..

Tuesday night, Homewood’s village board approved rebating much of its sales tax revenue back to the dealership to help it stay afloat during the rough economy. The county requires the tax rebate under the new rules for the incentive.

“That was the first step for the dealership to be fully operational,” said Brian Liston, some attorney for the dealership who specializes in land use and tax incentive issues. Liston said the dealership still needs approval from Cook County for the incentive and from the Cook County assessor as being property tax reclassification.

“We’re gathering documents to show the dealership qualifies for the incentive,” Liston said. “Steve Peters will be the first dealership to go in front of the board for this incentive, which can be a tough position. I feel confident the dealership can prove hardship. It’ll set the go at a pace for other dealerships that enjoin apply.”

Several dealerships in the area are looking to jump on cover with boards with the incentive if they fit.

“Our property taxes have gone end the roof in the last two years,” said Mike Jopes, CFO of Napleton/River Oaks Lincoln-Mercury in Calumet City. Jopes said the dealership now pays about $300,000 a year in property taxes while the business’session sales have wittily dropped.

“Property taxes are such a prohibitive cost that we’re considering whether we have power to stay here,” Jopes said.

Jopes said he is just starting to investigate if the dealership qualifies for the stimulus. He also is seeking the incentive for Napleton Lincoln-Mercury in Blue Island.

James Miller, co-owner of James Miller Chevrolet, before-mentioned he pays approximately $140,000 annually in property taxes on his dealership at the Matteson Auto Mall. That, on top of his fears about the fiscal permanence of General Motors, has given him enough concern to look into the incentive.

“I’ll definitely call the village about it,” Miller said. “We’re struggling. There’sitting a chance we won’face to face survive.”

Miller said of that kind incentives, however, should exist short term and not “just pad the pockets” of dealerships.

“I’household for it if it benefits a community and helps sustain a struggling business through rough economic ages or another unforeseen trouble,” he said.

The incentive reduces for five years a commercial business’s property tax charge rate from 38 percent to 16 percent, and an industrial business’s property tax assessing fixed measure from 36 percent to 16 percent. The incentive is nonrenewable.

Among the qualifications for the incentive:

• Businesses fust be in areas including any real estate obtained through the Cook County Tax Reactivation Project; areas certified in need of substantial revitalization; each enterprise community; or any one of the following five townships: Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Rich or Thornton.

• The municipality in which the business is located must agree to bestow hindmost to the business a contingent of its sales tax revenue generated from the business. The municipality also must support the inducement for the property.

• The business must prove that due to economic conditions its net income is down at least 40 percent compared with the average income of the previous three years.

• The business must provide evidence the spur is necessary for the business to continue operations and would go out of business within 60 days without it.

The office of Cook County Commissioner Joan Murphy (D-Crestwood), who spearheaded the change in the incentive’s rules, will be sending out information this week about the incentive to officials in her district. Murphy was due to speak ready it Wednesday night to the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association.

Driver Nails Bison, Totals Fusion, Buys Another From Ford

From the “You’ve got to be kidding” files comes word (actually via FoMoCo) about a woman who was driving near Yellowstone Park and hit a BISON with her shiny new Ford Fusion and lived to tell about it. Not only did she live, but she was so impressed with the Fusion’s sturdiness, she bought another one as a replacement.

OK, so here’s the short version: Maureen Edgerton, 51, of West Yellowstone, Mt., was driving home on the night of April 11, when she unwittingly drove her 2007 Ford Fusion into a herd of bison. She was doing 55 MPH, even thought the highway was snowbound at the time, killed several of the migrating brutes and walked away with only minor scrapes and bruises.

Related Ms. Edgerton, “The crash was like a war scene. By the time it was over the hood was smashed in, the mirrors were ripped from the doors and the windshield was shattered, but the interior of the car wasn’t affected whatsoever. And the car was still running and not leaking fluid. Not even the tires were deflated. Everyone who came to the scene asked ‘what kind of car is this?’ because they couldn’t believe it was possible to walk away from such a crash,”

Yeah, I bet they were. Shoot, I was shaking my head just reading the subject line of Ford’s press release. Bison, also commonly known as the American buffalo, are enormous brutes. Most people have only seen them in pictures, but I’ve been up close and personal with them on more than one occasion, actually even touched one once. They’re roughly six feet tall and ten feet long and weigh more than a ton; roughly the size and weight of a Mazda Miata, only with a bad disposition and short curved horns.

Not only are they big and imposing, they can get plenty mean if crossed:

“Bison are among the most dangerous animals encountered by visitors to the various U.S. and Canadian National Parks, especially Yellowstone National Park. Although they are not carnivorous, they will attack humans if provoked. They appear slow because of their lethargic movements, but they can easily outrun humans—they have been observed running as fast as 35 miles per hour (56.3 km/h) per hour. Between 1978 and 1992, nearly five times as many people in Yellowstone National Park were killed or injured by bison as by bears (12 by bears, 56 by bison). Bison also have the unexpected agility, given the animal’s size and body structure, to leap over a standard barbed-wire fence,” so says Wikipedia.

Running into one, let alone a herd of them, at any appreciable speed has got to be devastating. I had an uncle that ran into a heard of cows that had wandered onto a highway after some fog rolled into the area. A cow is half the size & weight of a bison, and it nearly totaled the car he was driving. And the car he was driving wasn’t little, it was a Kaiser Manhattan, and he still considered himself lucky to walk away.

So what did Maureen Edgerton do after she tagged a heard of buffalo at freeway speeds? She went and got ANOTHER Ford Fusion because she was so “Impressed by the Fusion’s crash protection, safety features and fuel efficiency, Edgerton has picked the new 2010 Ford Fusion to be her next new vehicle.”

If I were Ms. Edgerton, I’d be buying lotto tickets.

Ford’s press release:

DRIVER SURVIVES HIGH-SPEED YELLOWSTONE BISON CRASH TO BUY FUSION AGAIN

SUMMARY:

* Montana driver buys a 2010 Ford Fusion to replace her totaled 2007 Fusion after walking away from a catastrophic crash with a herd of bison near Yellowstone Park

* The all-new 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid – the most fuel efficient midsize car in North America – feature exclusive safety technologies and are “Top Safety Pick” rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

* Among the Fusion’s segment-exclusive safety and driver-aid technologies are Blind Spot Information System (BLISTM) with Cross Traffic Alert and 911 Assist

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:

Maureen Edgerton, 51, of West Yellowstone, Mt., was driving home on the dark night of April 11, when she unexpectedly slammed her 2007 Ford Fusion into a herd of bison. The 55-mile-per-hour impact totaled the car and killed several of the migrating “American buffalo” on the snowbound highway. Edgerton, however, walked away with only minor scrapes and bruises. Impressed by the Fusion’s crash protection, safety features and fuel efficiency, Edgerton has picked the new 2010 Ford Fusion to be her next new vehicle.

QUOTES:

“The crash was like a war scene. By the time it was over the hood was smashed in, the mirrors were ripped from the doors and the windshield was shattered, but the interior of the car wasn’t affected whatsoever. And the car was still running and not leaking fluid. Not even the tires were deflated. Everyone who came to the scene asked ‘what kind of car is this?’ because they couldn’t believe it was possible to walk away from such a crash.”

– Maureen Edgerton, Fusion owner and resident of West Yellowstone, Mt.

“The Fusion’s safety systems worked just as they were supposed to in Maureen’s accident. They saved her life. I don’t think there was any question in her mind when she came to us that her next car would be another Fusion, because the new model has even more safety technology on it than the one she’d been driving.”

– Gary Berg, sales consultant at Bozeman Ford Lincoln Mercury in Bozeman, Mt.

“While our customer’s bison collision certainly demonstrates how tough the 2007 Fusion is, we’ve designed the new Fusion to be even tougher. It proves that a high level of safety can come in a midsize package.”

– Steve Kozak, chief engineer, Ford Safety Systems

DETAILS:

While Ford Motor Company does not have specific requirements to protect customers in collisions with bison or other animals, all of the company’s vehicles are designed and tested to meet rigorous crash safety requirements. These requirements help protect occupants in all sorts of collisions, even with bison, which can grow to more than 6 feet tall, 11 feet long and more than 2,200 pounds.

Having emerged from the accident relatively unscathed, Edgerton said the decision to buy another Fusion came easily. The new model has even more safety features, such as side curtain air bags and is “Top Safety Pick” rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It also comes equipped with optional all-wheel drive and delivers segment-leading fuel economy for Edgerton’s long drives up Rocky Mountain passes to visit her daughter in Seattle, Wash.

Maureen and her husband Doug Edgerton, who manufacture and sell ski grooming equipment, have driven Ford vehicles for many years, including at present a 2005 Ford Escape XLT, a 2002 F-250 XLT diesel, 2008 F-250 XLT V10. Previous to purchasing her 2007 Fusion, Maureen put 250,000 miles on a 1999 Ford Taurus.

Front and side impact protection

Fusion gets some of its core strength from the use of lightweight high-strength steel in the body structure. The structure of the Fusion helps it withstand intrusion in many accidents, including the most common frontal and side impacts.

The tailor-welded B-pillars between the front and rear doorframes are stronger at the top of the vehicle – from below the beltline upward – than at the bottom. This helps to channel energy below the level of the occupants. At the torso level and above, the structure helps to prevent intrusion into the passenger compartment.

Fusion’s front and side-protection elements include:

* The first use on a Ford vehicle of dual-phase, high-strength steel rails on the front end;

* Two energy absorbing foam blocks between the inner door panels and interior trim, aligned with the occupants’ chest and hip ;

* Side-intrusion beams inside the door, anchored at the hinge and latch areas;

* Tailor-welded steel in the B-pillar structure with extra thickness – nearly a quarter inch of solid steel – above the beltline; and

* Front-seat side air bags for front occupants and side-curtain air bags for head protection in both rows.

Segment-exclusive features

Among the segment-exclusive safety and driver aid technologies on the new Fusion is Blind Spot Information System (BLISTM) with Cross Traffic Alert and 911 Assist – a new feature integrated into the award-winning Ford SYNCTM hands-free system.

The 911 Assist feature is designed to aid occupants in placing a call directly to a local 911 emergency operator if an accident that activates an air bag or the emergency fuel cutoff occurs. Unlike competitive systems that are routed through an intermediate call center, 911 Assist places the call directly to the 911 operator to speed response time.*

Safety comes standard

Fusion offers standard AdvanceTrac® electronic stability control, which uses sensors to detect, measure and help reduce side-to-side skidding conditions to help the driver keep the car tracking on its intended path.

Additional standard safety features include six air bags and Ford’s Personal Safety System®, BeltMinder® safety belt reminder, the LATCH anchor and tether system for child seats, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System.

*The cell phone or 911 Assist hardware may become damaged in a crash, the vehicle may lose battery power, or the cell phone may be thrown from the vehicle, which could prevent operation. Additionally, not all crashes deploy an airbag or activate the fuel pump shut-off, which are the criteria to initiate 911 Assist.

###

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 205,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

Photo from Flickr user R Doyle Bowman

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Most Awesomely Customized Dodge Charger Ever [LOLCars]

As cool as Ueli Anlicker might be, his work doesn’familiarily hold good a chance lined up against this Dodge Charger. Which do you proffer, the stick-on blower or the Cobra hood ornament epoxied on top?

Oh were to begin? The corrugated hose as trim and faux side exhaust? Perhaps the Mercury hubcap knockoffs? The Mercedes SLR-inspired hide vents used to vent the hot air from under hood and inside the rear specific place panels? We’re pretty partial to the hacked together “body kit” ourselves… wait, is that fabric above the rear end lights? The handicapped Indiana license plate means the owner has overcome certain obstacles to depth of thought this level of tuning prowess, or it gives us a very, very easy way to make a joke. Thanks to ACX for the donation! [Challenger Talk]