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Mercury shows Montego sedan and Monterey minivan

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#1 ·
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
David Guralnick / The Detroit News
By Mark Truby / The Detroit News

CHICAGO -- In an industry where the weak get swallowed faster than goldfish in a piranha tank, Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury brand is an unlikely survivor.

Slotted between Ford and Lincoln, Mercury's brand image has become more fuzzy, with its owner body aging and its sales dropping considerably in recent years.

But despite rumors of its demise, Mercury won't be joining Oldsmobile and Plymouth in the automotive scrap yard any time soon.

This week at the Chicago Auto Show, Ford executives hope to build a convincing case that Mercury has a bright future filled with distinct new vehicles, and, hopefully, improved sales.

Mercury pulls the wraps off the upscale Monterey minivan today in Chicago. The minivan based on the new Ford Freestar goes on sale later this year. Mercury also plans to show off sketches of a new large sedan called the Montego, which arrives in showrooms next year.

Two more new Mercury vehicles are in the pipeline -- a small sport-utility based on the Ford Escape -- available next year -- and a new mid-size sedan due out in 2005.

"Mercury is not going anywhere," Darryl Hazel, president of Lincoln Mercury, said in an interview this week. "We now have the products that communicate the revitalization of Mercury. We are here to do business in 2003 and beyond."

Ford is spending several hundred million dollars to produce the four new Mercury vehicles. It's an investment that could prove to be a bargain if Mercury regains its footing.

A healthy Mercury not only generates profits, but is critical to the success of its Lincoln stable mate. Lincoln Mercury dealers say they could not survive selling Lincolns alone.

And if Lincoln doesn't rebound from two years of financial losses, Ford's push to return to solid profitability by mid-decade isn't likely to succeed.

The race to restore profits explains why Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr. made shoring up Mercury a priority shortly after becoming CEO 15 months ago.

"Mercury is a very important part of our Lincoln distribution plan," said Jim O'Connor, head of Ford's North American sales and marketing. "There's clearly a place for Mercury."

Not everyone is so sure. Analysts Scott Hill of Sanford C. Bernstein and Co. in New York questions why Ford continues to pour money into a brand that's clearly on the decline. Mercury sold 263,200 vehicles last year, its lowest total since 1959.

"Our view is they shouldn't just keep investing in a brand that doesn't resonate with buyers," Hill said. "Mercury faces negative headwinds and it seems to us that that money would be better spent elsewhere."

Mercury, like any other car brand, will succeed or fail on the strength of the new vehicles it is bringing to market. Hazel says Mercury's motto is simple: "Modern design, smartly done for the value-discerning consumer."

With the Ford Explorer-based Mountaineer SUV that debuted in 2001, Mercury was able to create a successful and distinct variation of a Ford product.

But the Mercury Mystique sedan, Cougar coupe and Villager minivan produced disappointing sales and were discontinued.

The Mercury Marauder, a 300-horsepower retro sedan introduced last year, also landed in showrooms with a thud.

The new Monterey minivan offers features such as a fold-flat third-row seat, optional heated and cooled front seats and side curtain air bags. Still, it will be very similar to the Ford Freestar, which also debuts this year.

Plans to give the Monterey an exclusive powertrain option and a more distinct interior were scraped to save money, according to one former Lincoln Mercury executive.

Ford officials say future Mercury vehicles, such as the Montego sedan, will be more distinct from their Ford counterparts.

Lincoln Mercury dealers heard details of the product plans last week at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in San Francisco.

"Everybody is feeling much better," said Paul Sabatini, head of Momentum Lincoln Mercury in Monroe. "Six or eight months ago we didn't know if we had a minivan or a small SUV coming. Now we know we have a solid future."
 

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#2 ·
(Photo)"We now have the products that communicate the revitalization of Mercury. We are here to do business in 2003 and beyond," says Darryl Hazel, Lincoln Mercury chief.
 

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#4 ·
New Mercury sedan dubbed Montego

By Amy Wilson
Automotive News / February 12, 2003

Mercury will call its new sedan the Montego, reviving a nameplate dormant for more than 25 years.

The Montego will arrive in showrooms in late 2004. It will be assembled at Ford Motor Co.'s Chicago assembly plant along with the new Ford Five Hundred sedan and Freestyle sport wagon. The Montego will have the same underpinnings as the new Fords, Ford officials said.

Ford is retooling the plant, which makes the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. The smaller Sable will remain in the Mercury lineup and will continue to be built at Ford's Atlanta assembly plant.

The new vehicle is slated to be revealed Wednesday at a press conference at the Chicago Auto Show. It is one of four new Mercurys expected during the next three years: the Monterey minivan, due in showrooms later this year; a Ford Escape-based SUV late in 2004; and another sedan, based on the Mazda6, in 2005.

The Montego will feature front or all-wheel drive and a "high-package" design intended to maximize interior space. It will be powered by a 3.0-liter V-6 Duratec engine. Two transmissions, including a continually variable transmission made by a Ford-ZF Friedrichshafen AG joint venture, will be available.

Mercury introduced the Montego in 1967 and produced it until 1976.
 
#5 ·
Autoindex.org

A powerful name from Mercury’s past – the Montego – will return as a distinctive contemporary sedan next year.

Montego combines space, style and command of the road and will be the next product to be introduced as the Mercury renaissance continues.

Four all-new Mercurys will be introduced during the next three years, starting with the Monterey minivan late this year, followed by the Montego and a small SUV late next year and another new car the year after that.

Montego will feature front or available all-wheel drive, an advanced powertrain and a “high-package” design.

“First we revitalized Mercury with a re-designed Mountaineer SUV, then we turned our sights to the minivan customer with the all-new Monterey, ” says Darryl Hazel, president, Lincoln Mercury. “Now we increase our competitiveness in the largest vehicle segment – upper middle sedans – with the Montego.”

The Montego was created from the inside out using Mercury’s “high package" design strategy.

As a result, the car’s interior roominess is equal to and even better than many larger cars – while retaining the elegant exterior proportions, maneuverability and fuel-economy benefits of a mid-size car.

Sculpted Design

The new Mercury DNA, first revealed to the public in the Messenger show car earlier this year, is immediately evident in the Montego's clean, modern lines.

The upscale sedan's taut, accurate, defined sculptural forms are accented by Mercury's distinctive "waterfall" grille and flanked by high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, their bright white light powerfully illuminating the road ahead. Unique Light-Emitting Diode (LED) tail-lamp arrays feature jewel-like bright horizontal elements, an evolution of the characteristic "integral brush guards" first featured on the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer.

Interior details are contemporary, unique and well-crafted. The instrument panel is two toned, the steering wheel is trimmed in satin aluminum. The armrest is soft-vinyl trimmed. “There are soft touch materials throughout the cabin with unique materials and sew-styles,” says Phil Simmons, chief designer for Mercury. “Montego’s design is meant to be enduring and modern on the outside, with a well-crafted, highly conceived intuitive interior that says quality.”

Safety


Mercury’s commitment to safety leadership continues with the new Montego. It will feature the latest level of the Personal Safety System™, one of the most comprehensive and technologically advanced safety systems available in any vehicle in any class.

The new Montego will also feature standard anti-lock brakes. Side-curtain air bags with rollover protection and traction control are optional.

Advanced Powertrain

Montego is powered by a 3.0-liter V-6 Duratec engine. Two transmissions are available, including a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The CVT is the first of the new technologically advanced transmissions developed and produced under Ford’s joint venture with ZF, the world’s largest independent specialist for driveline and chassis technology.

The CVT will provide exceptionally smooth operation and help deliver up to an 8 percent fuel economy improvement over a traditional powertrain.

A “New” Chicago Assembly Plant

The new sedan will be produced at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant, which is currently being reconfigured for the new product.


The retooled Chicago Assembly Plant will feature a flexible body shop that allows one set of tooling to build multiple vehicle configurations, including the new Mercury Montego and the new Ford Freestyle and Five Hundred. Montego is based on the same underlying architecture as the Ford Five Hundred and Freestyle – but with quite a different execution.

This represents a major step forward in Ford’s revitalization plan: quickly create unique and fresh products, share major components to save cost and ensure quality and make extensive use of flexible manufacturing to match customer demand and maximize efficiency.

Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant first began producing cars in 1924. The plant covers 2.8 million square feet and employs nearly 2,500. Montego will be an all-new addition to the Mercury lineup. The smaller Mercury Sable, will remain in the Mercury lineup and will continue to be produced at Ford’s Atlanta Assembly Plant.

History: A Famous Name Returns

The Montego played an important role in the history of Mercury during the late 1960s and 1970s when more than 900,000 Montegos were produced.

Introduced in the 1968 model year, the Montego was an intermediate-sized car based on the mid-sized Ford Torino platform. Styling was influenced by the smaller Mercury Cougar and larger Park Lane and Marquis. New safety improvements such as an energy-absorbing steering column were Montego innovations, and single-piston floating-caliper power disc brakes were on the option list as was a Traction-Lok rear axle.

Prices started at $2,504, and Montego was available as a two-door, four-door, convertible and station wagon. Additional body trim, more chrome and a vinyl roof were added to the upscale Montego MX. Powertrains ranged from a base 200 cubic inch 115-horsepower straight-six, to a 375-hp 429 cubic inch Cobra Jet V-8.

After continuous styling and content upgrades over its nine years of production, in 1977 what had been marketed as the Montego was restyled and renamed – Cougar.
 

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