| The Ford Motor Company, along with rival General | | | | therefore its brand identity has been diluted. It is time |
| Motors, has been going through a time of severe | | | | for Ford to help Mercury come up with a clearer |
| testing due to concerns about product quality and | | | | "personality" and a line of vehicles that are inspiring, |
| relevancy, profits, and long term viability. The net | | | | not boring. A good start would be to develop a car all |
| result is that Ford is planning on closing numerous | | | | Mercury's own, such as a retro Cougar coupe. |
| plants and will lay off as many as 30,000 employees, | | | | Lincoln -- There was a day when Lincoln and Cadillac |
| a historic cutback that may only be the tip of the | | | | battled for preeminence for sales leadership in the |
| iceberg. Is Ford finished or will the company be able | | | | American luxury car category. Lincoln long ago ceded |
| to regain strength and compete successfully in the | | | | the fight to Cadillac, a GM division with new and |
| years ahead? | | | | exciting products. Currently, Cadillac outsells Lincoln by |
| Ford has certainly taken its lumps and for good | | | | more than 2 to 1 and does battle with the likes of |
| reason. Profits in the North American market are | | | | Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes. For Lincoln, a new Town |
| nonexistent with losses actually in the multibillion dollar | | | | Car is needed plus a decision must be made regarding |
| range. Despite the red ink, all is not lost for the "blue | | | | just how much the division should rely on trucks and |
| oval" as the company remains very profitable | | | | SUVs to identify the brand. Currently, Lincoln line up |
| overseas. In addition, its three U.S. divisions have | | | | includes more truck models than cars. Reviving a |
| much to offer if some serious changes are | | | | historic model, such as the Continental, could be a |
| incorporated. Here are my suggestions for change: | | | | smart choice and putting some money into the LS is |
| Ford -- The strongest division for the automaker is | | | | another. Curiously, the make is changing the name of |
| the one that bears its name. Ford's strength is in its | | | | its newest model, the Zephyr, to the MKZ after only |
| line of pick up trucks and SUVs. Select car models | | | | one model year. |
| including the Mustang and Fusion are also strong | | | | Ford is floundering and it is particularly noticeable in |
| sellers. Ford's weakness can be found with its small | | | | two divisions, Mercury and Lincoln. Its Mazda |
| car line, the Focus, and with dated models including | | | | connection, which has yielded several models including |
| the Crown Victoria. Better for Ford to scrap their | | | | the Escape and Fusion, has been a success. Tapping |
| small car lines altogether and import cars from Mexico | | | | its Volvo association to help with larger cars and with |
| or overseas. In addition, the company should | | | | engineering would be wise and Ford should work |
| concentrate on overhauling the Crown Victoria and | | | | closer with its Jaguar division to produce additional |
| introducing an all new Ranger compact pick up truck. | | | | vehicle lines. The current LS, derived from the Jaguar |
| Finally, Ford is getting out of the minivan business as | | | | "S Type" is an example of an earlier collaboration that |
| crossover vehicles, such as the all new Edge, will | | | | wasn't utilized to its fullest extent. |
| replace that category. This latter retreat is wise as | | | | All hope isn't lost for Ford, but the company's image |
| the category is saturated and the expense of | | | | has been tarnished. The seed of greatness remains, |
| developing a successful new minivan can be diverted | | | | but the company must act quickly in order to regain |
| to concentrate on shoring up other product lines. | | | | consumer confidence and stop the ever deepening |
| Mercury -- Many have been predicting that Ford | | | | erosion of its sales base to foreign makes. |
| would scrap its Mercury division altogether. However, | | | | Copyright 2006 - Matt Keegan is The Auto Writer |
| among the many management decisions announced | | | | covering new cars, the classics, auto parts and |
| recently indicate that Mercury will stay. Together with | | | | accessories, insurance, and more. Matt suggests you |
| Lincoln, the two brands are weak and are in need of | | | | find great performance auto parts for less by |
| much assistance. Mercury cars for decades have | | | | shopping online today. |
| been nothing more than reworked Ford models | | | | |