Archive for the 'Lincoln Mercury' Category

31
Mar
10

Ford Said to Plan Hybrid Lincoln to Bolster Last Luxury Line

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Future Vehicles, Lincoln, Lincoln Mercury, MKZ, Quality, fuel efficiency and technology
Tags: , , , ,

source: Bloomberg

By Keith Naughton

March 30 (Bloomberg) — Ford Motor Co. plans to expand the Lincoln luxury line by adding a hybrid model based on its top- selling Fusion sedan, two people familiar with the matter said.

The hybrid Lincoln MKZ will be unveiled tomorrow at the New York auto show, said the people, who asked not to be identified because Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford hasn’t announced the details.

Ford’s vision for Lincoln reflects Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally’s decision to focus on the namesake brand and go without a global luxury marque after agreeing to sell Volvo Cars to Zhejiang Geely Holding Co. this week. The Swedish unit was the last of four such overseas brands unloaded since 2007.

“Our track record operating with global premium brands has not been stellar,” Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said last week in an interview. “We are going to continue to focus on Ford and the opportunities to drive revenues on Ford.”

Ford will sell Lincoln only in North America, Booth said. Since arriving in late 2006 from Boeing Co., Mulally has disposed of Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo, and stressed rebuilding the reputation, quality and offerings of the Ford brand and the company’s original luxury line, Lincoln.

Ford paid $11.8 billion for Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, and the sales prices for those brands totaled $4.2 billion. The company said in 2007 it received $848 million for Aston Martin without disclosing what it paid.

‘House of Brands’

Mulally’s dismantling of what he called Ford’s “house of brands” is a departure from the strategy followed by other automakers, which develop global luxury lineups as a source of profits and prestige.

Continue reading ‘Ford Said to Plan Hybrid Lincoln to Bolster Last Luxury Line’

14
Nov
09

Ford’s EcoBoost engines are selling faster than the automaker expected

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Flex, Lincoln Mercury, MKS, Quality, Taurus, ecoboost, fuel efficiency and technology
Tags: , , , , , ,

By Robert Schoenberger, The Plain Dealer
November 13, 2009, 5:16PM

Sales of Ford Motor Co. vehicles equipped with Brook Park-built EcoBoost engines are running about 65 percent better than the company’s projections, Ford said Friday.

Moreover, the vehicles on which the engine is available are attracting younger buyers from the automaker’s competitors.

“EcoBoost technology is helping bring in a new customer to Ford dealer showrooms,” said Ford marketing manager Amy Marentic.

Launched in July in Ford’s Lincoln MKS Luxury car, the turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 packs the horsepower of a V-8 but the fuel economy of a V-6. Ford had expected 25 percent of MKS buyers to opt for the higher-tech engine. Instead, about 30 percent of buyers are choosing it.

Ford offers the engine on the MKS, the Lincoln MKT crossover, the Ford Flex crossover and the Taurus SHO, a hotrod version of the Taurus sedan. The SHO has provided the most impressive sales numbers.

At the vehicle’s launch, Ford marketers said they expected the $40,000 SHO to make up 10 percent of Taurus sales. In the three months that it’s been available, though, the SHO has made up closer to 20 percent of Taurus sales.

Of the four vehicles with the engine, the Taurus is the best-selling by a wide margin.

Eric Walker, general manager of Marshall Ford Lincoln Superstore in Mayfield Heights, said the $10,000 price difference between the SHO and the mainstream Taurus limits its appeal.

“I’m selling the regular models a lot quicker than I am the SHO,” Walker said. Lower-priced Taurus models sell within a week, he said, but it can take twice that to sell a SHO. Even at that rate, the SHO is doing better than expected.

Continue reading ‘Ford’s EcoBoost engines are selling faster than the automaker expected’

05
Jun
09

Test Drive: 2010 Lincoln MKT with EcoBoost V6

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Lincoln Mercury, ecoboost, fuel efficiency and mkt
The 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine is the first to provide the luxurious power and easy maintenance of a V8 with the fuel economy of a V6
By Mike Spinelli Posted 06.01.2009 at 6:04 pm

 

Test Drive: 2010 Lincoln MKT with EcoBoost V6: Lincoln’s new MKT offers a combination of utility and performance in a luxurious package. Decide for yourself about that grille.

Imagine the laughter, back in 1965, if Ford had crossed the kid-friendly Country Squire station wagon with the stately Lincoln Continental. A car shopper would have spit-launched his Lucky Strike right into the salesman’s shirt pocket. These days, luxurious motoring and conveying a large brood to Chuck E. Cheese or the World’s Largest Ball of Twine aren’t as mutually exclusive as they once were. Take as exhibit, well probably O at this point, the Lincoln MKT.

The MKT is a premium, seven-seat crossover sharing a chassis with the roomy, right-angled Ford Flex. It’s obvious Ford is in the process of redefining what the Lincoln brand means, visually; the house Henry M. Leland built has endowed the MKT with a largely tasteful mix of tapering and curvature. A sloping, nautical rear section recalling the mid-1990s Lincoln Mark VIII, for good or ill, makes for convenient cargo access by way of a weight-saving magnesium lift gate. As for that grille? I’m not getting involved; it’s your call.

Where the ’65 Continental’s giant-displacement V8 slugged leaded premium like Henry VII dispatched wives and turkey drumsticks, the MKT moves with far greater economy. The MKT gets power from Ford’s new EcoBoost V6, a 3.5-liter fitted with two Honeywell GT15 water-cooled turbochargers. That setup, available on the higher-spec MKT model, produces 355 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque on regular unleaded. It’s an smoothly accelerating and efficient powerplant that bests the fuel economy of many V8-powered competitors with similar horsepower, turning in a city/highway rating of 16/22 mpg. More important for luxury-car buyers, the EcoBoost gives the MKT the lush and quiet takeoff of a premium luxury car, something Lincoln’s badly needed to reconcile in the post-V8 age. For luxury-car buyers, acceleration feel is an important consideration — the equivalent to shelling out for the whir of a Rolex Oyster over the ticking of a Timex.

Continue reading ‘Test Drive: 2010 Lincoln MKT with EcoBoost V6′

22
May
09

Ford starts EcoBoost production in Cleveland

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Enviromental, Flex, Future Vehicles, Hybrids, Lincoln Mercury, MKS, Quality, Taurus, ecoboost, fuel efficiency, mkt and production line

On the same day that President Obama announced tough new CAFE standards for new cars in the coming half-decade, Ford began production of its new, more efficient EcoBoost engine in Ohio. As Green Car Advisor says, Ford couldn’t have picked a better day. The new 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine will first make its way into the Ford Flex, Ford Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKS sedan and Lincoln MKT crossover vehicles. The turbocharged engines deliver a fuel economy boost of around 20 percent without an expensive hybrid powertrain. Ford says that 90 percent of its models will be available with EcoBoost engines by 2013.

Production started yesterday at the Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1, located in Brook Park, Ohio. This plant first opened in 1951 and currently employs 250 people. Ford announced that the plant, which had been closed since 2007, would be reopened to build the EcoBoost engines back in February. Read more about the EcoBoost technology here and here and after the jump.

Continue reading ‘Ford starts EcoBoost production in Cleveland’
18
May
09

Ford add EcoBoost engine to its flagship Lincoln

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment
Categories: Enviromental, Future Vehicles, Green, Lincoln Mercury, MKS, ecoboost and fuel efficiency

With the addition of the all-new EcoBoost engine, the new 2010 Lincoln MKS feature a powertrain that produces a combination of V-8 power and V-6 fuel economy.

The new Lincoln MKS is the first Ford Motor Company vehicle to introduce a premium twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine for the 2010 model year. By 2013, more than 90 percent of Ford’s North American nameplates will be available with EcoBoost technology.

“We are committed to delivering fuel economy leadership in every new vehicle,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “We do this with affordable technology that can be applied to the widest number of vehicles. EcoBoost is an important component of that goal.

“The beauty of EcoBoost is that it enables us to downsize for fuel efficiency, yet boost for power. We’re able to decrease the size of the available engine – such as installing a V-6 versus a V-8 – yet boost the power using turbocharging to deliver similar power and torque of that larger engine.”

The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 of the all-wheel-drive 2010 Lincoln MKS produces 355 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 350 ft.-lb. of torque from 1,500 to 5,250 rpm and can be run on regular fuel. The Lincoln MKS with EcoBoost will deliver at least 17 mpg city and at least 24 mpg highway.

Standard on Lincoln MKS with EcoBoost are 19-inch premium painted aluminium wheels, steering-wheel paddle shifters, six-speed SelectShift AutomaticTM transmission, all-wheel drive, Intelligent Access with Push Button Start, ambient lighting, adaptive HID headlamps with Auto Highbeam, rain-sensing wipers and rear-window power sunshade.

The EcoBoost program is part of Ford’s ongoing and wide-ranging initiative to deliver innovative fuel-efficient powertrain systems with horsepower and torque performance found in larger-displacement engines.

“Our EcoBoost engines offer more power and better fuel economy,” said Brett Hinds, EcoBoost design manager. “It’s all part of Ford’s strategy to bring adaptable powertrain technology to all kinds of vehicles and all kinds of lifestyles. This technology is affordable and applicable to all gasoline engines.”

source: www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk

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