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Fitting Retirement: Grand Marquis last Mercury off the line

The signs have come down and retail production ended back in October of 2010. Now, the very last Mercury model has rolled off the assembly line. This last Mercury somewhat fittingly takes the form of a Grand Marquis reporting for fleet duty. It was built at the St. Thomas plant in Ontario, Canada, which is the same facility that continues to produce the Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car for fleet and livery duty.
St. Thomas' days are numbered, however, as the factory is slated to close on August 31. When it goes, the Panther platform is likely to follow. So long, and thanks for all the fish memories.
[Source: Autoweek]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

2022 Lincoln Navigator buyers can get $5,000 to convert to the 2023 model

Ford Motor Company is doling out more money to try to keep its chickens in the coop. Last August, when the automaker couldn't fulfill every order for the 2022 F-150 Lightning electric pickup then levied price substantial price increases on the 2023 F-150 Lightning, the automaker created a "Transition Private Offer." The program gave 2022 reservation holders without trucks a rebate to buy a 2023 Lightning that effectively nullified the price increase. Earlier this month, Ford did it again with the 2023 Bronco. The "2023-Model Bronco Cancel Order & Purchase Replacement Offer" dangled $2,500 to 2023 Bronco buyers without SUVs to either change their Bronco order to a configuration that could be built sooner, or cancel their order and buy another Ford. Now it's Lincoln's turn. CarsDirect says another dealer bulletin outlines a "2023-Model Navigator Connect Model Year Transition Private Offer" for those who didn't get their 2022 Navigator built. "Select customers" who close a deal before April 2, 2023, can get $5,000 off the price of a 2023 Navigator or have the money applied to a 2023 Navigator lease. Akin to the Lightning offer, the Navigator incentive nearly eats up all of the price increases on the new Navigator. The latest version of Ford's most luxurious SUV had MSRPs bumped from about $5,000 for the middle trims to $6,475 for the Black Labels. At the entry-level end, a customer might have some money left over for more options like the brand new Diamond Red Tricoat paint on a 2023 model, depending on how Ford conducts the offer. The base Navigator trims went up by $3,215 for the Standard and $4,730 for the Reserve. If a 2022 Black Label buyer were to take Ford up on the offer, that buyer would be paying $1,475 for the same vehicle; the changes applied to the 2023 Navigator other than price didn't make it to the Black Label.  The folks out in the cold are the few 2022 Navigator L buyers. Lincoln discontinued that trim for 2023, so those folks will need to make another choice or find another roost. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Consumer Reports criticizes small turbo engines for misleading performance, fuel economy claims [w/video]

Consumer Reports has taken aim at at small-displacement, forced-induction engines, saying the powerplants don't manage to deliver on automaker fuel economy claims. Manufacturers have long held that smaller, turbocharged engines pack all power of their larger displacement cousins with significantly better fuel economy, but the research organization says that despite scoring high EPA economy numbers, the engines are no better than conventional drivetrains in both categories. Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, says the forced induction options "are often slower and less fuel efficient than larger four and six-cylinder engines."
Specifically, CR calls out the new Ford Fusion equipped with the automaker's Ecoboost 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The institute's researchers found the engine, which is a $795 option over the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder, fails to match competitors in acceleration and served up 25 miles per gallon in testing, putting the sedan dead last among other midsize options.
The Chevrolet Cruze, Hyundai Sonata Turbo and Ford Escape 2.0T all got dinged for the same troubles, though Consumer Reports has found the turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the BMW 328i does deliver on its promises. You can check out the full press release below. You can also read the full study on the Consumer Reports site, or scroll down for a short video recap.