-
The 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid will be sold almost exclusively online.
Personal Sales Consultants will guide customers through the buying
experience.
- Highly targeted marketing aims to
reach progressive, environmentally conscious consumers. A limited
number of 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrids will be built with pricing
starting at $29,840 MSRP.
- Mercury Mariner
Hybrid is the second of Ford Motor Company's five announced hybrid
vehicles. It was pulled ahead of its original production schedule
because of increased market demand.
Click photo to view larger image.
Dearborn
, Mich. , July 11, 2005 — Ford Motor Company's Mercury brand opened
sales today for the all-new 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, a compact SUV
with outstanding fuel economy and smart and sophisticated Mercury
styling. Beginning today, orders may be placed for the Mercury Mariner
Hybrid online at marinerhybrid.com as well as at certified dealerships.
True to its distinctive nature, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid will go to
market very differently than other Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. For
starters, the majority of sales inquiries for the Mercury Mariner
Hybrid are expected to be taken online with the assistance of “Personal
Sales Consultants” who will serve as the primary liaison between
customers and dealerships. First come/first served real-time consumer
demand will determine which dealers and customers receive the vehicles.
Moreover, marketing for the Mercury Mariner Hybrid will be very
targeted and aimed at environmentally conscious consumers who are also
looking for a smart, sophisticated and stylish vehicle. Initial
advertising will be online with web banners on specific sections of
Yahoo and Google as well as home page “takeovers” of Edmunds.com and
CBSNews.com. In addition, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid will have a
presence on the websites of key environmental organizations, including
the Sierra Club and National Geographic.
In fact, the Sierra
Club will be working with Mercury to get the news about the Mariner
Hybrid out to its members and other environmentally conscious
Americans. The Sierra Club will introduce the vehicle to its members
through its “Insider” newsletter and will work with Mercury to educate
consumers about how to get the best mileage from their hybrids.
“We hope that helping to make the Mercury Mariner Hybrid a success will
encourage Ford to invest in better technology to increase the fuel
economy of its entire fleet,” said Dan Becker, director, Sierra Club’s
Global Warming Program.
“We are taking a very
non-traditional approach to marketing the Mercury Mariner Hybrid
because our target customers are very progressive,” said Al Giombetti,
president, Lincoln Mercury division of Ford Motor Company. “The Mercury
Mariner Hybrid’s target customers are looking for distinctive design,
the versatility of a sport-utility vehicle and advanced technology that
is capable of bettering both their lives and the environment. Moreover,
they are tech-savvy: our research indicates that more than eighty
percent of Mercury shoppers begin their shopping experience online.”
The sales process will begin with customers logging onto marinerhybrid.com
and choosing a certified Mercury hybrid dealer in their area. The
Personal Sales Consultant will obtain a price quote from the dealer and
provide the quote to the customer, all the while being available to
answer questions about the vehicle’s features, key benefits, pricing,
etc. The consultant will then stay in touch with the customer
throughout the sales process, from the time the quote is requested
until the vehicle is delivered.
“Buying a hybrid is a major
commitment for many people and the time from order to delivery can be
much longer than a typical vehicle,” said Giombetti. “We want to make
sure we stay close to each individual customer and make the experience
a rewarding one.”
The Mercury
Mariner Hybrid is the second of five hybrids announced by Ford Motor
Company. The first, the Ford Escape Hybrid, went on sale last fall as a
2005 model year vehicle and was named the North American Truck of the
Year.
“Demand for our first hybrid was so strong that we
pushed very hard to pull production of the Mercury Mariner Hybrid up by
a full year,” said Mary Ann Wright, director, Ford Sustainable Mobility
Technologies and Hybrid Programs. “Ford is committed to improving fuel
economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its range of
vehicles. As the second of our five announced hybrids, the Mariner
Hybrid represents the next stage of this commitment.”
The Mercury Mariner Hybrid is a compact SUV that blends the
best features of a gasoline engine and an electric motor to achieve
nearly 50 percent higher city driving efficiency and lower emissions
with no loss of functionality or performance. With outstanding fuel
economy estimated at 33 mpg/city and 29 mpg highway, it will meet the
cleanest emission achievable by a fossil-fuel vehicle: California’s
Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Standard. In addition, it
has extended range well over 400 miles per tank and V-6-like
acceleration performance.
Configured as a full hybrid, the
Mercury Mariner Hybrid’s powertrain system is able to propel the
vehicle to 25 miles per hour solely with clean electric power. When not
required during coasting, at stoplights or crawling at low speeds
through traffic, the gasoline engine automatically shuts down to
conserve fuel and curb emissions.
Two thousand Mercury
Mariner Hybrids will be built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant for the
2006 model year. Eventually, Mercury Mariner Hybrid volume will grow to
4,000 annually.
Pricing for the 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
will start at a manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29,840,
which includes a number of premium standard features. The Mercury
Mariner Hybrid will be available in five colors: Mercury's signature
Satellite Silver as well as Black, Charcoal Beige, Vivid Red, and
Silver Metallic. Standard features on the Mercury Mariner Hybrid are:
- 2.3L I-4 Atkinson Cycle Engine
- Intelligent 4WD System
- Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS)
- Power 4-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock braking system and Quick Brake Assist
-
Power Group: power windows, locks, mirrors, keyless entry, driver side
keyless entry keypad, auto dimming (electrochromic) rearview mirror
- Hybrid-unique 16" aluminum wheels
- P235/70R16 A/S BSW tires
- AM/FM 6-disc in-dash CD player with 4 speakers
- Front fog lamps
- Privacy glass
- Power 6-way driver seat
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel with speed control
- Air bags, dual stage driver & single stage front passenger with Front Passenger Sensing System
- Securilock™, passive anti-theft system.
- Roof rack
