Summary: Mercury debuts three future products, including a new hybrid SUV, at the Chicago auto show.
Full story: At the media preview for the Chicago auto show, Ford's troubled Mercury brand will attempt to inject some life into its product stable with the introduction of three new models that will go on sale this fall.
Perhaps the most important is the all-new 2006 Mercury Milan, a midsize sedan that is kin to the Ford Fusion and the Lincoln Zephyr. All three vehicles share a version of the Mazda 6 front-wheel-drive platform, but each of the three domestic siblings gets unique and distinctive sheet metal and interior trim.
Like the Zephyr and the Fusion, the Milan is expected to offer an all-wheel-drive option, but not until model-year 2007. It also is expected to add a hybrid gas-electric version as a companion to the Fusion Hybrid in model-year 2008.
Mercury also announced that the 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid joins its cousin, the Ford Escape Hybrid, in production this fall. Its mechanicals are virtually identical to those of the Escape Hybrid, which combines a four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor.
The 2006 Mercury Mountaineer has been heavily face-lifted, with a new grille, headlamps, hood and bumper. Its cousin, the Ford Explorer, also gets a mild makeover this fall.
What this means to you: Even with the new models coming this fall, Mercury's stable continues to look pretty much like a range of warmed-over Ford vehicles.
Full story: At the media preview for the Chicago auto show, Ford's troubled Mercury brand will attempt to inject some life into its product stable with the introduction of three new models that will go on sale this fall.
Perhaps the most important is the all-new 2006 Mercury Milan, a midsize sedan that is kin to the Ford Fusion and the Lincoln Zephyr. All three vehicles share a version of the Mazda 6 front-wheel-drive platform, but each of the three domestic siblings gets unique and distinctive sheet metal and interior trim.
Like the Zephyr and the Fusion, the Milan is expected to offer an all-wheel-drive option, but not until model-year 2007. It also is expected to add a hybrid gas-electric version as a companion to the Fusion Hybrid in model-year 2008.
Mercury also announced that the 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid joins its cousin, the Ford Escape Hybrid, in production this fall. Its mechanicals are virtually identical to those of the Escape Hybrid, which combines a four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor.
The 2006 Mercury Mountaineer has been heavily face-lifted, with a new grille, headlamps, hood and bumper. Its cousin, the Ford Explorer, also gets a mild makeover this fall.
What this means to you: Even with the new models coming this fall, Mercury's stable continues to look pretty much like a range of warmed-over Ford vehicles.
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