The Crown Vicky is dead

[280Z Turbo]

The reason GM got into trouble in the first place was partly through lazy rebadges!

Not really. Would not a turd by any other name smell just as bad?

If you want to see a lazy rebadge look at an old "Datsun". I don't know who they were fooling.

[Soup DeVille]

Not really. Would not a turd by any other name smell just as bad?

If you want to see a lazy rebadge look at an old "Datsun". I don't know who they were fooling.

Pretty much everyone who ever bought a Datsun...

[93JC]

Can't say seeing the CV gone will make much of a difference. The police service is already moving toward Dodge Chargers, and the cabbies drive all sorts of cars (Impalas, Grand Marquises, Town Cars, Montanas, Ventures, Freestars, Windstars, Caravans, Escape Hybrids, Priuses, Intrepids, Concordes, the odd 300 here and there).

[CALL_911]

Can't say seeing the CV gone will make much of a difference. The police service is already moving toward Dodge Chargers, and the cabbies drive all sorts of cars (Impalas, Grand Marquises, Town Cars, Montanas, Ventures, Freestars, Windstars, Caravans, Escape Hybrids, Priuses, Intrepids, Concordes, the odd 300 here and there).

NO. THEY CANNOT HANDLE T3H 3.5L HIGH OUTPUT V6!!!11!1!

[SaltyDog]

That's not really stopping NYC cab companies from using Sienna's (I haven't noticed seeing any Sienna taxis in real life, but there's at least one in every TV shot of Manhattan I see)

Although, the Sienna *is* built in the US...

I just thought about that after I posted.  Hell, the only 2 NYC cab rides I had were in Sienna's

[TheIntrepid]

NO. THEY CANNOT HANDLE T3H 3.5L HIGH OUTPUT V6!!!11!1!

3.5 HO > j00

[the Teuton]

They need to make a Sienna hybrid for this kind of application.

[TheIntrepid]

They need to make a Sienna hybrid for this kind of application.

I agree, but if they did, all these guys would be bitching about how a Hybrid is oh so pointless.

[Soup DeVille]

I just thought about that after I posted.  Hell, the only 2 NYC cab rides I had were in Sienna's

Thinking about that: the last time I was in a cab in NY it was so long ago it was actually in a Checker!

[Eye of the Tiger]

I agree, but if they did, all these guys would be bitching about how a Hybrid is oh so pointless.

shut up, idiot. everyone knows hybrids are perfect for something like NYC cabs.  

[93JC]

Thinking about that: the last time I was in a cab in NY it was so long ago it was actually in a Checker!

[ifcar]

Can't say seeing the CV gone will make much of a difference. The police service is already moving toward Dodge Chargers, and the cabbies drive all sorts of cars (Impalas, Grand Marquises, Town Cars, Montanas, Ventures, Freestars, Windstars, Caravans, Escape Hybrids, Priuses, Intrepids, Concordes, the odd 300 here and there).

There is an increasing variety, but the Crown Victoria still commands a huge portion of the market.

[ifcar]

Because it wasn't much of a money maker, if at all. It was relatively expensive owing at least to its outdated design, and manufacture techniques (and I'd bet logistics as well), and serviced extremely low margin fleet customers.

It's simply business; If it were a moneymaker, they'd not have let it languish into utter irrelevancy.

That doesn't make sense. If it weren't profitable, they wouldn't have kept around as long as they have.

[ChrisV]

That doesn't make sense. If it weren't profitable, they wouldn't have kept around as long as they have.

According to every report I've seen, it's just the opposite. The tooling was paid off a long time ago and the profit margins on the CV/GM are quite large.

"Mercury executives love the Grand Ma, even while they squirm a bit over its Geritol image. Its profit margin is huge; the engineering costs were amortized before Leonid Brezhnev left the Kremlin."

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E1D9123EF93AA25753C1A9659C8B63

[ifcar]

That's what I thought.

[FordSVT]

I think Ford simply sees a time coming very shortly when the number of alternatives to the CV are simply going to overwhelm their profit margins. Demand for it is starting to trend downward, better to cut your losses before they start.

[nickdrinkwater]

According to every report I've seen, it's just the opposite. The tooling was paid off a long time ago and the profit margins on the CV/GM are quite large.

"Mercury executives love the Grand Ma, even while they squirm a bit over its Geritol image. Its profit margin is huge; the engineering costs were amortized before Leonid Brezhnev left the Kremlin."

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E1D9123EF93AA25753C1A9659C8B63

Mercury have executives?

I thought Mercury was just a Ford with a different badge and grille.

[ChrisV]

Mercury have executives?

I thought Mercury was just a Ford with a different badge and grille.

Mercury is a division inside of Ford. Much like Ford of Europe is a division inside of Ford Corporate. While Mercury often remodels Fords (not just rebadging, though lately that's been mostly the case), they do have a rivalry interally about getting product money, and they have their own president, VPs, and product managers as though it was a separate company. 

[nickdrinkwater]

Interesting.  Thanks for the info!

[USA_Idol]

Mercury is a division inside of Ford. Much like Ford of Europe is a division inside of Ford Corporate. While Mercury often remodels Fords (not just rebadging, though lately that's been mostly the case), they do have a rivalry interally about getting product money, and they have their own president, VPs, and product managers as though it was a separate company. 

Going back even thirty years (1977), I can't remember a single Mercury that wasn't simply a rebadge (or a mild rework of the profile) of a US or Euro Ford model.

Mercury should be the mid-grade brand that it needs to be.  It's supposed to bridge the gap between mainstream Ford and premium Lincoln.  While we're on that subject, Lincoln needs to be a lot more "premium" and a lot less "Ford."   

[the Teuton]

So Mercury really should be Ford Europe and/or Australia.

[Vinsanity]

So Mercury really should be Ford Europe and/or Australia.

That's what I've been saying!

The Mercury lineup should be as follows:
Euro Focus
Euro Focus Vignale
Mondeo
Aussie Falcon
move the Freestyle X to Mercury since Ford has the Edge and will soon have the Flex

[nickdrinkwater]

Isn't Volvo Ford's 'mid-grade' brand?

[Raza]

Isn't Volvo Ford's 'mid-grade' brand?

No, Volvo is Volvo, it's just partially owned by Ford.

[Vinsanity]

While we're on that subject, Lincoln needs to be a lot more "premium" and a lot less "Ford."  

omg...poor Lincoln I'll admit that Cadillac is biting more competition than they can chew, but Lincoln is just embarrassing. Caddy is the savior of Detroit compared to Lincoln. They should've redesigned the LS within two years of the CTS's debut instead of letting it die a shameful death. Hell, they really should've released an edgy 4-door convertible, called it the Continental, all the while building it on the Town Car's Panther chassis.

[the Teuton]

omg...poor Lincoln I'll admit that Cadillac is biting more competition than they can chew, but Lincoln is just embarrassing. Caddy is the savior of Detroit compared to Lincoln. They should've redesigned the LS within two years of the CTS's debut instead of letting it die a shameful death. Hell, they really should've released an edgy 4-door convertible, called it the Continental, all the while building it on the Town Car's Panther chassis.

Then they wouldn't need to keep the pillars like so many 4 door cabrio concepts these days.

[Vinsanity]

Then they wouldn't need to keep the pillars like so many 4 door cabrio concepts these days.

That's the genius of it!

I impress myself too much sometimes

[the Teuton]

That's the genius of it!

I impress myself too much sometimes

*Gives Vin a pat on the back*

[Vinsanity]

*Gives Vin a pat on the back*

LOL yay!

I has a cookie!

[ChrisV]

Going back even thirty years (1977), I can't remember a single Mercury that wasn't simply a rebadge (or a mild rework of the profile) of a US or Euro Ford model.

When I say lately, you have to remember that MY Mercury is a '60s model, and Mercury had already been around for 30 years at that point. To me, anything newer than the mid '60s is a late model car.

But cars like the FWD Cougar are more than a simple rebadge of the Contour, it was a rebody of the Contour, which is the kind of thing I'm talking about. Much like my Comet is a rebody of the Falcon (of course, the Mustang was a similar rebody of the Falcon), with a different wheelbase and different sheetmetal all around.