Heh heh.....thanks Ryan! Maybe I WILL be able to
afford a nice V8 throttlebody now! Steve P.
--- Ryan Stewart <firebird@kymtnnet.org> wrote:
> OH SH!T! LOL, meant to send this elsewhere. I guess
> my stupidity is
> showing.....Hehe, please ignore.
>
> -Ryan
> 99 DA RC R/T
> I'm a moron.....
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ryan Stewart <firebird@kymtnnet.org>
> To: <dakota-truck@buffnet.net>
> Sent: Monday, December 18, 2000 9:00 PM
> Subject: DML: Re: Mercury on the move?
>
>
> > Hello. My account number is: 5000 719 891
> > Thank you.
> >
> > -Brian
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Richard A Pyburn <rap777@juno.com>
> > To: <dakota-truck@buffnet.net>
> > Sent: Monday, December 18, 2000 4:10 PM
> > Subject: DML: Mercury on the move?
> >
> >
> > > Here's an article from CNN financial news that
> says Mercury may be next
> > > to go.
> > >
> > >
> http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2000/12/18/home_auto/mercury/
> > >
> > > Will Mercury follow Olds?
> > > Analysts
> expecting Ford to follow
> > > competitors
> in thinning out brand
> > > lineup
> > > By Staff
> Writer Chris Isidore
> > > December 18,
> 2000: 12:15 p.m. ET
> > >
> > >
> > > NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The Mercury
> brand could be on a
> fast
> > > ride down a
> > > dead-end road.
> > >
> > > The brand is in a difficult
> "middle ground" between
> the
> > > lower-priced volume
> > > brands, such as Ford, and the
> premium brands in the
> > > Ford Motor Co. family --
> > > home grown Lincoln, and
> overseas acquisitions such as
> > > Volvo, Jaguar, and
> > > most recently Land Rover.
> > >
> > > After last week's move by
> General Motors Corp. (GM:
> > > Research, Estimates) to
> > > phase out the Oldsmobile brand
> and the announcement by
> > > DaimlerChrysler
> > > (DCX: Research, Estimates) a
> year ago that it would
> > > drop the Plymouth brand,
> > > many believe Mercury will be
> the next model to be
> > > dropped.
> > >
> > > "The underperformance of the
> > > Mercury brand relative to the
> rest of
> > > Ford's brands is glaring,"
> said
> > > Jonathan Lawrence, analyst
> with
> > > Dain Rauscher Wessels, who
> > > predicts an announcement by
> Ford
> > > as soon as the North American
> > > International Auto Show in
> early
> > > January in Detroit. "If you
> look at the
> > > Ford brands, every one has a
> distinctive identity. All
> > > of the Mercury models are
> > > basically twins of other Ford
> vehicles. The only model
> > > in there unique to
> > > Mercury is Cougar and that's
> being phased out."
> > >
> > > Ford (F: Research, Estimates)
> officials deny there's
> > > any plans to drop Mercury,
> > > however.
> > >
> > > "These rumors have been
> circulating for 30 years and
> > > they're still not true," said
> > > Jim Trainor, spokesman for
> Mercury. "Mercury makes a
> > > lot of money for Ford
> > > Motor Co. The economics are
> pretty simple. We don't
> > > have to be the biggest to
> > > make a contribution."
> > >
> > > But even the company admits it
> is concentrating far
> > > more new vehicle
> > > development effort and dollars
> into the Lincoln brand,
> > > and relatively little to
> > > Mercury. The overwhelming
> majority of Mercury dealers
> > > are also Lincoln
> > > dealers.
> > >
> > > "That's not to say Mercury
> will not get new product,"
> > > said George Pipas,
> > > market analysis spokesman for
> Ford. "But in terms of
> > > the number of new
> > > products that the
> Lincoln-Mercury franchises are going
> > > to see coming to
> > > showroom, more investment and
> more product news will
> be
> > > on the Lincoln side
> > > of franchise."
> > >
> > > Mercury has seen sales fall,
> although not quite as
> > > steeply as Oldsmobile. Still,
> > > sales of 339,069 vehicles by
> Mercury through the first
> > > 11 months of 2000 are off
> > > 17 percent from year earlier
> level, as its market
> share
> > > has slipped to 2.1
> > > percent from 2.6 percent in
> 1999. As recently as 1993
> > > the brand sold 483,845
> > > vehicles and captured 3.5
> percent of the overall
> > > market.
> > >
> > > But Trainor says that some of
> the Mercury models are
> > > doing well in the face of
> > > the slowdown. He said the
> Grand Marquis, with sales of
> > > 114,946 year-to-date,
> > > should have its best sales in
> 14 years, although only
> > > slightly ahead of year
> > > earlier sales. The Sable, a
> twin of the Ford Taurus,
> > > also is ahead of year-ago
> > > sales through November.
> > >
> > > Stepping stone brands
> become slippery
> > >
> > > The middle brands were once
> seen as stepping stones
> for
> > > automakers to move
> > > their loyal customers from
> lower-price, entry level
> > > brands to the higher price
> > > luxury brands such as Lincoln
> or GM's Cadillac. But
> > > those lines have been
> > > blurring for years, and some
> competitors, such as
> > > Toyota Motor Corp. (TM:
> > > Research, Estimates) and Honda
> Motor Co. (HMC:
> > > Research, Estimates) have
> > > found success introducing
> luxury brands such as Lexus
> > > and Acura to the U.S.
> > > market without offering a
> middle brand.
> > >
>
=== message truncated ===
=====
1999 Dakota Sport 3.9V6,4x4,3.92 Anti-spin,42RE auto,Intense Blue,regular cab.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 11:58:04 EDT