What Mercury's Demise Means

The wait is over, Ford announced today that Mercury production will halt in the fourth quarter of this year. Of course, Ford has its glass half-full saying that shutting down Mercury is only an opportunity to improve as a company. The first few paragraphs make it clear.

"Ford Motor Company will expand and enhance its Lincoln brand lineup with seven all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles in the next four years as part of an aggressive growth plan focused on standout product design, class-leading technology and new powertrains – all aimed at competing with Cadillac and Lexus in North America.

Ford also will end production of Mercury vehicles in the fourth quarter of this year to fully devote its financial, product development, production and marketing, sales and service resources toward further growing its core Ford brand while enhancing the Lincoln brand."

Nevertheless, the demise of Mercury does show that today's automotive consumer demands more than ever before. As a brand Mercury cars were slightly fancied up and rebadged versions of everyday mainstream Fords. This no longer works, see General Motors for further evidence.

This is not to say that consumer's aren't willing to pay more for a premium version of mainstream cars. In fact, Ford's focus on the Lincoln brand shows that quality "badge engineering" is the future. The Lincoln lineup is completely based on Ford products, yet they look different inside and out. Even Lincoln's closest competition in Cadillac and Lexus (according to Ford) features a lineup that relies heavily on modified platforms of mainstream cars.

In this sense Ford's emphasis on significantly increased emphasis on the Lincoln brand will be paramount. Ford is going to have to prove to the public that there is a significant difference between a Ford and a Lincoln for the brand to survive and not follow Mercury's fate. Based on the quality products coming out of Ford for the past year, it looks like Lincoln is poised to regain some of its former glory in the coming years.



The MKX is an appealing product, but is it too similar to its Ford counterpart to be considered luxury?

Citroen Creates a Better Concept Car than BMW?

While some car companies use the auto show circuit to reveal thinly disguised versions of upcoming production cars, others use their concept cars to push styling boundaries and imagination. The Citroen Metropolis concept follows the latter line of thought. The Metropolis concept exists solely to present Citroen design and brand to the world and get people excited about Citroen products. In this regard the Metropolis does not disappoint. It features the outrageous styling and unrealistic proportions that make concept cars truly worthy of the name.

The Citroen Metropolis is a fine example of an excellent concept car, but it certainly has competition from the recently revealed BMW Gran Coupe concept. While both are certainly visually appealing, the Metropolis Concept edges ahead solely based on the fact that there will be no disappointment when its production version comes out. There won't be one. On the other hand, if there is a production version of the BMW Gran Coupe it wouldn't be as graceful and handsome as the concept.








The Gran Coupe is one of the best looking BMWs in a long time, but the concept version only sets expectations too high for a potential production version.

Audi R8 GT

Audi has revealed its highest performance version of its R8 supercar to date, the R8 GT. Limited to only 333 units the R8 GT ups the performance level by subtracting 220 pounds of weight and bringing the horsepower total of the V10 engine up to 560. Together this allows the R8 GT accelerate to 62 mph from standstill in only 3.6* seconds and achieve a top speed of 199 mph. Audi says that it achieved the weight reduction by substituting many of the body and interior bits with carbon fiber versions. The R8 GT also features more aggressive styling to set it apart from the other R8s with its fixed rear spoiler, bigger exhausts, front and rear bumpers, and its trademark side blades in black.While not announced initially, it is expected that a portion of the 333 R8 GTs produced will come to the US in the near future.







*Remember that the 3.6 second acceleration time quoted by Audi does not include rollout that American magazine tests use. The regular R8 V10 with S-Tronic has achieved a 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds in American testing, expect the R8 GT to be quicker still.

Chrysler Sebring To Morph Into Chrysler Nassau

The current iteration of the Chrysler Sebring has been an unmitigated disaster for the brand. The Sebring has done poorly both with the automotive press and the general public at large. The Sebring and its twin Dodge Avenger have routinely been described as the types of vehicles that are responsible for Chrysler brand's poor sales. Thankfully for Chrysler this is about to change as the Sebring is slated to receive a significant facelift in the near future. To further distance from the current disaster, the Sebring is rumored to be renamed Nassau. The Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep mega source of information that is Allpar reports that the refreshed and renamed Chrysler midsize sedan should be ready by this fall. Based on the Allpar pshop the lackluster styling of the current car will be improved significantly. New engines possibly featuring Fiat Multiair technology and a new interior will likely round out the facelift. While it's unlikely that the Nassau will become a class leading midsize, we could see one of the most comprehensive facelifts ever finally give Chrysler dealers a competitive product to sell.

Audi A8L Breaks Cover

Set to debut at the upcoming Beijing auto show the newly released A8 has grown about five inches to become the A8L. With the normal wheelbase new A8 almost reaching the length of the previous A8L it was a given that the latest A8L would grow as well, and it did to 207.4 inches with an 123 inch wheelbase. This makes the A8L a couple of inches longer than the other flagship sedans that it is set to compete against. Also debuting on the A8L is the enlarged and FSI equipped W12. Now displacing 6.3 liters it is good for an even 500 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque along with a 12% improvement in fuel economy. With the added length the rear passenger compartment gets even more luxurious,if that is even possible with the addition of reclining seat option. The A8 and A8L go on sale in the US in the fall with the W12 version coming in spring of 2011.

Riich's M5 is not like the real thing

Chery's upscale brand Riich has created this creation which they will call the M5. When launched Chery promised that the upscale Riich division would be an Audi challenger. However, it's hard to see this M5 challenging the Audi RS6. Instead of challenging the RS6 the Riich M5 can only hope to be the second ugliest car to be featured on this blog. Thankfully for Riich, this monster has first place wrapped up. Slightly reminiscent of the Toyota Echo, the M5 manages to look ten times more awkward, a hard feat indeed. Check out more spy shots of the M5 here.






Quick, spot 10 differences.

Audi RS5 Is Coming To The States

Car and Driver reports that Audi will indeed sell the upcoming RS5 in the United States of America. Powered by the 450 horsepower version of the 4.2 liter V8 the RS5 promises excellent performance to go along with more aggressive styling than the A5. While pricing and on sale dates have yet to be announced the RS5 will likely come well equipped and thus will cost approximately what loaded up versions of BMW M3 go for. Expect the RS5 to be a 2012 model as well. Perhaps the TT RS will make it stateside too?