News

Ford Taking Internet Orders for 2006 Mariner HEV/SUV

July 11, 2005 by Jeff Shepard

Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI) reported that it has begun taking orders for its 2006 Mercury Mariner gas-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) via the Internet. The Mariner SUV will not be shipped directly to a buyer's home. When an order is placed, the customer still must visit a dealership to make a deposit on the vehicle, which starts at $29,840, and handle any trade-in. Mercury dealers will only get a Mariner hybrid when a consumer buys one. Interested buyers will be able to test drive gas-powered Mariners.

A list of certified dealers is available at http://www.marinerhybrid.com. The site also provides details about the vehicle, from standard to optional equipment as well as prices. Interested buyers will be assigned a personal sales consultant, who will answer questions, talk consumers through the ordering process, and act as a liaison between consumer and dealer. The consultant will be in contact with the consumer via phone, e-mail or a chat room, from order to delivery.

Ford and Mercury felt comfortable with the program since hybrid vehicle buyers do extensive research prior to purchasing a vehicle, and do not purchase on impulse; additonally, only 2,000 Mariner hybrids will be sold for the 2006 model year. Mercury is already planning to double the number of available hybrid Mariners - to 4,000 - for the 2007 model year. In 2005, Mercury expects to sell about 34,000 of its standard Mariners. The SUV is the second of five hybrids coming from Ford by 2008.