VIDEO: Happy-Go-Lucky Driver Rams into Train with Mercury Woody

What does it take for someone to take notice of a train passing through a railway crossing? Judging by the lack of any type of reaction from this 50-year old man behind the steering wheel of this 1980's Mercury Corony Station Wagon, more than you can ever possibly imagine. I mean, it's broad daylight, you're going no faster than 10mph, there's a massive train slowly passing through the railway crossing right in front of your eyes, the warning bells are frantically ringing like a fire alarm and yet you still "manage" to ignore everything signal and ram into the train! Unbelievable...

Info: Newobserver

Ford Rolls Out 100,000th Hybrid SUV

Today, Ford Motor Company celebrated the production of its 100,000th hybrid SUV at the Kansas City Assembly Plant, which employs 4,100 people. The U.S. automaker launched the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrid SUVs five years ago. The 2009 model year Escape and Mariner hybrids deliver 34 mpg in city driving and 31 mpg on the highway.

"As we celebrate our 100,000th hybrid, America's interest in hybrid vehicles keeps growing, as does Ford's commitment to advanced powertrain technologies that deliver greater fuel economy, lower emissions and help enhance our country's energy security," said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford.

Ford Group U.S. Sales Plunge 40.2% in January

It appears that there's no end to the sales crisis that has hit the U.S. auto industry. In January 2009, Ford Motor Company's U.S. sales that include the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo brands, fell to 93,506 units, a 40.2 percent decline versus a year ago (156,391 units). Volvo was the hardest hit as its January sales plunged 63.8 percent to a mere 2,910 vehicles. FoMoCo said that its inventories were 420,000 vehicles at the end of January, which is 156,000 vehicles lower than a year ago. During the past 12 months, the Ford's inventories were reduced by 27 percent which is consistent with the company's sales decline (22 percent) during this same period.

2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrids Qualify for $3,400 Tax Credit

FoMoCo has announced that the new mild-hybrid versions of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan qualify for a $3,400 tax credit from the federal government. The American automaker claims that this is the highest credit amount ever offered for hybrids purchased or placed in service after December 31, 2005. Ford's mid-size hybrid sedans are rated at 41 mpg n the city and 36 mpg on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry Hybrid by 8 mpg and 2 mpg respectively.

2010 Ford Fusion Facelift Gets Chrome Monobrow, New Engines and a Hybrid Version

Ford has issued the first official picture of the 2010 Fusion that will be revealed along with its revised Lincoln MKZ and Mercury Milan siblings at next month's LA Auto Show. The facelifted Fusion profits - or the opposite, we'll leave that for you to decide, from a fully redesigned front end that features something that was designed to look like a car but ended up resembling a gigantic chrome monobrow. The mid-size sedan also gets a new hood design and a restyled front bumper. Ford is still keeping the rest of the photos under a cloth of secrecy, so we'll have to see if there are any other styling changes. -Continued

The 2010 model year Fusion (as well as the Milan) gains from a new engine lineup that includes Ford's brand-new Duratec 2.5-liter 4-cylinder unit that delivers an output of 175HP and 172 lb.-ft. of torque, 14HP more and 16 more lb.-ft. of torque than the preceding year's 2.3-liter unit. The 3.0-liter V6 engine has been reworked producing 19HP more and 23 more lb.-ft. of torque than before for a total of 240HP and 228 lb.-ft. of torque while for 2010, there's also a new 263HP 3.5-liter V6 engine.

What's even more important is that all three engine are paired with Ford's new six-speed automatic transmission. While Ford has yet to release any specific figures, the company supports that paired with the 6-speed auto, the 2.5-liter Fusion delivers a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency while the V6 configurations gain a 4- to 6-percent efficiency.

In 2009 Ford will also introduce the Fusion and Milan Hybrids equipped with a next-generation hybrid propulsion system. Te hybrid sedans can operate up to 47 mph in pure electric mode while Ford claims that the city driving range on a single city tank of gas is expected to be more than 700 miles. Furthermore, the company said that both the Milan and Fusion hyrbids are expected to achieve class-leading fuel economy, besting the Toyota Camry hybrid by at least 5 mpg.

Mercury to Bite The Dust by 2012

It comes to no surprise to anyone who has been watching the U.S. auto industry the past few years, but even if Ford had it coming, it’s a sad development to see a marque like Mercury following in the footsteps of Oldsmobile and Plymouth.

While Ford hasn’t officially announced the death of Mercury, Inside Line supports that word from sources that supply the brand is that the marque will quietly be put to sleep by 2012. Mercury has no plans of intruding any new vehicle and from the looks of it, the last new model to roll-off the designers board will be a revised version of the Milan mid-size sedan that’s expected sometime in 2009. -Continued

The mid-level luxury brand that’s celebrating its 70th birthday this year was founded in 1938 by Edsel Ford as a bridge between Ford's mainstream vehicles and upscale Lincolns. Today, Mercury’s models are considered nothing more than rebadged Fords something that has definetely had a negative impact on sales which are at their lowest point in 47 years. In the first five months of the 2008 Mercury delivered 23.4 percent fewer cars and light trucks than in 2007.

Link: Inside Line