May 7, 1999

At an age when many one-year-olds are just starting to walk, the Mercury

Cougar has sprinted past the competition to become the hottest-selling car in

its segment. And like plenty of other yearlings, Cougar shows absolutely no

signs of slowing down the pace.

Consider:

* More than 55,000 sales since being introduced one

year ago.

* More than 11,000 sales in just the past two months

alone.

* Cougar has dramatically changed the type of buyer

shopping at Mercury dealerships.

* Cougar is building excitement with after-market

modifiers at a never-seen-before pace.

"The redesigned Cougar has been a great addition to the

Mercury portfolio," said Jennifer Moneagle, the new

Mercury group brand manager. "We expected the new Cougar

to signal the rebirth of the Mercury brand, increase

sales over the previous model and attract a more

active-lifestyle buyer to our showrooms. One year later,

I say "mission accomplished.'"

New Mercury Buyers

The new Cougar is responsible for attracting many

first-time Mercury buyers into Mercury dealerships. More

than 60 percent of Cougar customers are new to the

Mercury brand, many of them never having previously set

foot in a Mercury dealership. On average, Cougar buyers

are 39 years old, 20 percent are between the ages of 17 -

24, and about 60 percent are female.

"Developing a new customer base for Mercury has been

paramount to the success the Cougar has attained," said

Mike Jennings, Cougar brand manager. "The 1999 Cougar has

proven that Mercury can attract a decidedly young and

female set of customers and also bring innovative and

unique products to market."

A Hit with the After Market

After-market manufacturers were quick to seize on the

fact that the redesigned Cougar would be a hit with

customers who want to customize and improve the

performance of the Cougar. The 1999 Specialty Equipment

Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show - a litmus test for

the expected popularity of a product - saw the

introduction of at least seven modified Cougars.

Wings West of Newport Beach, California, one of the first

after-market manufacturers to capitalize on Cougar's

early success, has emerged as a top Cougar modifier. It

was their entry that won the Lincoln Mercury award for

best after-market design at last year's SEMA show.

"The exterior styling of the Cougar easily lends itself

to enhancement," said Ernie Brunnell, Wings West, vice

president of sales and marketing. "I think it is safe to

say there soon will be many modified Cougars on the road,

both here in California and throughout the country."

Customer Reaction

Customers love their Cougars. In March of 1999 a group of

enthusiastic owners established a website

(www.newcougar.org) for sharing information. The New Edge

Cougar Owners (NECO) hope to provide new and prospective

owners of the 1999 Cougar with unbiased information. They

also hope to nurture and promote the development of an

after-market for the latest generation of Cougar

enthusiasts.

"To date, we have received an overwhelmingly positive

feedback from consumers, manufacturers, and retailers,"

said Darwin R. Pinder Jr., one of the founding members of

NECO and a resident of DeQuincy, Louisiana. "I chose the

Cougar for its styling, performance and practicability -

its got tons of trunk space with enough room for two

humans in the back seat."