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BlueOvalNews.com |
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Cougar S gets nod for JOB1 2000 |
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What product might get the next GREEN light to replace the Taurus SHO? In an almost classic wild west show down between the Cougar Eliminator, Cougar S and the Taurus - SVT chose none of the above. . .at least not for right now. Enter the young guns at Mercury who have been telling us about their brands revival for the past two years. . . .but have only produced one model to back it all up - the Cougar. But let's not down play upon what the Cougar has achieved for Mercury. The Cougar is one hot ride and Mercury understands what the future prospects in developing the car further could bring to their division - a much needed youthful following. There are many "theories" as to if Mercury will build a hotter Cougar. Some of these theories indicate that they will not since SVT will never badge a Mercury while others believe Mercury can go it alone. Actually, it seems both theories are just the mix in what Mercury needs. SVT has conducted studies which have found that there is not a high Mercury loyalty rate. And it's also true that Mercury dealers couldn't possibly be certified as SVT dealers since they could not obtain the Lightning, Cobra and Focus SVT models. But what SVT could possibly do is help the Cougar team in supporting a special Mercury projects group. We already know that the Mercury Marauder <more> has been given the green light - why would the Cougar be any different? In whatever way Ford marketing determines which tactic will work best for Mercury, the fact remains that Mercury cannot sit idle and wait - it's too critical in their plan to gain market share. The Cougar was introduced in mid 1998 and it needs a hot product to keep its image alive and fresh. ENTER the Mercury Cougar S <more>. The answer to Mercury's prayers. And quite possibly Cougar enthusiasts as well. It's now scheduled to become a reality. In an internal Ford memo obtained by BlueOvalNews, Cougar brand manager Mike Jennings reported that the base price of the current Cougar is $21,995, although it's reported that it (Cougar S) may increase significantly. The Cougar S will most likely not have all of the appointments and features as the concept model unveiled at the 1999 Geneva, Switzerland auto show. For one, our source on Team Cougar has stated that while the Concept model uses a 3.0 Duratec V6, the production model will use a slightly modified 2.5L. We have also confirmed this data over the weekend with our source at Ford engine engineering who has also reported that a modified 2.5L Cougar engine is in the works. Our Cougar contact has also noted, through documentation provided to BlueOvalNews, that the Mercury Cougar S will only be available in two markets: the United States and Mexico. There are currently NO plans to market the high performance coupe in Canada. The Ford Cougar ST200 has also been given the green light for sale in the European Community, but will use some different components mainly directed at European emissions standards. Ford has approved Mercury to produce 3,000 copies of the special Mercury Cougar S at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant. JOB1 for the Cougar S has been TENTATIVELY scheduled for 17 January 2000. Lincoln Mercury dealerships will begin receiving the new Cougar S models for customer deliveries in March of 2000. |
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