Ford News Briefs Weekly News Digest

Week of March 8, 1996

(Check out our archive of recent events in the News Digest Index)

PARK RIDGE, N.J., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hertz Corporation, the world's largest car rental company, announced that it will open 39 car sales locations in the U.S. during 1996, primarily in the West and South.

Hertz, which in recent years has operated only a handful of car sales locations, decided to expand its number of car sales locations as a result of its increased purchase of rental cars not covered under so-called "buy-back" programs. Under the buy-back programs instituted by the auto manufactures in the 1980's, cars in the rental fleet were purchased from dealers and then at the end of their fleet life were "bought back" by manufacturers. However, in addition to "program" cars purchased under buy-back agreements, Hertz has been purchasing an increasing number of cars not covered by buy-back agreements and for which Hertz is responsible for resale.

"We see this as a great opportunity for Hertz and a great deal for the consumer looking for a well-maintained, low-mileage, seven- to twelve-month old car at a very competitive price," said Hertz Executive Vice President and General Manager for U.S. Rent A Car Operations Joseph R. Nothwang.

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Jaguar Cars today unveiled its long-rumored XK8 sports coupe during the opening press session of the Geneva motor show. The coupe and an XK8 convertible will go on sale in the United States and Canada in October.

"The XK8 is an outstandingly beautiful sports car," said Jaguar Chairman and Chief Executive Nick Scheele. "I am confident it will take its place among the all-time greats in Jaguar's sports car history."

While the mechanical details and pricing won't be made public until the official launch, today's styling reveal delivers a clearly stated message that Jaguar is reasserting its sports car heritage.

DEARBORN, Mich., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) set several sales records in a strong 16.1 million industry during the month of February, earning a market share of 25.8 percent. Among the highlights:

• Ford Contour had its best month ever, with 16,600 units, and the combined sales for Contour and Mercury Mystique set a February record.
• Ford Taurus retained its customary position as America's best selling car with sales of 30,180 units.
• Mercury Sable also turned in strong results -- up 14 percent in February on sales of 10,477 units. Combined Taurus and Sable sales since January 1 now total 80,204 units.
• Ford Explorer sales of 33,515 units established a 13th consecutive monthly record and topped the 30,000 mark for the 12th month in succession. With a 21 percent increase in February, Explorer continued to dominate the sport utility segment.
• Ford Ranger was the best-selling compact pickup truck, with sales of 23,620 units, and Ford Escort was the best-selling sub-compact car with sales of 25,241 units in February.
• Sparked by the all-new 1997 F-150 pickup, the Ford F- Series continued to be the best-selling vehicle in America during February, with sales of 64,839 -- up 24 percent to its best February level since 1979.

DETROIT, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is offering a trip to the Geneva Motor Show to Internet users worldwide. From March 7-17, Internet users everywhere will be able to share in the excitement of one of the world's most renowned motor events simply by clicking on the Geneva Motor Show icon in Ford's web site (http://www.ford.com).

Once in the Geneva site, "visitors" will be able to view live shots of Ford's exhibit from the show floor, retrieve video clips from the first world unveilings of the Jaguar XK8 sports car and the Aston Martin V8 Coupe, and see several concept vehicles, including the first public display of the Lynx, a concept sports car based on platform of the new Ford Fiesta.

Geneva is the second stop on Ford's "virtual tour" of motor shows on the Internet. In January, World Wide Web users were able to visit the North American International Auto Show in Detroit courtesy of Ford Motor Company's Internet site.

LISLE, Ill., March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) has announced the availability of dual propane and gasoline fuel systems for its popular 1996 F-150 and F-250 model pickup trucks, the first light-duty propane-powered vehicles covered by Ford's full three-year, 36,000-mile factory warranty.

Orders for the bi-fuel F-Series pickups will be taken at authorized local Ford dealerships until April 15. Currently, there are over 130 authorized dealers throughout the United States and Canada offering and servicing the vehicles.

The production of the bi-fuel trucks addresses an increasing demand for reliable, light-duty, alternative fuel-powered trucks that are built with original equipment from the manufacturer and can be serviced by factory-authorized employees.

"The F-Series Propane Vehicle has the quality, durability and dependability you expect and also features the same service and warranty benefits as its gasoline-powered counterpart," said Beryl Stajich, Ford Fleet Product and AFV Marketing Manager. "This bi-fuel truck provides the flexibility to run on either propane or unleaded gasoline at the flip of a switch."

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