#LincolnMKT

With 200 of Lincoln‘s 1200 dealers staring down a possible termination of their franchise, an upcoming dealer meeting will provide little comfort to retailers of Ford’s luxury brand, as the Blue Oval will not share upcoming product details with Lincoln’s sales force.

For the best part of, well, a long time really, the most popular vehicle in North America for limo service has been Lincoln‘s Panther platform Town Car. But now, with the demise of both it and the evergreen Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln’s sizeable number of livery fleet customers need an alternative. The brand believes that a specialized version of the slow selling MKT crossover should fit the bill.

With relatively poor sales the Ford Edge and its hideously-styled Lincoln-MKT derivative may be phased out in 2013 after just one generation. While a response to the lack of success for each model, Ford has a larger plan for its two remaining brands, aiming to create a larger gap between Ford and Lincoln.

Ford announced today that five of their vehicles have been selected as Top Safety Picks By The IIHS, boosting their total to 11 vehicles. The 2010 Ford Flex and Fusion, Lincoln MKZ and MKT and the Mercury Milan all scored the highest possible ratings in the IIHS’s front, side and rear impact tests as well as their roof strength test. The ratings mean that Ford now leads the industry in Top Safety Picks as well as government five-star crash ratings.

Hit the jump to read the official press release

[Source: Ford]

The 2011 Ford Mustang V6 makes as much power as the 2005-2009 V8 version did, proving that six-cylinder technology is no longer for the runts of the Mustang litter. Add a couple turbochargers and direct-injection, and you get Ford’s wonderful EcoBoost motor, which has all the power you could ever want from a big V8, while getting better fuel economy.

Ford customers seem to agree, and an internal study shows that buyers are very satisfied with the performance of the EcoBoost engine. While the survey was probably not the most scientific, real-world experience with a Taurus SHO was enough to prove that the technology is sound, and the rumored four-cylinder Ecoboost should be a treat.

Press Release After The Jump

[Source: Autoblog]

We still have more than half of 2009 to go and already the list of 2010 North American Car & Truck of the Year nominees have been picked. That’s because the list is essentially a list of every new model for 2010.