Hollywood Fights to Score First Mercury SUV Hybrid June 2005

The 20th Annual "Bring Back the Beach" benefit dinner, organized by environmental group Heal the Bay, featured celebrities such at Garry Marshall, Cindy Crawford, Toby Maguire and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. But the feature attraction for many was watching the celebs duke it out to win an auction to be the first owner of a 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV.

The Mariner Hybrid will go on sale in October and feature the same drivetrain technology currently offered in Ford's hot-selling Escape Hybrid. Introduced as a 2005 model (without hybrid drivetrain availability), the Mercury Mariner will be the second of several Ford hybrid products to appear over the next few years. Look for a hybrid version of the new Fusion sedan and the existing Mazda Tribute (Mazda's version of the Escape/Mariner twins) to go on sale in the next 24 months.

While the $47,500 purchase price went to aid environmental efforts along California's coast, those looking to spend less for a Mariner Hybrid should expect prices to be slightly higher than the Escape Hybrid currently on sale, or around $30,000.

What this means to you: Like Toyota after its Prius launch, Ford was caught off guard by the flood of consumer interest in its Escape Hybrid. The Mariner Hybrid suggests Ford doesn't want to hand this market over to the Asian brands.

SOURCE: Edmunds

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