Letters
Ward's AutoWorld, Jun 1, 2008 12:00 PM

I keep hearing algae biofuel is the best alternative to petroleum. It can be grown in several ways and also fights the greenhouse-gas effect.

It was also recently found to perform better than diesel in extreme cold. Why is there not a larger push for algae given that corn-based alternatives are depleting feed stocks?
Josh England
Cookeville, TN

I read the item about Mercuri in your March issue with great interest (see WAW — March '08, p.6). The problem with Mercury is that it has been mismanaged by Ford for decades. While the criticism over badge engineering is undeniably justified, it doesn't have to be that way.

Dumping Mercury only leaves Ford with a gap in its product lineup that should not be filled by expanding Lincoln downward with Fusion-based MKZs or Edge-based MKXs. I find it ironic that Ford is trying to cash in on the prestige of the Lincoln name by putting it within the reach of more buyers, while at the same time downgrading its product line.

What's worse, Ford is now applying the same badge engineering to Lincolns that has been used to bring Mercury to the brink of extinction. Who is going to take Lincoln seriously as a maker of luxury vehicles once it has earned the reputation as the “new” Mercury, selling the same Ford clones at a premium price?

Mercury should not be left for dead. Ford would be wise to do with Mercury what GM has been doing with Pontiac. Mercury could become a North American outlet for some of their Australian and European models. How about a new Comet based on Australia's Falcon? Why not import the European Mondeo as a Mercury? Could a new Marquis be based on the Australian LTD or a domestic Lincoln model? Perhaps a Ford-based crossover could take advantage of that important market segment.

Yes, the above suggestions rely on badge engineering. But the entire Mercury lineup does not have to be redundant with other North American Ford products. It can have its own identity for the first time since the 1960s, yet development costs could be kept relatively low.

Mercury should be saved and compete with traditional rivals such as Pontiac and Buick. Lincoln's reputation as a maker of luxury cars must be spared to rival Cadillac in the future. This is a strategy for achieving both objectives.
James M. Cyr
South Lyon, MI

How can anyone argue with John McElroy's commentary? (See WAW — March '08, p.12) Our government can legislate all it wishes to try and control behavior but will continue to fail. Legislating active safety devices and rollover mitigation may help a little.

You cannot legislate personal responsibility and common sense. Seatbelts, plain and simple, save many lives. As a recent testament, a friend's family was involved in a severe side-impact crash that left their minivan totaled. An older woman missed a stop sign and hit the driver's side at 30 mph (48 km/h).

Four children and one adult went to the ER, where the attending doctor simply stated to my friend, “The good news is no one was killed; all four children were properly restrained in the vehicle.” The children are all under age 7, with a newborn right next to the impact door. The worst injury was a sprained left ankle for the driver, and seatbelt bruises.

The outcome would have been different if the family did not take responsibility, ensuring everyone's safety. Legislate all you want, but the consumers are the ones dying because of their deadly choices, whether or not to wear a seatbelt.

By the way, the parents involved in the wreck immediately threw away the car seats that survived the crash and bought new ones. They only had to serve their purpose once.
William Wasierski
South Bend, IN

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