Ford Introduces Mercury Incentive in Midwest

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) is offering an incentive to current midwest Mercury owners, offering them $500 towards the purchase of a new Ford vehicle and up to $1,500 to buy a Lincoln, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Ford is looking to retain customers after dissolving the brand in 2010.

The incentive program lasts until April 4, the Journal said, citing three dealers who were briefed on the rebate. The offer is confined to the midwest area, as the region is Mercury’s prime market.

Sales of the Lincoln brand fell 21% in January.

Meanwhile, Ford suppliers said they are adding 5,500 jobs globally to produce the next generation of the Focus, the company announced in a press release on Friday.

“Suppliers are critical to the success of the new Focus, and they are stepping up to support Ford in this important launch,” said group vice president of Ford Global Purchasing, Tony Brown. “The new Focus raises the bar for Ford and our suppliers in terms of common parts and global processes that will pay off with higher quality and lower costs.”

Brown said that the new Focus represents a new era in how Ford works with its supply base.

“The high level of communication, early information sharing and data transparency between Ford and our supply base is paying off for all of us as we move into the global launch,” he said.