The free services include vehicle inspections, oil changes, tire rotations, belts and hoses, and wear and tear items like brake pads and wiper blades.

In an announcement to the press, Ken Czubay, Ford Motor Company’s vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service said, “Our commitment is to further grow the Lincoln brand and offer our luxury customers the premium experience they deserve and expect. Our free scheduled maintenance offer marks only the first step in our plans to further upgrade the Lincoln experience.”

After this summer’s sales event, Lincoln plans to add it’s first ever C-segment vehicles – an array of brand-exclusive powertrains which include new transmissions and an all-new V6 engine. The Lincoln line is also planning to add EcoBoost engines across the board, which would include the first use of such an engine in a full-sized Ford or Lincoln SUV.

The Silicon Valley-based company has joined with Ford, GM and Smart to provide both home and public ChargePoint Network stations in nine metropolitan areas around the country. The roll-out will begin with fall, coinciding with the launch of the Ford Transit Connect delivery van and Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric vehicle.

Most major auto companies are currently developing “cars with cords,” with the first of them to be on showroom floors by year’s end, but the ongoing question is where drivers of these electric vehicles will be able to charge them if they live in apartments (where a charging station can’t be installed) or aren’t at home. With the Obama administration pushing us toward EVs, this issue is hardly trivial.

The program, called ChargePoint America, has a pricetag of $37 million, and is being partially funded by a $15 million grant issued by the Department of Energy via the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (aka the ’stimulus package’). It joins another effort, led by Nissan and Ecotality to the tune of $99.8 million, to bring 11,200 chargers to five states.

Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb told the press, “The Obama Administration has set significant and considerable goals for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the coming years. These charging stations will build upon our already growing and established network of infrastructure and will accelerate the deployment of public and private charging infrastructure, which will in turn encourage people to buy electric vehicles.”

The free charges are destined for Austin, Texas; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York; Orlando, Florida; Sacramento, California; the San Francisco Bay Area; Redmond, Washington; and Washington D.C.. They are all “Level 2″ (220 volt) units and roughly half will be installed in curbside locations and other public places. The rest will be given to consumers who purchase electric vehicles from General Motors, Smart, or Ford.

Coulomb plans to install a thousand chargers by the end of this year, with the rest to be in place by the end of 2011. As BMW discovered when field-testing it’s Mini-E electrics, getting the proper permits can be a nightmare, so Coulomb is working with the cities included in the program in order to cut through as much red tape as possible. While the chargers themselves are free, those receiving them must foot the installation bill.

The ChargePoint stations are network-capable, and can be configured to enable energy usage tracking. As well, they can be configured to bill users so that host-businesses can recoup maintenance and energy costs to offset public charging.

The survey, which was conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, rated Honda, as well as Ford, Nissan, Chevrolet, Toyota, Hyundai and Chrysler. 1,700 consumers, representing a nationally representative sample of adults with at least one vehicle in their household, were interviewed via phone calls, and asked to share their perceptions of customer service and quality commitment.

Honda scored at the top – overwhelmingly so – in both categories, scoring 71% and 73% respectively, with Ford and Nissan in the second and third positions. In fifth place (surprisingly high, considering the woes the Japanese automaker has been going through) was Toyota, with Hyundai and Chrysler trailing the others by a large margin.

Here’s an image of the actual survey results:

Those tax credits were part of a national program offering clean vehicle incentives beginning in 2005, and provided up to $3,400 each for 60,000 buyers per automaker, before a 16-month phase-out period. When Ford reached 60,000 hybrids sold sometime before April 1, 2009, that meant that as of April 1, 2010 there are no tax credits left for any Ford Hybrids. Other automakers – specifically BMW, General Motors, Mercedes, and Volkswagen, still have credits left for the purchase of hybrids and clean diesel vehicles, but most of those brands sell only low volumes of hybrids, with the possible exception of Volkwagen’s Jetta TDI.

Currently, hybrids account for less than 3% of the new car market, which means analysts and advocates of the green car market are left wondering if hybrid tax credits have been phased out too early in the process. As the folks at HybridCars point out:

After a decade in the market, hybrids have become more commonplace and therefore, with tax credits and other incentives, could reach a much larger part of the mainstream market. Incentives could encourage automakers and consumers to put millions of high-mpg low-emission hybrids on the road—the original goal of the tax credits.

Instead of doing more work to encourage the purchase of very viable hybrid vehicles, however, most legislators have jumped on the newest tech bandwagon: electric cars, and plug-in hybrids. There now exists a combination of local and national credits including up to $7,500 federal dollars plus a $2,000 for the installation of charging equipment, in addition to state-based incentives, which are available to private buyers of green electric-drive vehicles.

So, what’s the problem? First, these vehicles are not yet available to the general public, and when they do come on the market later this year, even with tax credits they will be very expensive, and not very numerous. While some see this as a good reason for generous tax credits, others point out that the first wave of consumers to buy these cars are those who would likely do so without any tax credits, because they believe in the cause, and the viability of plug-in cars. Meanwhile, mainstream buyers who might consider a hybrid purchase with a bit of a nudge, won’t receive one.

What does this mean for the future? Some analysts believe that we could be looking at a several year gap in the right incentives for the right buyers of greener cars and trucks.

• comparison shopping
• putting as much down as possible
• weighing your long-term ability to make payments
• being scrupulously honest on your application

Additionally, prospective car buyers need to be aware of and take advantage of incentives offered by car manufacturers. The Chevrolet Aveo and Cobalt are two of the most affordable GM cars on the market. Each has a 36-month / 36,000-mile comprehensive warranty and a five-year / 100,000 mile power train warranty for the engine, transmission, transfer case, and axle assembly.

During January 2010, all new Aveo and Aveo5 models are eligible for dealer cash totaling $1,500 regardless of the buyer’s credit score. On a car with a price already under $12,000 MSRP, that’s a hefty break for a budget-strapped buyer worried about qualifying for a loan. The Cobalt is an even better deal, qualifying for as much as $3,000 cash back with no FICO score limitation.

Car buyers have to be smarter and more disciplined during a recession, paying attention to all the traditional things that help them to qualify for financing, but also making vehicle selections based more on affordability than desire.That probably means going with the trend and buying small. Consumer preference is propelling a resurgence of small, fuel-efficient vehicles on dealer lots and compacts are leading the way. Ford’s signature model at the Detroit auto show is the Focus, with the once-dominant Ford F-150 line of trucks receding into the background. The good news for drivers, however, is that small also means cheaper.

By leveraging manufacturer incentive deals that lower the sticker price, more would-be buyers can qualify for financing, a win/win situation for both carmakers and car owners.

For the first ten months or so of 2009, Ford has sold 151,137 Fusions, up 15 percent over previous sales. If you haven’t been paying attention, industry wide sales are down 25 percent. So, what’s so attractive about the Fusion line? Well, in particular the hybrid, which touts a combined fuel-efficiency rating of 39 mpg. About 20 percent of overall Fusion sales go to the hybrid model and 60 percent of those buyers are returning to a domestic car after owning an import. Times, are they a changing?

There’s no reason to think the 2010 Fusion hybrid won’t be just as popular with its 2.5-liter four cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine and two batter-powered electric motors. (Don’t forget the continuously variable transmission.) Together the output is a quite respectable 191 hp for the class. Ford has put the nickel-metal-hydride battery pack in the trunk and it is cooled by air drawn from the cabin rather than a separate system. The best news is that the batteries now produce 20 percent more juice than their predecessors, meaning the Fusion can reach speeds of 47 mph on all electric power. Definitely one to consider if you’re in the market for a new car this holiday season.

Consumers who pop for the high-performance SHO will be getting a 365 hp twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. Estimated fuel economy is 17 mpg city and 25 highway.

Okay, let’s come to a screeching halt here. 17/25 Ford? Really? How many different ways can we say, “That doesn’t cut it in 2010?” We won’t even put the hybrids in the mix, but the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta gets 30/41, the Toyota Yaris pulls 29/36. Heck, the Mini Cooper does 28/37.

It’s difficult to figure out Ford thinks a car with “fuel economy” that scant is going to prove to be a corporate salvation. Sorry, but that’s the kind of thinking that landed American carmakers in hot water in the first place. The Taurus is one sharp looking ride, but on the critical issue of fuel consumption, it’s thumbs down in this writer’s opinion.

In a bid to regain viability, Ford is bringing the Transit Connect van over from Europe this summer and the model proved to be a hit at the 2009 New York International Auto Show. With boxy, futuristic lines and tons of interior tech amenities, Ford has dubbed this one “Family One.”

Parents may well flutter and faint over the clear plastic partition between the first and second rows. Kids in the car and quiet? Listen to your music not theirs? Is such a thing even possible? There’s a Radio Frequency Identification Tag system to keep track of all your stuff, a built-in hand sanitizer, sunscreen pumps, and backpack holders on the back of the seats — even a proposed iPod app to control key systems.

The “naked” commercial model will arrive first for $21,475 (customizable for two to four people) soon to be followed by the family, tricked out version. This one could re-define the family mini van and christen that workhorse genre with a heretofore elusive dash of cool.

Now, however, if Think can pull itself out of the Norwegian version of Chapter 11, the company may bring its Th!nkCity electric coupe to the United States. A bit larger than the adorable Smart, the Th!nkCity runs on lithium ion batteries with a per charge range of 120 miles. The asking price, after tax incentives and rebates could be a truly attractive $20,000.

Those who have driven the car report good acceleration, strong brakes, plenty of comfort options, and a rigid chassis. Certainly the company has put plenty of development dollars and know-how into the upgrade — about $120 million in fact. The trim and electrical parts in the model are from Ford and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen SA.

This one is expected to compete favorably with the electrics in the works from Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Ford itself. Certainly the company has challenges to get out of its financial tangle, but if they succeed and if they get the Th!nkCity to the U.S., they are likely to have a winner on their hands.