ALSO

Ford Motor Co.’s Irvine-based Lincoln Mercury unit has launched a “personal consultant” program enabling car shoppers to communicate via real-time e-mail with company specialists before making a purchase. The program adds a new wrinkle to the auto industry’s escalating efforts to woo Internet-savvy consumers. It lets shoppers use e-mail to ask Lincoln and Mercury consultants for product information, to arrange test drives and get price quotes, and even to arrange for vehicle delivery from the dealer of their choice. The service also is available by telephone.