panel with the trip computer was still an option. 1996: No major changes. Inside, the Ford "brick" airbag wheel in use since 1990 was replaced with a new design shared with many Ford and Lincoln-Mercury cars, integrating the horn into a smaller steering wheel hub. 1997: Last year for the second-generation Grand Marquis. The Mercury emblems are removed from the C-pillars. Following the discontinuation of the Chevrolet Caprice and Buick Roadmaster by General Motors, 1997 Grand Marquis sales would rise over 20% in comparison to 1996. Powertrain While the Panther platform was carried over from 1991, an all-new engine would be used for the 1992 Grand Marquis. The replacement for the OHV 5.0 L and 5.8 L Windsor V8s, the 4.6 L SOHC Modular V8 engine was the first (and as of 2014, the only) overhead-cam V8 to appear in an American-market full-size sedan. Producing 190 hp, it was more powerful and more fuel-efficient than either of its predecessors. An optional handling package, including a heavy-duty suspension, 3.27 rear-axle (instead of 2.73), and a dual-exhaust system that raised engine output to 210 hp was an option. It was largely the counterpart to the Ford Crown Victoria Touring Sedan. All models of the Grand Marquis were coupled to a 4-speed automatic transmission. For 1993, the hydraulically controlled AOD transmission was replaced by the electronically controlled AOD-E transmission. In 1995, the AOD-E was replaced the heavier-duty 4R70W transmission; it was shared with the Lincoln Mark VIII and Town Car. Production While the redesigned 1992 Grand Marquis/Crown Victoria would prove more fuel-efficient than their predecessors, a loophole in CAFE regulations allowed Ford Motor Company to sell both full-size cars and improve the average economy of all of its cars. CAFE regulations require vehicles with fewer than 75% domestic parts content to be counted as part of an automaker's imported fleet rather than a domestic one. During the 1991 retooling for production of 1992 models at its St. Thomas, Ontario facility, Ford switched a number of its parts suppliers from Canada and the United States to suppliers outside North America, bringing the domestic parts content of the Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria below 75%. As such, the Grand Marquis was now part of a fleet consisting primarily of the far more fuel-efficient Ford Festiva rather than other V8-engined cars such as the Cougar and Ford Mustang. After 1996, General Motors ended production of its