http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=126901
SANTA MONICA, California — Although Ford officials still won't confirm the impending death of Mercury, supplier sources tell Inside Line that the midlevel luxury brand has no products planned after the 2012 model year.
The last model standing is likely to be the Milan midsize sedan as it will get a midcycle refresh early next year along with the Ford Fusion. Other models like the Montego, Grand Marquis and recently refreshed Mariner will continue until roughly the 2011/2012 model year as well.
None of this comes as a surprise, as Mercury has been absent from the auto show scene for quite some time. When Lincoln revealed the MKT crossover concept at this year's Detroit auto show, there was no mention of a Mercury version.
It was much the same story when a photo of the next-generation Ford Taurus leaked out last month. Ford's CEO Alan Mulally confirmed that a new Taurus was on the way for 2010, but said nothing about a Mercury version.
In a subsequent interview with Automotive News, Mark Fields, Ford's President of the Americas, was equally evasive about the future of Mercury. "We've laid out a strategy to focus a lot of our efforts going forward on the Lincoln side of the franchise," Fields said when asked about Mercury. "That's where a majority of our focus is going to be, and Lincoln will become the dominant portion of the Lincoln-Mercury franchise, which is a flip from the history."
What this means to you: Even Mercury advertising babe Jill Wagner can't save a brand that has no support from its parent company. Another all-American brand bites the dust in 2012. — Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Edmunds Inside Line
That's a shame, but it makes sense. Just makes me love my Mercury even more.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise to me.
I didn't expect it to be around after model year 2010.
Brent
:cougarsmily:
Another blog I was reading said Fields, when asked to describe Mercury, said they were "Fords.... that are a little bit different."
They're good at killing a brand, I'll give them that. Take the only two interesting cars you have (in the 80's, that was the Cougar and the Capri) and give it a last hurrah as an anemic, powerless and souless FWD compact. It was inevitable, though a Mustang stable-mate would have been so easy for the brand, and would have brought some much needed attention back to Mercury. The Messenger would have been even better.
How do you spell Tombstone?
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(http://www.netlook.com/auto/USFLJAX/pic/11986809/AT10430220-640px-p1.jpg)
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(http://www.coolcats.net/welcome/images/99cougar.jpg)
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(http://www.ford.com/images/content/mercury_grand-marquis_l.png)
Hey I really wanted one of those little 91-94 capris as my first car. 130hp in the turbo version in a car that weighs maybe 2400lbs. Now I could REALLY use a car that small with $4 gas.
Ford really shiznit the bed with Mercury, but then again, I shouldn't be surprised - Ford shat the bed with Ford as well.
A Mercury sister-ship to the Mustang would have been so easy, and more important, so sensible. Ford could have given the Mercury version (let's call it "Cougar") a more modern body while using the same platform and drivetrains. It could have hit the market of people who want a performance coupe but don't want it to look 40 years old right off the showroom floor, which I'm gonna guess (and Hyundai is gonna prove), is a pretty big market.
Oh well. AFAIC, Mercury has been dead since '97. With a slight little bump in the flatline with the Marauder.
The only thing that could save mercury is a brand new V8 cougar or at least i wish they would not kill them off 100% and only make cougars and still have a few people working for them and that the mustangs might even allow them to be made again close to americans favorite pony car and let mercury have a muscle car once again.
(http://www.redspar.com/bird/cougar2.jpg)
:oldcougar: :oldcougar: :oldcougar: :oldcougar: :oldcougar: :oldcougar: :oldcougar: :oldcougar:
:disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin :disappoin
The cord needed to be cut about 3 years ago.
In Europe the last Cougars were Fords.....It can be done here as well.
I was thinking the same thing when reading Carmen's post.
Regardless of what you think about Mercury, or any American brand for that matter, It's sad to see a name plate go away into history.
When Oldsmobile went away it was a sad day for GM.
EXACTLY. Same went for Plymouth.
When all you have is memories, though, it's time to let the division go. Their best-selling products were during the late 1960s through the early 1990s. It's hard to believe that 20 years ago, Mercury was one of the strongest-selling nameplates in the entire industry, with some of the highest quality rankings to boot. How times have changed...then again, Ford has rarely had any foresight, and they only have hindsight when they apply a "retro" theme to a vehicle.
We're already orphans in the car world anyhow. Might as well kill the nameplate to make it official.
Also hard to believe that the Olds Cutlass Supreme was one of the best selling cars through the 80's...
I can't imagine talking to the generation after me and hearing them say "mercury what's that?" It's like Packard...those owners/those who grew up with them must get soooo sick of "so...who made that GM?" Same deal, ever since I was about 5 years old and knew that my dad had a new company car 1992/3 i think Taurus...then saw something that looked almost the same but not quite, I knew what Mercury was. He explained it to me, didn't figure it out on my own at that age but whatever. :hick:
Hey:flip: j/k I had a 84' Cutlass coupe. I LOVED that car. My senior year project in autoshop was to drop a 350 Chevy into that thing and rip out the 3.8L smog anchor. Mission accomplished. I miss that car.
Sold it when I bought my 92' 5.0 Mustang.:burnout:
And Ford is so concerned with "world cars" they forget that they need to make a car that AMERICANS will buy.
Yeah there are a ton of Focus cookie cutters running around. Honestly, the Mustang is the one vehicle that Ford has thats even worth a mention and thats selling.
Unfortunatly, excatly. But! :hick: , as I said, I'll only end up loving my Mercurys more. :)
Yeah, and Canadians. As I recall, Mercury is gone from Canada. At least from Ontario... Mercury disappeared awhile ago. All the Ford dealers that used to carry the Mercury name no longer do. It's just Ford-Lincoln.
I dunno if it is just me, but as sad as Mercury being no-more goes, it's okay. There is something about owning a car that is not made anymore, and who's manufacturer is only remembered as a piece of history. It makes me feel like our Cougars just became even more 'valuable?', at least for me, even more special. Cougar had a wonderful run, and I think that with Mercury "biting the dust" just makes our cars more important too us... at least for me. :)
This is probably dangerous to admit on a board like this (I am a Ford-Lincoln-Mercury Man though).... I love the "Big-Three", in this order: Ford, GM, Crysler. I found it some-what sad when Old's kicked the bucket. :( I told a friend exactly what I am saying to all of you about how
I feel about his Olds (it was an '01, but he his a buddy ;)). He agreed... there is something about owning a piece of history... somethign that was that is no more.
Anyway, I think I am ranting at this point, but hey, it's only how I feel.
It's a loss and a victory. Go Cougar Go!
That sums it up as well as any man can.
I agree with you all. It's a sad day, and Ford's turn to pay the price that all of the domestics had to. At least Plymouth tried, with the Prowler. Olds had what, the Aurora as it's last big kick at the can? A cool car, but missing that one key ingredient. Mercury isn't even going to try. It really is a case of a poor lineup, when their quality ratings are so high.
I always loved the Cutlass. Even the later fwd coupes.
My point wasn't that the Cutlass sucked (it didn't, I loved them, especially the rare Hurst models). It was that the division went from being the top selling brand to having the plug pulled on it in less than a decade. I still say Saturn had something to do with it - the first generation S-series looked like a 7/8 scale Cutlass, and the previous generation Vue looks like it should have an Olds badge, especially from the front. IMO, Saturn should've been 86'd instead of Olds. And I have a special place in my heart for Saturns.
Actually, the problem is that while every other manufacturer was introducing us to
real "world cars", the big three were busy trying to convince themselves that North Americans didn't really want them. Even when they did bring a "world car" here they dumbed it down for the American market. The imports were giving us their best, while the Americans were saying "That's too good for you. Here, drive a Taurus."
The Mustang is selling, yes, but the Focus (a real world car when it was first introduced) and Fusion outsell it by a wide margin. Ford needs to get the bread and butter right before they start trying fancier recipes. Mustangs don't pay the bills. Until recently F-150's and Explorers did, but we all know how that worked out in the end. Ford needs some competitive small and midsize cars NOW. Actually they needed them about ten years ago. 2010 (the year the new, world-car Taurus and Fiesta come here) may well be too late.
Yeah, Mercury shiznit the bed in Canada in about 1999. They still sold Grandpa Marquis here (at Ford dealerships), but we never got the Mountaneer, or the Milan, or any of the rebadged minivans & Tauruses (Tauri?).
Ya know the sad thing? Unless FoMoCo starts taking Lincoln seriously we'll be having this same conversation about it in a few years. For some reason Ford is walking away from Cadillac (and Lexus, and Infiniti) and is instead chasing Acura. Which is exactly what Mercury should be doing. Cadillac is finally getting things right, and Lincoln is just plain sad. That was my point in that thread about the Lincoln Mark LT monstrosity.
The same way i feel about the Cougar i have always loved the cougar (surprise surprise even the FWD).
As long as theres FORD and LINCOLN i can live but Mercury needs to be brought back not killed off.
America is where FoMoCo loses the most money...
This is NOT what I expected this thread to be about lol. I was sure that I would find at least one reference to the end of the Mayan/Aztec calendar or a Nostradamus prophecy. FWIW, we'll all be dead in 2012.
Pop a couple more Vicodin, it will all snap into focus at once :hick:
I've got a 100mpg carb with your name on it. ;)
They tried this with the Marauder sweet ride but was not a big seller my Dad has a silver one he bought new :burnout:
Take a close look at the new Mustang and then look at the Focus. Pretty similar bodies, especially around the fenderwells. When the Focus came out, there was no Mercury equivalent....that should've been yer first sign. I'm a die-hard Mercury guy, and I find it very sad if they indeed do cut the name. And yeah, Plymouth...icon, Oldsmobile....icon, AMC...icon, Bronco...icon, Jeep Cherokee...icon. The list goes on and on. A great decline in automotive quality since 1988, IMO.
I'm also a big IH fan, but not many people outside of the utilitarioan truck world look at them as an icon, lol.