Motor Authority - blog Category: Sable

As General Motors sacrifices and sells off about half of its brand portfolio and Chrysler downsizes through bankruptcy, Ford has stayed above the fray. But with the end of production of the Mercury Sable coming this Thursday, talk of the brand's potential demise has come back to life.

Early in 2008, rumors of Mercury's elimination circulated as news of the lack of new models beyond 2011 broke. Now, the potential for such a decision seems even more realistic as Mercury's lineup has shrunk to just four models, two of which - the Grand Marquis and the Mountaineer - are also slated to stop production soon.

With no future model outlook and its... As General Motors sacrifices and sells off about half of its brand portfolio and Chrysler downsizes through bankruptcy, Ford has stayed above the fray. But with the end of production of the Mercury Sable coming this Thursday, talk of the brand's potential demise has come back to life. Early in 2008, rumors of Mercury's elimination circulated as news of the lack of new models beyond 2011 broke. Now, the potential for such a decision seems even more realistic as Mercury's lineup has shrunk to just four models, two of which - the Grand Marquis and the Mountaineer - are also slated to stop production soon. With no future model outlook and its current lines dying off, Mercury's future doesn't look bright. The Milan and its hybrid variant are the only two thoroughly modern Ford-family products under the brand right now, and with Ford (Fusion) and Lincoln (MKZ) already featuring their own versions of the same platform, it's not likely that the Mercury variant is adding much to the party. On the other hand, with Ford using Lincoln to firmly grasp the high end of the market and the Blue Oval logo itself to push further into the economy market with the U.S. launch of the new Focus and Fiesta impending, keeping Mercury around to focus on the mid-range may not be a bad idea. Read More

Ford’s North American lineup will be experiencing a major overhaul over the next couple of years, with the entire lineup expected to be completely upgraded by 2010 and six new European models set to join the ranks. The biggest impact is the considerable shift towards smaller vehicles and more fuel-efficient powertrains as both a near and mid-term response to changing demand.

Ford has now confirmed that it will be dropping the Taurus X and Mercury Sable, with production on both models set to end the first and second quarters, respectively, of next year. Dealers have already been told to start taking final orders.

The fullsize Sable... Ford’s North American lineup will be experiencing a major overhaul over the next couple of years, with the entire lineup expected to be completely upgraded by 2010 and six new European models set to join the ranks. The biggest impact is the considerable shift towards smaller vehicles and more fuel-efficient powertrains as both a near and mid-term response to changing demand. Ford has now confirmed that it will be dropping the Taurus X and Mercury Sable, with production on both models set to end the first and second quarters, respectively, of next year. Dealers have already been told to start taking final orders. The fullsize Sable sedan doesn’t fit in with Ford’s plan to realign the Mercury brand with smaller cars and crossovers, while the introduction of the new Flex crossover makes the aging Taurus X redundant. Both vehicles are built at the Ford’s Chicago assembly plant, which recently began production of the Lincoln MKS sedan, and which also produces the Ford Taurus sedan on the same platform. According to Automotive News, poor sales of both vehicles - down almost 41% for the Taurus X and 21% for the Sable – meant that Ford sold just 15,586 Sables for the year to date, while the Taurus X managed to sell only 22,141 units. In this way the decision to drop the vehicles makes sound economic sense for Ford, as well as helping to promote a range of smaller and more efficient cars. Read More