The current list of planned updates will also see Mercury though until the end of the 2011 model year and at present there are no further updates, reports Automotive News.
The updated 2010 Milan sedan will go on sale early next year and will be joined be a hybrid variant. The revised model will be distinguished by new styling both front and rear. The interior will also be updated with elements picked up from the restyled Ford Fusion, with which it shares its platform.
The Sable could be the first Mercury model to be dropped from Ford’s lineup. The car on which it’s based, the Taurus, will receive a major overhaul for the 2010 model year but there are no plans to change the Sable.
After the Sable goes, the Grand Marquis will likely follow. Ford doesn’t have any plans to redesign the Crown Victoria sedan on which it’s based and there’s even some doubt as to whether or not Ford will continue with the development of its next-generation RWD platform.
The Mariner (pictured) was updated for the 2008 model year alongside its Ford Escape sibling but it may not be replaced by a new model. Ford is expected to adopt the next-generation version of Europe’s Kuga crossover for the Escape replacement and there’s no word on whether or not the Mariner will also be replaced.
Finally, the Mountaineer SUV will likely be dropped once its Ford Explorer sibling moves to a unibody platform for the next-generation model due early next decade.
Reader Comments
Mon Sep 3 2007 7:15 AM
HECTOR says
*... has many fearing...*
And many more hoping!! Mercury is a totally irrelevant brand and should die. While Mercury cars aren't bad looking per se they are simply clones of Ford cars with a little more chrome, a little more luxury. What ought to happen is that Ford makes its cars a little bit more luxurious, like Mercury, and kills mercury altogether.
While brand rebadging works to a certain extent for the VW in Europe - Skodas are clones - of VWs - it hasn't worked for GM or Ford. Ford already has other disstinctive brands under its belt - Volvo, Mazda, Jaguar... - and doesn't need Mercury too. Killing it would make strategic and, specially, financial sense.
Mon Sep 3 2007 2:27 PM
James says
Mercury cars used to be quite distinctive from Fords. There's no reason why they can't return to those days. It just takes commitment. Moreover, continuing Mercury production makes sense even if the UAW agrees to major concessions; economies of scale help keep production costs down. Oh, btw, it keeps people employed.
Even if Ford wants to shutdown Mercury, as GM learned from Oldsmobile it costs a lot of money... billions. Wouldn't those billions be better spent on new products?
Thu Sep 6 2007 5:46 PM
Al Gore says
I suspect it would cost very little to shut down Mercury. Unlike Oldsmobile, all dealerships are two-brand stores, selling Lincolns, as well. I can't imagine there's a contract problem in becoming a Lincoln-only franchise.
Sun Sep 9 2007 12:39 AM
Peter says
Lincoln has a long way to go (product-wise & image-wise) before building enough strength for Lincoln to be a stand alone franchise. The L/M dealers need Mercury to make it viable. Those 8 cars average per month in many cases represents 20-40% of many L/M dealers total unit sales, and a nice little piece of extra pocket change; enough to make the difference between keeping the doors open, or shutting down totally. Many of the Mercury products, though re-badged Fords, have a distinctive enough difference in look and percieved character, to where women (a major buying force) find them more desireable (eg: Mariner & Milan, and previously Cougar). Rebadging is something almost every manufacturer engages in (Chrysler, GM, Nissan/Infiniti, VW/Audi/Skoda/Seat, Toyota/Lexus, Hyundai/Kia, etc.). It's just that some do it right and some don't, or some do it better than others. Do be successful at it, you have to make 'em different enough to where it's not so blatantly obvious that they are clones. You have to spend your money where customers can see it, feel it, and sense it; then they'll percieve it to be different, which means they will believe it to be different. A Ford Fusion is a rebadged Mazda 6, but Ford spent the money to style it, engineer it and give it a different character; most non-gear-heads don't know they spring from the same root. Chrysler spent enough on styling, advertising, and character building, to make many people believe the P/T Cruiser was a ditterent car from the Neon. Ford (GM & Chrysler to) for the most part have not done a good job of rebadging. They tried to do it on the cheap, so they succeeding in turning a lot of people off, and I mean off to the brand as well.
It costs a billion dollars (and that's cheap) or more to develop a totally new car, or even to totally re-design an existing model. But for about the same cost of one totally new car, Ford can probably re-engineer/re-style & re-make the image/character of maybe 4 or 5 re-badged models, sufficiently enough earn even more on those 4 or 5, than on the one new model. They could re-build Lincoln and Mercury faster and better by doing it right, rather than trying to do it cheap. Push Mercury a little more up-town. I agree with James, make Mercury more distinctive, more luxurious than Ford; more of a Buick or Acura competitor. Oh! Bye the way Hector, speaking of some of those other 'distinctive' brands under their belt: Jaguar is a real drag on resources for Ford, and will probably soon be sold off. They'll probably have to package it with Land Rover just to get someone to buy it. That's too bad to, because they really mucked that whole thing up. The vast majority of Aston Martin has already been sold, and Volvo may soon be leaving the nest. I hope Ford can turn things around soon enough to where they can afford to keep Volvo. Anyway, the point is, Ford really may not have too many other distinctive brands for too much longer. They'd better work on making what they do have work, or else end up a bit player on the world stage, if on the stage at all. And yes, Al Gore, it probably would cost Ford less to shut down Mercury than it cost GM to shut down Oldsmobile. But GM had Buick and Pontiac canibalizing Oldsmobile from both ends of the marketing ladder. Lincoln needs Mercury to be strong enough to stand alone, or else what you're gonna see are nothing but Ford/Lincoln combo stores. 'NOW THAT'S HOW YOU BUILD LINCOLN'S IMAGE AND COMPETE WITH CADILLAC'!!!! Let's pray that Ford's new CEO, Alan Mulally, realizes this and makes the neccessary moves to make Licoln-Mercury the strong, vibrant, and distictive duo they deserve to be. They're heading down the right path, a lot of really good new products, with potentially some great ones coming around the corner. Let's hope they don't waste Mercury's great heritage and brand loyalty.
HEY LOOK! UP IN THE SKY! IT'S A BIRD! NO, IT'S A PLANE! NO, IT'S BOEING-MAN; i mean FORD-MAN! With a big blue oval with Ford scripted in it on his chest. Sometime known as the mild mannered CEO, Alan Mulally. Golly FORD-MAN, I hope you can save the company. It sure would be good for the whole country as well. Besides the good 'ole USA could use a hash mark in the 'WIN' column for a change. I'm pulling for you FORD-MAN!
Tue Sep 11 2007 5:35 PM
Jean-Pierre says
Mercury is just the right name and the right brand between the popular FORD and the upscale LINCOLN.
Looking around and outside of the US, it is a fact that some Groups like VW or like FIAT are doing well by offering to the market some brands which use the same platforms and engines, but which generate more profits. Name it AUDI, LANCIA, ALFA-ROMEO...all these brands are rebadged VW and FIAT but they sell at higher price to customers who are ready, even willing to pay a reasonable premium staying out of the masses.
Now it is up to FORD to provide - once for all - an identity to Mercury. Sportive (there was the Marauder) ? Green (Hybrids) ? Exotic (import the Mondeo) ? Luxury ?...
It is all in the hands of FORD and it would not take too much investment to "divert" into Mercury some already existing bases/platforms and therefore building up a consistent image. I wonder why the Edge is not yet in the Mercury range ? Or, where is the next Marauder ? There are enough new models and platforms in the FORD Group. Selecting the right image and sticking consistenly to it would be THE task. And that selecting issue would be solved easily if FORD US was suddenly deciding to consult the potential and existing customers !
Wed Sep 12 2007 1:28 PM
R.B. says
One huge problem is that, traditionally, every time Mercury has gotten something distinctive in their lineup the Ford division pitches a fit until they have the same thing. Mercury introduced the Cougar in 1967 as an upscale Mustang; an American Jaguar, if you will. By 1969 Ford was offering the Mustang Grande to try and capture the same market the Cougar already had. Previously, in 1965, Ford introduced an upscale Galaxie and called it the LTD. This gave buyers less reason to step up from Ford to Mercury. When Mercury revived the Marauder badge in 2003, Ford almost immediately showed the Blackhawk concept car; a very slightly downscaled clone of the Marauder. Mercury failed to let Mr. & Mrs. Average American in on the existence of the Marauder and when their best kept secret failed to sell in significant numbers the Blackhawk was scrapped. But if the Marauder had been a big success you can bet your bottom dollar that Ford would have released the Blackhawk, in direct competition to their own Mercury Marauder. Ford needs to get back to the original concept of the Mercury line: a stepping stone between the Ford and Lincoln lines and they need to stop upscaling Ford models until they're competing with their own Mercury brand. That's what killed Oldsmobile, DeSoto and Plymouth; they competed against the parent company's own brands and did not draw customers away from other makes.
Tue Jul 15 2008 11:33 AM
Michael D. says
Mercury vehicles will likely drop off one-by-one, at the end of their lifecycles, perhaps with the Milan being the last-standing Mercury offering. A throwback to Oldsmobile, where the Silhouette and Alero stood it out 'till the bitter end in MY2004.
While at NYIAS this year, going through the Ford section(s) through the Mercury space, it was small and downplayed, a reminding me of Oldsmobile a few short years prior. Mercury was, and is, essentially in the shadows of the Ford umbrella.
Tue Jul 15 2008 11:37 AM
christian says
I believe it says comment, not write an 800 word paragraph
Tue Jul 15 2008 12:05 PM
JAPenguin says
I don't understand Ford's reluctance to make use of Mercury. If they would better differentiate their products and carve out a niche for Mercury, I'm sure the brand could do well. How about Lincoln playing the luxury role, Ford playing the affordable, economical role, and Mercury tackling the sport segment. Ford has some decent platforms available throughout the world (read Ford Mondeo and Euro Focus) that could underpin some excellent, sporty models here in the US. I would gladly pay a premium to drive a Mercury version of the Euro Focus while Ford labors on with the old platform a couple more years. Done right, Mercury could develop vehicles competitive with the likes of the VW GTI and Mini Cooper, in both price and performance. In addition, Ford would be able to charge a higher price for such a car, likely without the added difficulty of getting Americans to pay more for a Focus that will soon be built on a much more expensive platform. But, if all they are going to do is re-badge Ford products, Mercury is destined for failure.
Fri Jul 18 2008 1:25 PM
NaBUru38 says
Christian, I agree that Peter wrote too much, but he did write good stuff: "To be successful at [rebadging], you have to make ‘em different enough to where it’s not so blatantly obvious that they are clones. You have to spend your money where customers can see it, feel it, and sense it; then they’ll percieve it to be different, which means they will believe it to be different." I totally agree with that.
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