Mercury Dead, Lincoln Lineup to Expand

[rmc523]

There is no need to panic. Mulally said "Our Ford brand is gaining momentum and winning customers around the world. Now, we are going to use the same laser focus to further strengthen Lincoln and deliver even more products luxury customers really want and value."

 

Let's bring on the picture! :lol:

 

Here's the 2011 version:

 

And in honor of Mercury, the Tracer version (since we didn't know what the Tracer was to look like, that's all I could, or felt like doing):

 

 

I can't say I disagree, but I bet there are people on this board who would like for the Mercury badge to be put on the Titanium models .... or maybe Ford should keep Mercury as the highest trim level of Fords ... just a thought. Special badging. Bragging rights. Etc.

 

 

I presented that idea a while back - just make the Ford _____ 'Mercury Edition.' For example a Ford Escape Mercury Edition would consist of the Mariner's looks, but it'd be a Ford.

 

I find it interesting how they mentioned a full retractable glass roof...wonder if this will be a "C" coupe like the Volvo C70 but with glass roof.

 

Interesting indeed! When I first read that, I took it to mean a panoramic sunroof - just being a glass panel that moved back, but good interpretation!

 

Hmmmmm......I wonder if they're hinting at something......how about an MKR 'vert YUM!! Lincoln did have the Mark X glass roof convertible concept (which I loved) back in 2004:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This car brings up a thought - one has to wonder where Lincoln would be today had PAG not been in the way and had it been able to produce all of the beautiful concepts they had back in the late 90s and early 2000s:

 

vehicles like this 2004 Mark X,

 

the 2001 Mark IX:

 

, the 2002 Continental:

 

 

 

, the Navicross (which interestingly enough is almost an MKT with a trunk as some have argued for these days):

 

 

, etc.).

 

However, the same can't be said for the new MKX...still looks like Edge in most ways.

 

 

The new 2011 MKX is only a refresh of the 2007 model, which was and is like the Edge in most ways as you said. Since it's only a refresh, the body can't really be changed outside of the front and rear ends. For the new model that would come in probably 2014 or 2015, I'm sure we'll see MKX become a completely separate tophat from the Edge much like the Flex>MKT (although probably not that drastic, as I don't see the Edge becoming boxy like Flex).

 

Mercury was killed through neglect. Pure and simple. Sort of like having a grocery store and only stocking half the shelves and then wondering why you weren't selling anything. Mercury didn't die it was starved.

 

 

So Toyota can have people who focus on Toyota, Scion and Lexus but Ford can not handle three makes. BMW can handle BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini but Ford can not handle Ford, Mercury and Lincoln? Doesn't sound right. Also, if Lincoln is going to chase Cadillac and Lexus, how do they do that through Ford showrooms.

 

I find it interesting that Fiat is beginning to spin Ram off as a separate brand from Dodge. What does this say about Dodge's long term prospects? Plenty of makes sell both passenger vehicles and trucks (Ford, Chevy, Toyota) quite successfully. Why should, all of a sudden, Dodge and Ram diverge? The jewels in the Chrysler crown are Jeep and Dodge pick-ups. I wouldn't bet on Dodge living a second 100 years. I would think even Chrysler's future is iffy. Nope, Ford has jumped the gun by dumping Mercury.

 

 

I'm not going to deny that Mercury was neglected. Frankly, it was, but at this point when the Ford brand is for the most part straightened out, Ford would have 2 other brands to fix still.....Lincoln AND Mercury. Now, Lincoln has come a long way in the past few years, but it's quite obviously not where it needs to be yet. Fixing Lincoln will take money and time. It may not take much to "support" the changes necessary to make 'new' Mercury vehicles, but those are extra resources that could be diverted to Lincoln to make it that much better and more distinctive. As for the time aspect, you're looking at several years down the road before Ford would even get around to fixing Mercury because they'd be fixing Lincoln in that time. Chances are that Mercury sales would continue to dwindle in that time, so instead of using the resources to keep an increasingly irrelevant Mercury around until they're able to properly fix the brand (at which point they'd have to come up with a direction to take the brand, and with Fords becoming so nice, there's no room for a middle brand anymore, so where do you go with the brand?), they're just going to shut it down now.

 

Interesting that you mentioned Scion - that brand isn't doing too well these days, so perhaps Toyota can't manage 3 brands either.

 

As for Ram/Dodge, that spinoff was happening before their acquisition by Fiat. I still stand next to my opinion that Fiat acquired Chryco just to re-enter the US market, and for no other reason - certainly not to save Chryco.

 

Its not that I wanted Mercury to shut down,but at least now we don't have to hear people whine about Mercury anymore. You know who you are.

 

 

I have to concur with that statement.

Edited June 3, 2010 by rmc523

[rmc523]

Forgot to add that the only one of those concepts to be produced?

 

The 2004 Aviator concept, which almost exactly (on the outside) became the MKX:

 

 

 

[glyphmon]

I'd be sad if Ford Motor Company filed Chapter 7 liqidation. I do not care that an outdated label was reitred. Just like CBS canceling ancient soap operas with low ratings, it was time to go.

 

Brand fanatics have to get a life. The real car market doesnt care, and younger buyers, who outnumber all the nostolgic "good old BIg car days" old timers, will buy more and more Fords and Lincolns in the coming decades. Fake cut and paste "mid price" badge jobs are dead. Mercury joins Olds, Pontiac, Saturn, Edsel, Hudson, Nash, and DeSoto in redundancy.

 

Cry, whine, scream all day, write a petition, do a sit in, or protest, but Ford is making $$ good nite,

 

I don't know what grave injustice Mercury committed against you, but for the record...

 

I was 25 when I bought my 2007 Milan Premier new from the nearest L-M dealership. I chose the Milan over the Fusion for a number of reasons. One is, yes, brand loyalty. I'd owned two Sables, and my parent's had a '90 Grand Marquis. I preferred the Milan's styling over the Fusion. But lastly, and I think this is my biggest concern for the Lincoln division going forward, I chose the Milan for exclusivity.

 

I don't mean exclusivity in the sense that it's hard to acquire a Mercury, I mean exclusivity in the sense that most people don't drive them. I know, it's just a dash of different sheet metal here, modified fascia and badges there, but it does not change the fact that a Mercury, by strict definition was not the same vehicle as its Ford counterpart. Mechanically identical, yes, but that was the extent of it.

 

Why did exclusivity matter? I simply put don't like to follow the crowd. I avoid trends. If everyone's buying X, I buy C.

 

These are the people that Mercury was allegedly marketed to in recent years, though it seemed to come off more directed at women than anyone else. The "technosavvy" individuals. It's also idealized by an old Mercury slogan of living life in your own lane. Maybe it doesn't matter to you - fine, you're not the target customer. You're also likely not the target customer for tampax pearl tampons, but I don't think that means that they're any less worthy of a product.

 

My concern, going forward, is that Ford will lose the sales to the individuals like myself who chose Mercury products (particularly the Milan and Mariner) for less quantifiable reasons than AWD, gas mileage, safety, acceleration, quality of the sound system, etc. The people who chose Mercury because it better fit their frame of mind, and that's something no one is capable of judging or critiquing except the individuals themselves.

 

It's a small share of the market - I know I'm an odd duck in that regard. It may only be 0.8% of the market. It may only be 0.5% of the market. We've seen companies marginalize small segments of customers before, and one thing I've learned from my management position is that there is NO customer that DOESN'T matter.

 

Will I buy a Ford product next time I'm in the market? Maybe. The current Fusion is a beautiful, capable, car. The Escape likewise tickles my fancy, however, by that time I might be looking more in the VW/Audi area. I swore off of GM when Olds was shut down because it was a stupid idea then. I believe in Ford as the only truly American company left, I own stock, but this is one customer they may have marginalized too much.

[mustang6172]

Rumors of Mercury's demise have been floating around for 10 years now. I call this "clousure".

[twintornados]

Rumors of Mercury's demise have been floating around for 10 years now. I call this "clousure".

So does Ford Motor Company

[timmm55]

I am on 2 right now!

 

 

Me too. if you look at my chops....and several others (artandcolour, 2b2 among others) , you'd see that we favoured Mercury, there was a lot of potential there, now lost. it was easy to imagine a new Cougar or Marauder X-100. Some of the new Ford designs are ungainly (MKT, redesigned Mustang '10)......perhaps Mercury could have made the "pretty" version.

 

We've spent hours working on some of these ideas. Many of them were workable. Instead we got watered down Ford clones.

 

I'd spent YEARS working on restoring a 1969 Cougar. I did a light resto on a 72 Montego. My first new car was a 1982 Capri 5.0 H.O.

So, yeah I do take this personally.

If they had anyone at Ford who gave one tenth of what I cared about Mercury, they would have tried. But the bean counters won. The politics of isolation (nothing exclusve in terms of design or engineering was ever given to Mercury since......what..........1973?) made for a strange bed partner. I get a feeling there was antagonism within Ford about their own offspring. The company that pays for the designers and engineers built FORDs first, Mercurys and Lincolns second or third or not all now. They were just distractions to some marketing plan from upstairs.....and the honchos upstairs don't care either, really.

 

I predict Lincoln will be smothered while it sleeps. Or it will be denied food and water and left to die after years of neglect. Then the bean counters will say "it only has a .08 percent market share" and then justify their final coup de grass.

 

Lincoln will need someone with balls to maintain any sort of autonomy within Ford.

 

Edited June 3, 2010 by timmm55

[saintlaz1]

Me too. if you look at my chops....and several others (artandcolour, 2b2 among others) , you'd see that we favoured Mercury, there was a lot of potential there, now lost. it was easy to imagine a new Cougar or Marauder X-100. Some of the new Ford designs are ungainly (MKT, redesigned Mustang '10)......perhaps Mercury could have made the "pretty" version.

 

We've spent hours working on some of these ideas. Many of them were workable. Instead we got watered down Ford clones.

 

I'd spent YEARS working on restoring a 1969 Cougar. I did a light resto on a 72 Montego. My first new car was a 1982 Capri 5.0 H.O.

So, yeah I do take this personally.

If they had anyone at Ford who gave one tenth of what I cared about Mercury, they would have tried. But the bean counters won. The politics of isolation (nothing exclusve in terms of design or engineering was ever given to Mercury since......what..........1973?) made for a strange bed partner. I get a feeling there was antagonism within Ford about their own offspring. The company that pays for the designers and engineers built FORDs first, Mercurys and Lincolns second or third or not all now. They were just distractions to some marketing plan from upstairs.....and the honchos upstairs don't care either, really.

 

I predict Lincoln will be smothered while it sleeps. Or it will be denied food and water and left to die after years of neglect. Then the bean counters will say "it only has a .08 percent market share" and then justify their final coup de grass.

 

Lincoln will need someone with balls to maintain any sort of autonomy within Ford.

 

 

Your tombstone puts me back on#2!!!!

[T Buckley]

I think that saying good-bye to Mercury is the 'right' thing to do. Accountants will always win.

Why not make Mercury an option: paint/decals/nameplates/engine selection/tail lights/grill styles...

Aftermarket licensing (CONTROLLED)

The Marauder still brings up a picture: Fat Cat but fast and comfortable

If it's a Mercury then 5-seaters will become 4-seaters

 

2002 Explorer 7-seater

1992 Aerostar Bauer, 4WD, Sport (I was the first with this combo - I made it!)

1990 Lincoln TC (FAT CAT for sure)

1989 SHO would best 911's of same year and the 5's befor the 'M', put GT clutch in

1984 Cougar LS tweaked beat '84 corvettes

1982 Mustang GT T-roof recaro's nice at night in black

1982 LN7 - not enough engine but fun

[NickF1011]

The problem is currently Lincoln competes with Buick and needs to more upscale in a hurry. Small Lincolns to replace Mercurys that were not selling is clearly not the answer.

 

Eh, I think it can be part of the solution. Obviously they can't just be tarted up Fords as the Mercury versions were, but a larger Lincoln lineup will definitely help with brand awareness. It's not like Lincoln would be alone playing in the luxury C-segment. Several luxury brands dabble there already.

 

Currently, it's just going to be quicker and easier to expand Lincoln's model range down in size than it will be to expand it upward.

[notquitesane]

I think this is a sad day for Ford Motor Company. I have been very proud of everything they've done in the past couple years, being the only one not to take a bail out. All the successes, all the positive praise they are getting from the press and drawing in new customers. Even though I am from Canada and have not had the privilege of buying a new Mercury (I would have bought a Milan instead of the Fusion if I could)for over 10 years, I still remember one of my first cars being a Mercury Cougar. I loved that thing, I've been attached to Mercury ever since. I had always wanted to buy a new Mercury. I had hopes that Ford would breath new life into the brand they've neglected for far too long. Why do you think sales of Mercury vehicles are only 0.8% of company sales? They've not added new models and have constantly taken away models. You do not have to be a brain surgeon to realize that the reason Mercury sells so little is because they allowed it, by plan or by neglect, to rot and wither with so few models.

 

They wanted to kill Mercury... and now they have done it. My respect for Ford Motor Company has gone down. I am still Mercury fan at heart, but have been forced into Fords... i'm just sad there aren't any other real American car companies to buy from.

[akirby]

I think this is a sad day for Ford Motor Company. I have been very proud of everything they've done in the past couple years, being the only one not to take a bail out. All the successes, all the positive praise they are getting from the press and drawing in new customers. Even though I am from Canada and have not had the privilege of buying a new Mercury (I would have bought a Milan instead of the Fusion if I could)for over 10 years, I still remember one of my first cars being a Mercury Cougar. I loved that thing, I've been attached to Mercury ever since. I had always wanted to buy a new Mercury. I had hopes that Ford would breath new life into the brand they've neglected for far too long. Why do you think sales of Mercury vehicles are only 0.8% of company sales? They've not added new models and have constantly taken away models. You do not have to be a brain surgeon to realize that the reason Mercury sells so little is because they allowed it, by plan or by neglect, to rot and wither with so few models.

 

They wanted to kill Mercury... and now they have done it. My respect for Ford Motor Company has gone down. I am still Mercury fan at heart, but have been forced into Fords... i'm just sad there aren't any other real American car companies to buy from.

 

Of course Mercury was neglected - as was most of Ford and Lincoln the last decade. That's not the point. The point is - going forward - is there any reason to have 3 brands? Could they come up with new products for Mercury? Of course. But then that just takes away those models from Ford or Lincoln and weakens them in the process and perpetuates a dealer network that isn't necessary. Any new Mercury vehicle can just as easily be a high end Ford or low end Lincoln and be just as successful.

 

Your thinking is exactly what GM is doing now with Buick and GMC - refusing to do what's necessary and jettison the baggage. 50 years ago there was enough market share and profit for this multi-brand scheme to work, but not now. There is too much competition from too many brands already. It's long past time to cull the herd.

 

I like Mercuries but from a business standpoint there just wasn't a viable reason to keep them.

[markfnc]

I really like this part from the press release

 

"electronic, push-button gear-selectors"

 

 

Funny the car i learned to drive in was a 1964 Newport, with the pushbuttons.

[notquitesane]

Of course Mercury was neglected - as was most of Ford and Lincoln the last decade. That's not the point. The point is - going forward - is there any reason to have 3 brands? Could they come up with new products for Mercury? Of course. But then that just takes away those models from Ford or Lincoln and weakens them in the process and perpetuates a dealer network that isn't necessary. Any new Mercury vehicle can just as easily be a high end Ford or low end Lincoln and be just as successful.

 

Your thinking is exactly what GM is doing now with Buick and GMC - refusing to do what's necessary and jettison the baggage. 50 years ago there was enough market share and profit for this multi-brand scheme to work, but not now. There is too much competition from too many brands already. It's long past time to cull the herd.

 

I like Mercuries but from a business standpoint there just wasn't a viable reason to keep them.

 

That's the problem, I DON'T want a high end Ford. I DON'T want a low end Lincoln. Anyways, I apparently am thinking like GM so I'm just going to stop talking. Thank you for your opinion.

[akirby]

That's the problem, I DON'T want a high end Ford. I DON'T want a low end Lincoln. Anyways, I apparently am thinking like GM so I'm just going to stop talking. Thank you for your opinion.

 

The problem is there are only a few people like you who specifically want a Mercury and not a Ford or Lincoln equivalent and there just aren't enough of you to justify keeping an entire brand.

 

I just don't understand people who think a company should build something just because THEY want it even if they're the only one who wants it and the company couldn't possibly make any money with it.

[TomServo92]

That's the problem, I DON'T want a high end Ford. I DON'T want a low end Lincoln. Anyways, I apparently am thinking like GM so I'm just going to stop talking. Thank you for your opinion.

 

So really all you want is a name since the cars themselves wouldn't be significantly different.

[timmm55]

The problem is there are only a few people like you who specifically want a Mercury and not a Ford or Lincoln equivalent and there just aren't enough of you to justify keeping an entire brand.

 

I just don't understand people who think a company should build something just because THEY want it even if they're the only one who wants it and the company couldn't possibly make any money with it.

 

No, the problem for Ford was they didn't make interesting Mercurys anymore. They made two half hearted attempts "recently": the 1999-2002 Cougar (It was like "Hey we built you Cougar fans a new car! Now we expect you all to buy one!" Never mind that it wasn't the car any Cougar fan could even relate to.) and the Marauder. Then they washed their hands of it since then....seven years ago.

Edited June 3, 2010 by timmm55

[TomServo92]

I understand why some of you are getting all emotionally tied up in this but Ford management can't make decisions based on emotion. They have to make logical and rational business decisions. I have no doubt that Mercury survived this long due to emotional decisions making in the Ford family. I suspect the business case for Mercury hasn't been there for years.

 

Am I sad to see Mercury go? Yep. Am I surpised at the decision? Nope.

[NickF1011]

No, the problem for Ford was they didn't make interesting Mercurys anymore. They made two half hearted attempts "recently": the 1999-2002 Cougar (It was like "Hey we built you Cougar fans a new car! Now we expect you all to buy one!" Never mind that it wasn't the car any Cougar fan could even relate to.) and the Marauder. Then they washed their hands of it since then....seven years ago.

 

They simply could not afford it. Heck, in recent years, about the only interesting FORD was the Mustang. If it has taken them this long just to get around to addressing the weaknesses in the Ford lineup, it can't be expected that they would get around to dealing with Mercury anytime soon.

[Edstock]

If it has taken them this long just to get around to addressing the weaknesses in the Ford lineup, it can't be expected that they would get around to dealing with Mercury anytime soon.

IMHO, Ford had management problems going back to the mid-80's. Ford EU fell apart. Part of the problem was that their engines had become obsolete. Instead of dealing with that, the wizards started to get interested in Volvo, Jag and L-R. Eventually, Ford has to buy a 2.5L V-6 design from Porsche, as their engineering department has all it can do to develop a new line of 16-v 4-bangers. They partner with Citroen-Peugeot for diesels, but it still costs large.

 

Then you get Nasser, and domestic Ford product development gets lost. Bill Ford sees that debt obligations have to be settled, and engineering has to develop the next generation of powertrains. There's no money left for model differentiation, so the MK Z looks way too much like a Fusion, for example.

 

Well, Ford EU got re-built. Now, it's the US operations' turn and it seems to take forever.

[akirby]

I understand why some of you are getting all emotionally tied up in this but Ford management can't make decisions based on emotion. They have to make logical and rational business decisions. I have no doubt that Mercury survived this long due to emotional decisions making in the Ford family. I suspect the business case for Mercury hasn't been there for years.

 

Am I sad to see Mercury go? Yep. Am I surpised at the decision? Nope.

 

Exactly. There is no rational business reason to keep Mercury. There isn't enough market potential to support a new brand in addition to Ford and Lincoln, even if you could find unique products.

 

If it's such a good model, why haven't any new car companies followed that model here in the last 50 years?

[twintornados]

Bottom line here is simple....if the Ford family finally decided that it was time to bury Mercury, then let it rest in peace. She was a good brand in her heyday...but, it has come to finally send her to her maker. God speed Mercury....

[taxman100]

Mercury is going away partially because they are taking Lincoln downmarket - in effect Lincoln becomes Mercury with a Lincoln badge on it. Killing Mercury is a sign of the direction Lincoln is moving. The writing was on the wall when they closed Wixom and started building Lincolns in 3rd world countries. Now they are seriously considering building a crackerbox Lincoln off of the Focus platform.

 

If I have a choice of a Lexus made in Japan, or a Lincoln made in Mexico, I'll pay the extra for the car built in Japan. I know a number of people who buy a Lexus over a Toyota because it is still made in Japan.

 

Count me out on most new cars - none of them are worth anywhere close to what they ask for them. When you could buy a Grand Marquis for under $20k a few years ago, that was a deal. A Grand Marquis at $26k - not so much.

 

I understand the upcoming CAFE requirements, but no one really wants to buy that crap unless they are forced to do so by the socialists in Washington.

[PREMiERdrum]

Mercury is going away partially because they are taking Lincoln downmarket - in effect Lincoln becomes Mercury with a Lincoln badge on it. Killing Mercury is a sign of the direction Lincoln is moving. The writing was on the wall when they closed Wixom and started building Lincolns in 3rd world countries. Now they are seriously considering building a crackerbox Lincoln off of the Focus platform.

 

 

I'm not sure where you're getting your info from (and I know you're a well established member of the Panther Mafia), because everything Ford said in the press release is the exact opposite what you're saying here. They're moving Lincoln UP market, and letting the higher-trim Fords cover the ground where Mercury used to play.

[cjeffers17]

The worst thing of ALL, about this?

 

NO MORE JILL WAGNER ADS!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Ovaltine

God Bless Her....

[cjeffers17]

The worst thing of ALL, about this?

 

NO MORE JILL WAGNER ADS!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Ovaltine

God Bless Her....