WASHINGTON — Ford's Mercury brand hasn't shown anything new since Elvis wore fatigues, and at the Washington auto show today, CEO Alan Mulally was asked if the company's Mercury brand has a future. It is a question that comes up a lot lately.
Mulally seemingly backed Mercury full-go, but was careful to qualify his support. Not once, but twice.
"The plan right now is (to develop) Ford, Lincoln and Mercury," Mulally answered.
He said Ford is working to more effectively position Mercury with smaller vehicles that occupy the void between the mainstream Ford brand and Lincoln, which directly targets the luxury-premium market. "That's our plan — to continuously improve the Mercury and Lincoln brands," Mulally said.
But after a little more discussion, Mulally felt compelled to reiterate: "That's the plan right now."
Inside Line says: No, Mulally didn't draw imaginary quotation marks in the air when he said "right now," but his careful persistence in emphasizing the qualifier palpably left room for Ford — and Mulally — to change course any time about Mercury, which more than a few analysts and skeptics continue to insist should be done. — Bill Visnic, Senior Editor, Edmunds' AutoObserver
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fire25 says:
10:03 AM, 01/28/2010
Mercury should join Pontiac...may they rest in peace...
thejohnp says:
12:15 PM, 01/27/2010
Wasn't Ford testing a Mondeo in the US recently? Seems a good fit for a Mercury vehicle above the new Taurus. And agreed, they should look for a new Cougar, which is unique to them and not something that's rebadged like everything else in their lineup.
mklrivowner says:
08:50 AM, 01/27/2010
It would take too much time and money in this economy to revitalize Mercury the same way GM is working to revitalize Buick. Can it be done? Sure. And Ford is probably the best equipped to do it. But they need to do more than take a factory ford and add some wood grain. They need exclusive models and a trim level that fits between the top-end Ford and base Lincoln. Unfortunately, with the size fo the selection from Ford, there is little room left for Mercury.
Bring back the Cougar. Make it something more nostalgic in styling. Not that attrocity they offered around the turn of the century.
Offer a small-mid sized coupe and give it the Comet nameplate.
Get them a city crawler compct like the fiesta or Scions.
zoomzoomn says:
08:27 AM, 01/27/2010
I usually like the Mecury variants styling better than their Ford counterparts. For usually a few hundred dollars more you get better trim (whoe wouldn't want better trim for just a few bucks more, right? ;) ) and other visual niceties. Problem is that I must be nearly alone as not enough other people notice hence the lack of sales. Even sporatic advertising blitzes don't truly turn the tide. Maybe a rethink in a product lineup that is not just a Ford with a different face and actually offering some stand alone models unique to Mercury would help?
mirde98 says:
08:03 AM, 01/27/2010
Mercury shoulda been phased out when Plymouth did. Neither made sense 10yrs ago, still dont make sense today. Automakers should have 2 core brands. Maintream and Luxury. Ford/Lincoln, Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, etc. When u have too many brands, too many same car with different grills and lights, they fail. How can you justify the premium of a Tracer over a Escort? Milan/Fusion, Sable/Taurus? Mercury should be phased out.
mrryte says:
06:31 AM, 01/27/2010
Name a current Mercury vehicle that evokes any excitement. As much as one wants to get caught up in sentimentality and nostalgia of the brand, the fact is that Mercury just doesn't have any more reason to exist. :*(
Alan M, please stop beating around the bush and just make the right move ASAP.
timmm55 says:
03:01 AM, 01/27/2010
I am a huge Mercury fan. I've owned a classic Cougar and a (then new) 82 Capri 5.0 HO. I'll admit the brand has been squandered, but there is plenty of potential left in the brand.
Mercury is in transition, and I hope it's revitalised......SOON!
cz75 says:
10:06 PM, 01/26/2010
I can think of three good Mercurys: the '49-'51 Mercury Eight, the '67-'70 Cougar, and the 2003-2004 Maurader.
That's not enough to keep the brand and generate any real nostalgia. Right now all I like about Mercury is Jill Wagner.
xoquixxoqafxo says:
09:39 PM, 01/26/2010
Mercury is soo pointless, Ford really needs to position them properly right now into their lineup. They are probably just losing money from the brand anyways.
m89 says:
09:29 PM, 01/26/2010
They killed Mercury in Canada 10 years ago and they should've done the same thing in the US then. I happen to like the styling and finishings in Mercurys, however it's really obvious that they're nothing more than midly dressed up Fords. Either way, Mercury has very little brand equity such that it's not worth their time focusing on - therefore, they should drop the brand and focus on Ford and re-vitalizing Lincoln.