Faymester

I didn't know that; I think Ford has a better shot w. Lincoln anyhow becuase it has a better image (I think?)

LexLaw

Indeed...If I recall correctly, Mercury began to take on the approach of marketing their lineup to women. I don't think it was much of a success in terms of sales. I don't know of any women who desired their vehicles.

All in all I think this is a great move on Ford's part. However I don't think it should end there. I honestly feel that they should attempt to move their Lincoln brand further upmarket. Hell, Hyundai is taking on and slowly achieving their goal of being a Luxury player in the market. I see a void for them especially after selling off their premiere automotive group with Jag, Land Rover a few years back. Tata is doing better numbers with their Jags and Range Rovers continue to be strong sellers while actually improving their build quality and reliability. It seems as though Tata is living off of the fruit of Ford's labor.

I see what GM has done with reviving the Cadillac brand and I think Ford can and should do the same with the Lincoln. They can start with building some real V-8 RWD coupes and sedans. And completely overhaul that Fail of a truck in the Navigator. Interestingly enough the Navi was a huge success and helped kick off the Luxury SUV craze along with the MB M-class and such. Good Move Ford...Please keep it going.

mmarshall

An excellent post.

If the petition drives DO come (and it is likely), it will show that there IS a market for the Mercury brand. Most people aren't going to waste time trying to save brands they have no interest in.

I remember back, in the late 1980's, when Ford was going to replace the Mustang with the FWD, Mazda-derived Probe coupe. We heard the same excuses from the Ford marketers, back then, for dropping the Mustang, that we hear today for Mercury......that there was "No Market" for it, and it was "wasting money". The outcry from the public was was tremendous, and Ford quietly cancelled the Mustang-dropping plans with great embarassment and a red face....but ended up keeping the Probe. The Probe, ironically, was dropped a few years later, because IT couldn't keep up with Mustang sales.

IS-SV

That is the hope (see what they said at Ford below):

Derrick Kuzak, Ford's product development chief, said Lincoln will have seven new or revamped vehicles in the next four years, including the brand's first compact car.

Ford's board of directors approved ending the brand Wednesday morning. Ford Americas President Mark Fields said the decision was made this spring as part of a regular annual business review. He said Mercury's sales make up such a small percentage of North American market share, and that the profile of Ford and Mercury shoppers is so similar, that it makes more sense to focus on accelerating the Ford brand and growing Lincoln.

mmarshall

Sense4Miles, above, made an excellent point.....I totally agree with it. Despite the obvious similarity between many Mercry and Ford models (more so than between Mercury and Lincoln), Ford marketers are mistaken if they think that those ex-Mercury customers are going to be shifted over to Ford (or Lincoln) dealerships. For the most part, I don't think that's going to happen. FAR more likely (and Sense4Miles is correct on this) is that you will see them defect to Buick. GM is going to end up being the winner here...despite the fact that, ironically, they themselves just shed 4 divisions.

IS-SV

I support Ford's decision. The main fans of Mercury here are people that have never owned a Mercury for at least 25 years, which makes for long-winded internet chatter even if it's poor business. I do understand people have different opinions on this, but I respect Ford's decision in the interest of improving the business.

Note: so much of the weak and declining Mercury sales were rental/fleet sales at little or no profit.

Key word is "dead".

IS-SV

Excellent post

mmarshall

Problem is; we heard the same argument from the Ford marketers when they tried to ax the Mustang, and look what happened.

(And I respect your opinion, BTW)

You might be surprised to know that, when I bought my Outback 5 years ago, I considered both an AWD Ford Escape and a Mercury Mariner.....I liked the basic design of both, but thought the Mercury was a little nicer inside. They rated about a 5 or 6 on my Top 10 consideration list.

So.....DID I buy a Mercury? No....you win on that point. But WOULD I have if Subaru was not in buisness? Quite possibly, yes. And, I'm always been a firm believer in the axiom that an auto company cannot sell what it does not produce.

(Of course, as far as axioms go, the ISUZU Axiom certainly did not sell)

LexLaw

Nice one!

LexBob2

YTD ford has sold a little over 83,000 Escapes vs. about 12,000 Mariners. They no doubt figure if a good portion of potential Mariner buyers move to the Escape if they'll be in good shape.

IS-SV

The axing of the Mustang was not a serious attempt (despite what a few ex-dopes in Marketing said) and Ford was smarter than that, therefore it never happened. No relation to this topic of dumping a huge money losing entire brand full of marginal cars. Therefore we never heard the same arguement for the Mustang, not applicable.

I'd like to refrain from responding to the above about your firm beliefs, that is a train wreck of a business model when nearly the entire product line is redundant/substandard/unprofitable, that often leads to bankruptcy and failure (Saturn, Pontiac, Saab, Hummer are some recent examples). I do agree about the Axiom model though, lol, and what happens in the end when decisions aren't made crisply.

As I said, nobody here bought a Mercury in 25 years, that's a very simple and accurate statement. If the people that claim to support Mercury won't buy the products (they were/are plenty cheap especially since discounted so heavily), that is sad. I know, would have, could have, now it's EOL.

Good night Mercury.

IS-SV

For those that want this car (despite the superficial styling differences), the new Escape will be more than sufficient.

btw - I drove a V6 Escape for a week in Arizona, drove it hard on lightly traveled highways at 90 mph and found it to be a very capable SUV. The AWD worked great too in the snow in the early days of my trip.

mmarshall

That is not simply a belief, but a fact. While other factors, of course, also come into play (and I don't deny that), an auto company cannot sell what it does not produce.

It's like the amount auto companies pay their workers. You can't expect them to buy or lease new cars (including those from your own company) if you pay them lousy wages.

IS-SV

I really don't want to respond, but I will, even if it's a total waste of time.

This is more like trivia (as usual) and too many other factors come into play (agreed).

That is the most horrible business strategy that I have heard in decades, a sure fire method to bring a company to bankruptcy, destroy shareholder wealth, a perfect real example of what happens when that strategy is applied is GM.

It had nothing to do with the amount auto companies pay workers, another horrible business strategy to prop up sales.

IS-SV

Now back to the topic of Mercury, speaking of the dead.

Are there any unique and good products in the Mercury division that should be moved over to Ford? I can't think of any off the top of my head.