May 28th, 2010 by Dean Hightower
Ford Motor Company is planning to shut down the Mercury brand. Ford has not officially announced that Mercury will be closed, but Bloomberg spoke to two people inside the company who said that Ford would be reduced to just two brands soon.
Mercury has been largely ignored by Ford over the past few years. All of Mercury’s vehicles are based on less expensive Ford models, and are not available with any unique features. Mercury’s advertising budget dropped by 88 percent from 2005 to 2009.
The Mercury Milan is the company's best selling car, but is virtually identical to the less expensive Ford Fusion.
Instead of focusing on the lower priced luxury segment, like General Motors did with Buick, Ford has let Mercury whither. When the Ford Explorer is redesigned next year, Mercury will not sell a Mountaineer version of the SUV. The Mercury Sable, which was based on the Ford Taurus, has also been discontinued. There are no plans for Mercury to sell upscale versions of the new Ford Fiesta and Focus small cars.
Ford has been cutting its under-performing brands at a rapid pace. Over the past few years, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin have all been sold so that Ford could focus on its primary brands. Ford originally intended to keep the European luxury brands it owned, but when they failed to perform up to expectations, they were cut.
With the loss of Mercury, Ford will market just two different brands of cars and trucks. Ford and Lincoln will be the only surviving nameplates in the Ford Motor Company.
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[…] Ford has just announced that the Mercury brand will be shut down this year, so if you’ve always wanted to own a Mercury car, you’ll have to act fast. Mercury’s June incentives aren’t that impressive, so if you’re patient, it may be worth it to wait for better deals. […]
[…] cars and SUVs sold before Labor day will come with three years of free scheduled maintenance. As Ford prepares to close down the Mercury brand, Lincoln will try to entice some of those buyers to move up market by offering to pay for all […]
[…] is offering some attractive lease and purchase incentives during July. With main rival Mercury being shut down, Buick has a stranglehold on the near-luxury segment. Buyers who want a comfortable, well appointed […]
[…] Mercury will be closed soon, and in the company’s final months, 2010 and 2011 model year Mercury cars are being offered with steep incentives to clear out dealer inventory. In addition to the official incentives listed here, Mercury dealers may be willing to make a deal with you, especially if they have leftover 2010 models. […]