Goodbye Mercury?

[CodeRedR51]

Ford has called a press conference at 3pm EST, which might be an announcement that Mercury is being killed off.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/02/report-mercurys-demise-coming-at-3-pm-est/

 

[Philly]

We'll see if this actually happens. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Mercury gone though.

 

[Omnis]

I'll miss that model chick.

 

[CTznOfTime]

... Gone with the wind...

I thought Mercury was dead already? j/k... it sure looks like it....
Such a senior citizen car ... probably will be gone with the last of them...

I feel that Mercury and Buick are two siblings who haven taken two different roads... one has decided not to do anything special with its life, and who is now dying anonymously... Buick is lucky to have gone abroad and opening up itself to the European culture and enjoying a re-found youth on the exciting market that is China. Mercury is what Buick would have been without the new Regal and the Chineses' love for Buick.


I dont like it when a car company dies ... the diverse automotive scene is always much better for a car enthusiast, even though i never liked Mercury's product...

RIP.

 

[exigeracer]

You won't miss Mercury. Trust me.

 

[Omnis]

You won't miss Mercury. Trust me.

This.

 

[cpp214]

RIP Mercury

Grand Marquis = poor man's Cadillac

 

[sumbrownkid]

This.

That.

In all seriousness, Mercury just looked too much like Fords to begin with.

 

[YSSMAN]

Hurm.


As much as I like the Milan, a two-model brand isn't going to last long under the Ford umbrella. Unless they have some kind of crazy, Buick-like rejuvenation plan for Mercury at the ready, its probably time to end the money sink. Its kinda sad of course, especially when we were supposed to see a new, small Mercury based on the new Focus show up. It would have been interesting seeing it stand up against the upcoming Buick Excelle, among other premium small cars.

Oh well. We'll still have the XR-7 and Capri (the good one) to remember...

 

[CTznOfTime]

Mercury, for the past decade, if not more...

...were simply Fords car, rebadged... Meh...

would only fool senior citizens... a disrespectful move from Ford, thinking they could fool the rest of us...

So This is That:

(it's heaven to be in the middle of those two pictures)

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/08/jill-wagner-official_-(5).jpg

I guess she will be looking for work from now on? I am willing to hire her to do some housework J/K Jill Wagner... but if she wants to marry me ... 👍




I cant believe Mercury hired her and used her to sell their cars... what were they thinking... we dont live in the 30's of last century... girls dont sell cars anymore... the cars should sells for themselves...

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/08/jill-wagner-with-2006-mercury-milan-ad.jpg


Transform HER

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/08/jill-wagner-mercury-getty_-(7).jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/08/jill-wagner-with-2006-mercury-milan-ad.jpg

 

[YSSMAN]

Well, its officially official now. Mercury joins Plymouth, Pontiac and Saturn in the big Detroit Graveyard. Its exit will give Lincoln a poop-ton of room to expand, apparently being able to add-on seven (yes, thats SEVEN) new models in the near-future... Including some kind of C-Segment vehicle.

Now that I think about it, this is really weird. Aside from their small holdings in the old PVG brands, all that's left is Ford and Lincoln. I think I'm too used to GM...

 

[Keef]

Now that I think about it, this is really weird. Aside from their small holdings in the old PVG brands, all that's left is Ford and Lincoln. I think I'm too used to GM...

The two-brand business model that has worked so well for the Japanese brands. So far Toyota is the only one two have spawned a third, but even Scion is only sold at Toyota dealers as far as I know. The Japanese companies have kept things tidy in general, and I think that will work at Ford also.

 

[sumbrownkid]

Let's make this thread into the official send-off of Jill Wagner.

You will be missed.

 

[Jim Prower]

If Mercury's gone, so be it. They haven't had anything unique since the Cougar...which was a re-bodied Mondeo.

 

[Famine]

If Mercury's gone, so be it. They haven't had anything unique since the Cougar...which was a re-bodied Mondeo.

And was a Ford, badged as Mercury for the US market.

 

[RVDNuT374]

I'm probably in the majority that is more sad to see Jill go rather than the brand being killed off.

 

[nick09]

I won't be missing them at all. I drove a Mercury Stable in my Driver's Education class and it's a car I would not drive at all.

 

[a6m5]

While I've said Mercury brand should've been cancelled all along, I am surprised how quickly this came about since the rumor started just few days ago. They even had message released to its dealers that there was nothing official(I knew better after that backpedalling).

Mulally, and his accomplishments since taking over Ford command respect. But one decision I still questioned was the decision to keep the Mercury brand even after the restructuring of Ford Motor Company. He's still a superman though.

Better late than never. This was a good move in my view. 👍

 

[chepe371]

As long as they keep it in GT its all good.

The classic Mercs were nothing to FFFF with especially the Eight.

Merc's "new" Cougar(~'99) was hardly worth its name.

Maurader was decent.

Ciao Merc.

 

[Jim Prower]

And was a Ford, badged as Mercury for the US market.

To be fair, I believe it was a Mercury badged as a Ford, as the Cougar nameplate has a lot of history here. Then again, it may have come out first in Europe.

I've seen a lot of '99 V6s, a couple with 5-speeds, around here for sale...

*researches*

Came out in '98. both places. For all intents and purposes, the chicken and egg came at the same time in this case.

 

[Irons]

If only cars could talk, then I could get an opinion out of the '68 Cougar sitting in my driveway.

 

[CTznOfTime]

we need a picture of her on this page:

the '98 Cougars are so in names only... Even Iron's Cougar would definitely deny this family link... the modern Cougars are no more than adopted children...

How could you put the name of a RWD car onto a FWD ... blasphemy!!... Ford was trying to do a global product "a la" Beetle... save some money by:
- give Europe a product that seems to come from/with the American Dream.
- give Americans a renewal of prestigious name by saying it was designed by the best European engineers.


the modern Cougars are better products than the previous Ford coupe, but will not/never eclipse the iconic Cougars of the 60s...

the modern Cougars were Rebadged Ford PERIOD. It was not an engineering design by Mercury AT ALL.


So it's not really about the chicken or the egg... but
rather killing both the chicken and the egg with one stone...

 

[CodeRedR51]

If only cars could talk, then I could get an opinion out of the '68 Cougar sitting in my driveway.

My dad had a 1970 Eliminator. (blue) One of the many cars he wishes he never got rid of. (add a '70 Dart Swinger to that list as well...)

 

[niky]

To be fair, I believe it was a Mercury badged as a Ford, as the Cougar nameplate has a lot of history here. Then again, it may have come out first in Europe.

I've seen a lot of '99 V6s, a couple with 5-speeds, around here for sale...

*researches*

Came out in '98. both places. For all intents and purposes, the chicken and egg came at the same time in this case.

Unfortunately, it was based on the Contour. Which was a Ford. So it's still a Ford.

-

Better late than never. Ford is in this game to win it... or at least survive. They started with a trimmer operation than GM, and trimmed it even further to their core brands (Ford / Lincoln). GM? They're still lugging around a half-dozen brands with identical products... which unnecessarily complicates things.

 

[YSSMAN]

GM's approach isn't that bad now that they're down to Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac. Buick has found its place in the lineup, I think, and for the first time in a very long time, I'm actually interesting in buying one (Regal specifically... See Opel Insignia). Globally, sure, GM has a lot on their plate. I assume that's what you were talking about?

 

[a6m5]

GM's approach isn't that bad now that they're down to Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac. Buick has found its place in the lineup, I think, and for the first time in a very long time, I'm actually interesting in buying one (Regal specifically... See Opel Insignia). Globally, sure, GM has a lot on their plate. I assume that's what you were talking about?

Personally, I've always liked Buick, and I especially like the new Lacrosse(really Lexusesque). But from the business perspective, I still think Buick brand image is dead in the States. That they are better off shifting more focus on Cadillac. I also roll my eyes every time I see that GMC crossover SUV commercial on TV.

Still, point taken on the GM cutbacks. They've really toned down from the GM I saw growing up.

 

[Shant J.]

Farewell dear friend . . . This past decade has absolutely brutalized the American auto industry. Here's hoping Mercury gets a special tribute in GT5.

 

[niky]

GM's approach isn't that bad now that they're down to Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac. Buick has found its place in the lineup, I think, and for the first time in a very long time, I'm actually interesting in buying one (Regal specifically... See Opel Insignia). Globally, sure, GM has a lot on their plate. I assume that's what you were talking about?

Globally, it's still a mishmash of too many brands.

Daewoo, for one, has to die. Period. They don't even get any respect in Korea, where peopel rebadge their Daewoos with Chevrolet badges they carry elsewhere. (do note... nobody... and I mean nobody rebadges their Chevrolet Optra / Suzuki Forenza as a Daewoo... not unless they're mentally unstable).

While the GMDAT plants that produce the cars can stay, now that they're finally making cars people might actually think of buying (the Winstorm and the Cruze... and hopefully more), the Daewoo nameplate has to die.

 

[Irons]

*Cougar Pic*

Aww... might as well...

 

[Famine]

Unfortunately, it was based on the Contour. Which was a Ford. So it's still a Ford.

Actually, Jim was right about that. It was based on the Mondeo (upon which the Contour was also based) and that's somewhat of a clue to its origins - the Cougar was cancelled when the Mk3 Mondeo came out (a car the US never got). The car itself was a Cologne product, first revealed in Europe. However, American models were made in America and European models in Europe (also at Cologne) simultaneously.

For production purposes, the Mercury and Ford versions were concurrent. But the original model was Ford Europe, badged as a Ford.