Goodbye Mercury?

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> Ford could've done with Mercury is become Ford's Saturn/Buick. At least they've done it with the last Capri roadster and the last (FWD) Cougar.

=Euro/Aussie Ford= +Mercury+
=Mondeo= +Sable+
=Puma (now gone)= +(could've been)Capri+
=Fairline= +Grand Marquis+
=Territory= +Mountineer+
=Falcon= +Marauder+

=US Ford= +Mercury+
=Mustang= +Cougar+

^ Oh well, its too late now.

 

[Paulie]

-> Ford could've done with Mercury is become Ford's Saturn/Buick. At least they've done it with the last Capri roadster and the last (FWD) Cougar.

=Euro/Aussie Ford= +Mercury+
=Mondeo= +Sable+
=Puma (now gone)= +(could've been)Capri+
=Fairline= +Grand Marquis+
=Territory= +Mountineer+
=Falcon= +Marauder+

=US Ford= +Mercury+
=Mustang= +Cougar+

^ Oh well, its too late now.

The Fairlane has also been gone for a few years now, but what you've posted sounds like what could have been a plan.

 

[Sniffs]

you guys forget, they use names dead in the US market for fords elsewhere? the galaxie name is on the international version of the Windstar/Freestar

vanishing: I think you'd know better than to punish the Puma by rebadging it as a capri. the name has a taint to it.

and ford has a history of blowing it when they import an EDM over here. or did you guys forget about Merkur?

besides, the mercury badge has been on the chopping block since 03

 

[YSSMAN]

Two decades later, really the Merkur idea was ahead of its time. Its a shame the cars never did well in the US, but Ford has learned from their mistakes, and now we're going to see more of Ford Europe's products in our portfolio. If they had sprinkled Mercury with FoMoCoEU products, chances are that the brand would have been able to hobble along for the next couple of years, but that all assumes that they would have been able to re-create a brand identity for themselves. Unlike Buick, however, they don't have the advantage of being the #1 brand in China.

 

[a6m5]

Two decades later, really the Merkur idea was ahead of its time. Its a shame the cars never did well in the US, but Ford has learned from their mistakes, and now we're going to see more of Ford Europe's products in our portfolio. If they had sprinkled Mercury with FoMoCoEU products, chances are that the brand would have been able to hobble along for the next couple of years, but that all assumes that they would have been able to re-create a brand identity for themselves. Unlike Buick, however, they don't have the advantage of being the #1 brand in China.

I beg to differ on Mercury. I think once the consumer lose faith in your dealer network, no longer care for the brand image, I think it's damn near game over for a carmaker. Sure, you could survive like Suzuki, Mitsubishi, but unless you are dead set on turning things around, I really don's see the point. All this is regarding the U.S. market, of course.

 

[Paulie]

vanishing: I think you'd know better than to punish the Puma by rebadging it as a capri. the name has a taint to it.

The Ford Capri is a very well respected and desired classic in Australia, and by that, I mean the late '60s early '70s versions, not that pathetic little FWD convertible Ford had in the early '90s.

 

[Jay]

not that pathetic little FWD convertible Ford had in the early '90s.

Which funnily enough was sold as a Mercury in the US.

 

[Paulie]

There was a Club Sprint version or something like that, which actually looked OK, if only it were a mid-engined RWD roadster.

 

[Sniffs]

Paulie: I'm referring to a Mustang clone as well as the convertible we got from down there. the Capri name is tainted up here in the [/i]states[/i], but not down there.

 

[Paulie]

There was a Mustang clone Mercury Capri in America? That convertible did do some tainting, but most people remember the Capri for its finest hour I think.

 

[TheCracker]

you guys forget, they use names dead in the US market for fords elsewhere? the galaxie name is on the international version of the Windstar/Freestar

Not quite, it's called a Galaxy (not Galaxie). It's also a stand alone European platform - not related to the Windstar/Freestar that you guys get.

 

[Jay]

There was a Mustang clone Mercury Capri in America?

I think he was talking about the very car we were talking about, I guess some Americans would look at it as a Mustang clone at the time, I rather would just not look at it


Mercury Capri, apparently 90% of these Australian made Capris were sold in the US.

Oh and yeah I agree, when the Capri is talked about in Australia it is usually the Mk 1 that is thought about.

 

[YSSMAN]

There was a Mustang clone Mercury Capri in America

Yeah, it was a pretty basic badge job done on the early Fox Body cars. The standard trim levels carried over, but Mercury actually had some finely tuned sport models that were not half-bad. Things like the Capri ASC McLaren come to mind...

It was a strange time here in America. Even Oldsmobile and Buick had some seriously quick cars in their ranks as well.

 

[Northstar]

There was a Mustang clone Mercury Capri in America? That convertible did do some tainting, but most people remember the Capri for its finest hour I think.

unfortunately, they did.

 

[Sniffs]

and my FIRST car happened to be the sedan clone on the fox platform. the filler model till the Taurus and Sable were ready. ford used the fox's universally in the US (in rescaled form) the second they were created till Taurus/Sable and tempo/Topaz were ready.

 

[Paulie]

Yeah, it was a pretty basic badge job done on the early Fox Body cars. The standard trim levels carried over, but Mercury actually had some finely tuned sport models that were not half-bad. Things like the Capri ASC McLaren come to mind...

It was a strange time here in America. Even Oldsmobile and Buick had some seriously quick cars in their ranks as well.

Well that doesn't look too bad, especially given the time period it came from. At least it was still RWD.

 

[YSSMAN]

The chassis was pretty well-sorted, and they installed a Ford Racing cam in the 5.0L to boost the BHP a little bit. A secret performance car, didn't make very many, super hard to find now.

 

[Sniffs]

they just didn't SELL, which is why they got canned. it was the australian scourced one they had all the assembly trouble with. americans don't baby cars unless they're worth mega bucks. and in the 90's, if it wasn't Japanese, it was just gonna fall apart on you anyway. america, the throwaway society...

it just hit me...I'm gonna go take a look at this one local guy's yard. I think he has an aussie scourced Capri sitting there with fender damage. btw, sitting right next to it is a c4 'Vette that someone drove into a phone pole!