"Mercury totally not a sinking ship" says Mullaly.

[Tornado]

Mullaly claims Mercury is "doing well"

At a press event held yesterday, Ford CEO, Alan Mulally, said the automaker has no plans to phase out its struggling Mercury division. Rumors of the brand's demise have begun to circle due to a lack of products in Mercury's pipeline. The only known future product for Mercury is a hybrid version of its Milan sedan, due out in August 2008.

When asked if Mercury had a future, Mulally responded by saying; “Absolutely. It’s doing well. We’ve got a great set of products in Mercury. It’s a very nice complement to the Ford products. And so we have a good lineup in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury.”


Despite Mulally's optimistic view of Mercury, the brand has seen a sharp decrease in sales. Mercury sold 180,848 vehicles in 2006 — the division's lowest total since 1960 — and was 11% off that pace through the first nine months of 2007.


Ford's Lincoln division has faired much better and has actually seen sales growth in every month this year. Through September 2007, sales were 11% higher than the same period last year.


Although Mulally failed to comment on the subject, many believe that rebadging Ford's European cars — which are widely regarded to have more style and greater quality than Ford's U.S. offerings — as Mercury vehicles could bolster sales. General Motors has seen great success with this strategy — many new Saturns are rebadged models from GM's European Opel division — and could serve as a blueprint for future Mercury vehicles.

Linky.

One thing that I haven't thought of that would be awesome:

many believe that rebadging Ford's European cars — which are widely regarded to have more style and greater quality than Ford's U.S. offerings — as Mercury vehicles could bolster sales

Can you say Mercury Mondeo? What about a Mercury Kuga (I'm sure people would buy it for the name alone)? Or a Mercury...Fusion...Well, maybe that wouldn't work, but still. They could rename it, or even better, not (that would actually be pretty cool, I think, to have two completely different cars share a name and a global parent).

 

[YSSMAN]

Heres the thing though... The kinetic design theme doesn't work well at all with the brand persona of Mercury, its a much better match with Ford. Maybe Mullaly should give the right cars to the right brand, let Mercury do the quasi-luxury models as they should, and finally pump enough cash into Lincoln to have it compete with Cadillac again.

...God forbid they ever do anything right (lol)...

Oh well, all I want is the right stuff.

 

[forza2.0]

Mercury do luxury? It must be the least well known brand in the world!

 

[95GTIVR6]

I've been wondering what I would do if I had control of Mercury. In all honesty, I would seriously consider the treatment of GM's Pontiac or Saturn image makeover and I like the sound of converting the nameplate overseas. However, I don't think it would be a very smooth conversion.

Now, here is what I would do...

GRRR!

I tried typing something that made at least a little bit of sense but I can't! Its like Mercury is stuck in a very, VERY, hard place. Personally, I dont think it is that bad of a company but it blends too much with its not-so-different brothers and sisters at Ford and Lincoln. Bring back the Cougar and with it, create a new styling theme as stated before in others' posts. However, you cant expect people to move from Ford --> Mercury --> Lincoln when many people who buy Ford, tend to STICK with Ford like many of the American automotive manufacturers. And its not like you can all of a sudden start to market all Mercury vehicles UNDER ford (aka Scion to Toyota) because what would previous/current owners think of their vehicles now that they are being sported by young adults straight out of high school.

I don't know. It just seems like the similarities with its cheaper, larger brother Ford are much too similar and may hinder further advancement of the brand. Cool marketing can do only so much; while I like the direction of the advertising, is it really accomplishing much? Maybe.

 

[Wolfe]

Heres the thing though... The kinetic design theme doesn't work well at all with the brand persona of Mercury...

Mercury has a brand persona?

I like the idea of Ford EU products selling here as Mercury models. It isn't an entirely new idea, either, although last time they spelled Mercury the German way...

Another money-maker that's staring Ford in the face is to bring their Australian stuff to american shores.

 

[TopHat]

"Mercury totally not a sinking ship"

Its gonna be a sinking ship if it doesn't get some unique models, like a new Cougar, or some other halo car.

 

[YSSMAN]

Holy Thread Revival Batman!

What's a Mercury? That's a question that's been on the lips of senior execs at FoMoCo for some time. Positioned between Ford and Lincoln, the badge-engineered brand has been lacking defined products for over a decade, but according to the Derrick Kuzak, Ford's global product chief, that's going to change.

Mercury will be repositioned as an entry-level premium brand that will still slot in below Lincoln, but will be made up entirely of small vehicles and crossovers. Lincoln dealers, on the other hand, will be stocking mid-size sedans and larger vehicles, while Mercury will focus on smaller, more fuel-efficient products.

The first move on Mercury's part to reestablish itself will come in the form of a new small car, derived from an unnamed Ford vehicle, which is slated to go on sale in 2010. The Milan and Mariner will remain, but the Sable, Moutaineer and Grand Marquis might be nixed since they won't fit in with Mercury's newest makeover.

Not a horrible idea, but you'd think Ford would take the time to study the success of similar plans elsewhere. Despite the fact that Saturn has become a larger brand at GM (filling the same proposed space as Mercury), it hasn't done wonders for sales. We'll see. Maybe this means that we will get the Mondeo, maybe not. Although I'm all for a re badged version of the Focus CC as a Mercury. It'd be a halfway decent rival to the VW Eos and likely a better alternative to the G6 Convertible.

 

[Tornado]

I don't think Mercury sits in a similar location to Saturn at all. In the Ford empire, Mercury sells somewhat nicer Ford models for somewhat higher prices (occasionally with softer road manners or some other old-person-pandering-technology). While stupid in its own right, at least it is a clear strategy.

Saturn alternates between selling cut rate versions of other GM cars (Saturn VUE, Saturn Outlook), more refined versions of other GM cars (Saturn Sky) and paradoxically-more-expensive-yet-worse versions of other GM cars (Saturn Astra). I don't even know how the Aura fits in anymore.

 

[95GTIVR6]

Mercury CMAX

 

[YSSMAN]

If GM is to apply the model they are supposed to upon Saturn (ie, Opel/Vauxhall USA) then it would be the perfect competitor for this second-coming of Mercury. That being said, they'd have to kill the SUVs first.

 

[bergauk]

Smaller, more efficient cars? Psssh.
Put the Comet back on the line-up. Look at all the classic/modern muscle cars being put out now. If they put the Comet back out again, I bet you'd see some sales increases.

 

[V1P3R]

Could that emblem be any [censored] Huge... ?

 

[superberkut]

It was likely rendered that size because any previous badge was too large...

Whatever the turnaround, their time is limited.

 

[Wolfe]

...you'd think Ford would take the time to study the success of similar plans elsewhere. Despite the fact that Saturn has become a larger brand at GM (filling the same proposed space as Mercury), it hasn't done wonders for sales.

The Big Three can't expect to save themselves from years and years of selling mediocre cars built to a price just because they try to pull a rabbit out of a hat at the last minute. When your ship is sinking, it's usually advisable to not wait until 3/4 of it is underwater before starting to bail water off of the deck.

 

[V1P3R]

I'm still amazed they got this far I mean...

 

[Bones Brigade]

if the mustang is to get a real chassis in the near future it would be cool to see a "premium sports coupe" on that platform sold as a mercury. maybe not named "cougar." marauder? maybe a focus RS sold as Lynx GT (haha best idea) and change the Milan to Montclair. MUCH MUCH classier.

 

[harrytuttle]

What if Ford finally figured out that it could sell its own better, European-market cars here...as Mercury's?

No overlap, no self-competition, clearly better cars, better economies of scale, and FoMoCo might finally get some reasonable street cred.

 

[Bones Brigade]

What if Ford finally figured out that it could sell its own better, European-market cars here...as Mercury's?

No overlap, no self-competition, clearly better cars, better economies of scale, and FoMoCo might finally get some reasonable street cred.

thatd be nice. except then the actual luxury brand would have inferior cars to the entry level brand. even if mercury gets the mondeo itll be toned down to ford US standards. IE, theyll rip out the interior and throw in the one from my 97 escort INSTEAD of doing the right thing and increasing the quality of their own cars.

if they give us a lineup like this and have better quality lincolns, i'm on board:

Mercury Mondeo
A "Euro Focus" (Comet ) and "Fiesta" (Capri ) "premium hatchs" having the ST equivalent as the base model.
New IRS platform shared with mustang for some sport coupe. ecoboost 6 with dual clutch. (Cyclone)

 

[JCE]

Mercury as a entry-level premium brand with good amount of smaller cars and small crossovers focusing on fuel economy? Good idea me thinks...as long as the Mercury Cougar has balls and the Marauder still wants to eat little children while running over their parents back and forth.

 

[harrytuttle]

thatd be nice. except then the actual luxury brand would have inferior cars to the entry level brand. even if mercury gets the mondeo itll be toned down to ford US standards. IE, theyll rip out the interior and throw in the one from my 97 escort INSTEAD of doing the right thing and increasing the quality of their own cars.

It'd be better than Mercury just being a bunch of rebadged, higher-priced Ford vehicles. Heck, even Lincoln has little to offer. Is it any wonder both brands are sinking? Unless there's actual value for the customer, they'll just turn around and pay less elsewhere for the same thing.

A Euro-Ford Mercury brand would hopefully give Lincoln the impetus to do something along the lines of what Cadillac did a few years ago: create something.

 

[YSSMAN]

In a perfect world, both Ford and GM would "get their 'S' together" and just import the damn Chinese Buicks and European Fords (Mercury) and sell them in their respective brands. At least then it would be a fair and otherwise "interesting" fight.

 

[CDailey]

Bring back the Marauder! Stuff the Mustang GT engine in it with a few tweaks, bring back those badass 5 spoke chrome wheels, and build it in the next 5 years and it will be my next car. Listen to me Mercury!

 

[a6m5]

A letter by one of the Ford executives did say that Lincoln/Mercury is going to stick around. I can't remember if any "game plan" were revealed in the letter, however, I do remember the mention of a hybrid(probably Milan) and the new Lincoln(MKS?) they were banking on.

IMO, I think Mercury is a dying name, and Ford should just put it out of misery. Very few people care about the brand, and that combined with the mediocre re-badged cars, it isn't going anywhere, except waaaaaaaay down.

I do agree with some of you that cars like Kuga, Mondeo, Marauder can help Mercury tremendously. But I still think they are better off killing the brand, then replacing it with a new name. I'm thinking along lines of "GEO"..... just kidding. But something like Scion, Acura, or Saturn, which will draw attention of car shoppers, especially the younger ones(kids at GTP wouldn't go for these brands, I understand ). Just something new, something edgier, something that goes "look over here!".

While they are at it, fixed MSRP like Scion & Saturn might not be a bad idea. One thing about Lincoln/Mercury Dealers, even if they changed the brand name, or have brought the Euro Fords in, I'm not sure if those things alone are enough to bring the shoppers in. I think fixed pricing would be another cool gimmick to bring the people into these dealerships they've never even paid attention to before.

Mercury was in big trouble before, and they are in even worse shape now. I am skeptical that nice, new vehicle lineup alone can make this brand successful again. Maybe enough to get by, but that's about it. 'OK' is not good enough for Ford right now. They are in need of some big wins.

I don't even get what the article is saying about Lincoln. Increasing sale, and something about thru September of '07? If their sales is actually increasing, could it be because they were doing even worse, prior? I was under the impression that Lincoln was doing almost as bad as Mercury, and they are approaching near-death.

 

[YSSMAN]

I'd say Mercury has always been in a worse-off position than Lincoln. I mean, you look at what two brands define American luxury cars, its Cadillac first, then Lincoln. The Town Car is really the definition of a low-level "I made it" car. Lets be honest with ourselves, when you see a blacked-out Lincoln Town Car, what is your first impression?

That being said, Lincoln has floated too long in a sea of "meh" because Ford had to dump money into their "premium" car group, you know, Jaguar/Land Rover/Volvo/Aston Martin, etc. Now that all of those brands are gone (well, except Volvo), they're turning to Lincoln to make it a proper Cadillac-fighter.

The MKS will be the first shot at a "new Lincoln," and so far I'm coming away positively. The interior quality looks to be top-notch, the chassis is rock-solid, and the thought of a 350+ BHP twin-turbocharged V6 matched to an AWD system is really good enough to go STS hunting. Lets hope that a similar level of "goodness" can be spread out to the next-generation MKZ, and that they can update the otherwise overly-attractive MKX.

 

[a6m5]

I agree with you, except on the Town Car. For me, Town Car is in a unique class, completely separate from the Germans, Japanese, or domestic modern luxury. Far from mainstream, but I think it still hold much merit to the brand(and its image) of Lincoln.

 

[Tornado]

Lets be honest with ourselves, when you see a blacked-out Lincoln Town Car, what is your first impression?

That's not fair. The Town Car stopped being the exclusive choice of drug dealers, pimps and the Mafia after the 2nd generation. Now just old dumb old people buy them.

Bring back the Marauder! Stuff the Mustang GT engine in it with a few tweaks, bring back those badass 5 spoke chrome wheels, and build it in the next 5 years and it will be my next car. Listen to me Mercury!

Doing exactly that didn't work 5 years ago, and doing so now would (ironically, as the Grand Marquis hasn't been changed in any way since then) have Ford come up with the exact same car. Why would it do any better this time?

 

[Jim Prower]

I would take the following path to a Marauder:

Take Sable AWD
Disconnect front wheels
install EcoBoost V6
Do the thing with the wheels and grille.

 

[YSSMAN]

Or, keep the AWD and boost the hell out of the V6 to make it a cheap G35x competitor.

 

[JCE]

I'm loving the fact that Ford is at least taking public attention to Mercury. If it is to survive it needs to take advice from GM about its Saturn division--its now a semi-successful division that isn't losing too much money. Mercury needs to go the edgy youth route in my opinion. Take a Mustang GT, slap a turbo or two on the V6 (either 4.0 or 3.5), soften up the suspension, slightly tweak the interior for more comfort, and call it the cougar and watch it go out the showroom like mad.

 

[buickgnx88]

So basically make an early 90's XR-7 that looks like a base model Mustang? Could work but would be odd since the Cougar never actually looked like the 'Stang before. Course seeing as it would be aimed towards teens, they probably wouldn't care just as long as it is fast.