Ford officially kills off Mercury brand

It was inevitable, the death of Mercury. Long dead in the eyes of enthusiasts, the brand has soldiered on with but 0.8% of Ford's market share and only a couple of recycled and rebadged Fords in its stable. It seems like decades (and it has been, actually) since we saw the likes of a performance Mercury.

Ford's President of America, Mark Fields and Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of product development confirmed in a press conference today that Mercury would be discontinued in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The demise of Mercury is also going to lead to the expansion of the Lincoln brand, which will reportedly see seven all new or refreshed models. Lincoln will also be offering EcoBoost engines in all of it's vehicles, including the next Navigator. Ford has promised that Lincoln will soon be the most technologically advanced and fuel efficient luxury vehicles available.

Press Release

FORD TO EXPAND LINCOLN LINEUP AND BRAND EMPHASIS; MERCURY PRODUCTION ENDS IN FOURTH QUARTER OF 2010
Ford is expanding its Lincoln lineup with seven all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles in the next four years – including its first-ever C-segment vehicle
Lincoln's plan accelerates with more investment and attention on standout product design, class-leading technology and powertrains delivering top performance and fuel efficiency
Lincoln product development, marketing, sales and service resources expanding as the brand competes with Cadillac and Lexus in the marketplace
Ford will end production of Mercury vehicles in the fourth quarter of this year to fully devote its financial, product development, production and marketing, sales and service resources toward further growing its core Ford brand while enhancing Lincoln
Existing Mercury owners to receive continued access to parts and service support at Ford and Lincoln dealers; current Mercury vehicle warranties and Extended Service Plans will be honored; special offers available on new Mercury vehicles through the summer
Affected dealers to receive specialized support during the transition, as the company continues its transformation to a more profitable dealer network
DEARBORN, Mich., June 2, 2010 – Ford Motor Company will expand and enhance its Lincoln brand lineup with seven all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles in the next four years as part of an aggressive growth plan focused on standout product design, class-leading technology and new powertrains – all aimed at competing with Cadillac and Lexus in North America.

Ford also will end production of Mercury vehicles in the fourth quarter of this year to fully devote its financial, product development, production and marketing, sales and service resources toward further growing its core Ford brand while enhancing the Lincoln brand.

"We have made tremendous progress on profitably growing the Ford brand during the past few years. Now, it is time to do the same for Lincoln," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "The new Lincoln vehicles will transform luxury for North American premium customers through an unexpected blend of responsive driving enjoyment and warm, inviting comfort. We will also offer our customers a world-class retail experience through a vibrant retail network."

Lincoln's hallmarks will be refined, modern design, the most fuel-efficient premium powertrains and industry-leading technology that create a unique driver experience both in the cabin and on the road.

"Profitably growing Lincoln in North America is an important part of our One Ford plan," said Alan Mulally, Ford president and CEO. "Our Ford brand is gaining momentum and winning customers around the world. Now, we are going to use the same laser focus to further strengthen Lincoln and deliver even more products luxury customers really want and value."

Foundation Set

The future of Lincoln is building from a strong base that includes the all-new flagship MKS large sedan, the all-new MKT seven-passenger crossover and a significantly refreshed MKZ mid-size sedan – all now in showrooms. The hybrid version of the MKZ will reach showrooms later this year and is expected to be the most fuel efficient premium sedan on the market.

Lincoln's product actions continue later this year with the debut of the significantly refreshed 2011 MKX crossover, the first vehicle to feature MyLincoln Touch driver connect technology.

This will be followed by another six all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles within four years developed with Lincoln's DNA of standout design, precise and confident driving experience, class-leading technology and powertrains delivering top performance and fuel efficiency.

Lincoln will be led by expanded product development and marketing, sales and service teams to support the brand's growth plan and ensure it has a strong cadence of distinct products that are well positioned in the market. Plans for Lincoln include:
Lincoln's first-ever C-segment vehicle
New Lincoln-exclusive powertrains, including an all-new V-6 engine and advanced fuel-efficient transmissions
EcoBoost engines available in all Lincolns – from the Navigator full-size SUV to the new C-segment Lincoln
Fuel economy leadership with each new vehicle – leading to Lincoln emerging as the most fuel-efficient luxury lineup on the market
More useful technology and features than any other competitor – with a special focus on comfort and convenience. New advanced features include: fully retractable glass roofs; adaptive computer-controlled suspensions; electronic, push-button gear-selectors; active noise control; and exclusive MyLincoln Touch driver connect technology

"Lincoln vehicles will reward drivers with smooth, effortless power complemented by agile handling and responsive steering," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president, Global Product Development. "The cabin is a sanctuary with segment-leading quietness, genuine materials and intuitive, useful technology."

Lincoln has started gaining traction with customers, as evidenced by market share gains during the past five years. Lincoln's share of the retail U.S. luxury vehicle market has grown from 4.5 percent in 2005 to 6.3 percent through the first quarter of 2010.

In addition, Lincoln's reputation with consumers has risen, with favorable opinion and purchase consideration reaching its highest level in the past five years. Lincoln's long-term durability was second only to Porsche's in the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Survey.

Mercury

Mercury originally was created as a premium offering to Ford and was an important source of incremental sales. However, the continued strength of the Ford brand – particularly during the past three years – has accelerated the migration from Mercury to Ford for many customers.

Today, Mercury's customer profile, pricing and margins are almost identical to Ford, but Mercury's incremental sales have been declining.

The majority of current Mercury sales are to fleet buyers and customers purchasing through employee, retiree and friends and family discounts, which Ford anticipates largely can be satisfied by Ford brand vehicles.

Of Ford Motor Company's 16 percent market share in the U.S., Mercury accounts for 0.8 percentage points, a level that has been flat or declining for the past several years. That contrasts with the Ford brand, which has increased market share by 2.2 percentage points so far this year on the strength of new products and improved quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value.

Ford's strengthening financial position – including the return to profitability and positive cash flow – allows the company to absorb short-term costs associated with the discontinuation of Mercury and to consolidate future product investments into Lincoln.

Today, there are no stand-alone Mercury dealerships in North America. Ford is working closely with dealers to maintain properly located stand-alone Lincoln or Ford-Lincoln dealers, which will offer dealers and the company the greatest opportunity for long-term profitable growth.

New operational standards developed with the company's dealers will facilitate a Lincoln customer experience that exceeds the expectations of North American luxury customers.

Personal Attention

Ford will work closely with Mercury dealers and customers during the transition, including providing existing Mercury owners with continued access to parts and service support at Ford and Lincoln dealers and by honoring current warranties, including Ford's Extended Service Plans.

"We are 100 percent committed to supporting Mercury owners through Ford and Lincoln dealerships and working hard to keep them as valued customers in the future," Fields said.

"At the same time, we will work closely with our dealers to phase out Mercury franchises and continue to build a healthy, growing Lincoln with strong new products and a profitable dealer network that delivers a world-class customer experience."

Mercury owners will receive additional details in the coming days explaining the transition and assuring them that Ford and its dealers will continue to provide all necessary parts and service support for Mercury products.

Ford has notified Mercury dealers of the decision and provided details of a financial package that includes payment in exchange for resigning the franchise.

Ford today also informed dealers of special offers on new Mercury vehicles that will be available through the summer to support the sell down of current Mercury inventory and remaining Mercury vehicle production.

"We are taking decisive action and moving into the future with the right plan to deliver profitable growth for all stakeholders," Fields said. "These moves position us to continue building momentum through strong brands, great products and an unwavering focus on the customer."

Featured Ride -Bryan Quinones 1981 Black Magic Mercury Capri

Mercury Capri's are a rare sight nowadays. Once the brethren to Ford's venerable Mustang, today they are a distant memory. Many have been raced, some have been "converted" to Mustang wannabes by affixing a Mustang front end to them. Such is pure sacrilege amongst the Capri faithful.



Make no mistake, the Capri faithful are alive and strong. There remains an almost a hero worship of the cars, and many favor them over Mustangs from the same era. They are celebrated for their more angular, muscular appearance.



Bryan Quinones' 1981 Capri is an even rarer sight to behold. That's because it is one of a handful of "Black Magic" cars, a special edition that Mercury produced in model years 1981-83.



The Black Magic brought with it some special appearance modifications. They were black cars with gold striping, gold metric TRX wheels and a gold cat's head on each side of the "nose piece" just ahead of the front fender. The interior received special black seats with gold inserts. The 1983 model is extremely rare and the only Black Magic to receive the compound rear window.



Bryan's Black Magic has quite an interesting history. Bryan first saw the car in a YouTube video, and at the time the car was owned by someone in Ohio. He had previously owned a 1982 5.0 Capri, and his son is restoring a 1985 bubble back Carpi, so he knew it was something special. Having been a fan of four eye cars for many years, he was immediately enamored with the Capri.



Later on down the road a man who lived in Bryan's home state of New York purchased the same car that he had seen in the video. The man was unable to hold on to the car for long, and had it listed on Ebay three months later. Bryan quickly realized that this was the same car he had seen on YouTube and jumped at the chance to buy it, working out a deal with the former owner.



Bryan has modified his Black Magic with some tasteful additions both under the hood and on the outside. The underwhelming stock motor has been replaced with a GT40 crate motor that churns it's power through a C4 automatic transmission and into a 3.55 geared posi traction rearend, with a 125 hp shot of nitrous for good measure. A racing tach helps to visualize the high revs.



On the outside, Bryan has fitted the Capri with some black Saleen replica wheels, 17x10" in the back and 17x8.5" in the front to give the car a nice intimidating stance.



Bryan's car has been featured in the reader's rides section of 5.0 magazine in 2002, as well as Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords in 2003.



Whether it be destiny or just plain good luck, Bryan has obtained the car of his dreams. He currently enjoys cruising to local car shows, where he is almost certain to have one of the most unique rides around.



AmericanMuscle.com has all the Mustang Parts you will need to spice up your 'Stang.

Taurus X and Mercury Sable to be axed next year

Image via Wikipedia
Keeping with previous chatter out of Detroit, it has been reported that the Taurus X SUV and the Mercury Sable are on the chopping block for next year.

Officials at Ford Motor Company are stepping up their efforts to significantly restructure it's lineup after multiple rounds of recent layoffs.

Word coming out of Dearborn is that the Taurus X crossover and the venerable Sable are being axed due to slow sales combined with the companie's efforts to produce smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles.

Rumors surround the demise of the Taurus X have been going around ever since the new Flex hit showrooms.

The decision to stop producing the Sable is in tune with Ford's vision to utilize Mercury as a critical outlet to sell small cars.

Last July, the Taurus X sold 2,304 units, down from the 2,705 the same time last year. The already slow-selling Sable managed only 2,276 sales last month compared to 2,589 a year ago.

Does Mercury matter anymore?

Image via Wikipedia's Mercury brand, long the lucky recipient of models identical to Ford with a different grille, has been rumored to be on it's way to the Oldsmobile/Plymouth graveyard. It's been a very long time since the brand had anything that caused any kind of excitement (with the possible exception of the Marauder). Mercury was originally designed by Ford to compete with Buick and Cadillac. But since Ford already has Lincoln, is this really a necessity? And competing with Buick is pretty pointless anyway unless you want to get in good with Grandma. The whole purpose of the brand seems to have lost it's way. What's the point of buying a Mariner when you can get an Escape? To have an Escape with fake wood accents? In spite of all of this, Ford announced last week that it would have new product for Mercury, including a small car in 2010. It appears that they finally have a goal in mind for the brand, which is to become a destination for importing European Ford models. Ford says it will build the European Mondeo sedan in North America beginning in 2010. The Mondeo is slightly smaller than the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan/Lincoln MKZ. Ford has also said that it will build an all new Taurus in 2010, but has not made any mention of a new Sable. In Europe, the Ford Mondeo is a relatively upscale small-midsize sedan designed for a market that will pay a premium price for such a car. Giving it a Mercury badge gives Ford room to charge a bit more for it than Fusion sticker prices, and of course North American production will be much cheaper than European production. The other new Mercury will a version of the crossover of the Ford Kuga. The Kuga is a small Escape-ish style SUV that looks distinctly different from the current Mariner. This is all well and good, I suppose. But if you want to get people more excited in the Mercury brand, why not bring back the Cougar? I'm not talking about the Probe like previous model either. I'm talking about the late 60's/early 70's one. With the current retro styling of the Mustang, it would make perfect sense. I think it would be a great shot in the arm for the brand and would bring people into the showrooms. But please Mercury, no more fake wood grain dashes.