Posted on 06/03/2010 6:31:08 AM PDT by AAABEST
Analysts say there are too many brands chasing too few buyers
Mercury has come to that big garage in the sky, and there's a convoy behind it of what could be more disappearing brands.
After 71 years, the Mercury brand will vanish from the market with little more than a whimper, by the end of the year. The brainchild of automotive pioneer Edsel Ford, Mercury had become little more than an afterthought on the automotive sales charts in recent years, a costly and irrelevant distraction that company officials, after years of debate, finally decided to do away with.
The move is one more step in CEO Alan Mulally’s One Ford strategy which previously resulted in the sale of foreign luxury brands Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Jaguar, and will allow the Detroit-based carmaker to put a “laser focus” on rebuilding the struggling Lincoln brand, which has steadily lost ground to luxury leaders like Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and arch-rival General Motors’ Cadillac marque.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Merc has made some great cars in the past, but most anything they've put out in the past 20 years has been a major POS.
UAW, now there’s a brand that needs to go away!
Who cares about the cars. I just like the girl in the commercials who says “You gotta put Mercury on your list”.
Someone feel free to post her picture.
I’m still driving a 1994 Mercury.
Mercuries are just Fords with a different emblem and higher price tag. It’s been the case since the early 70s.
Steve Miller Band
Mercury Blues
Had my money
I tell you what I’d do
I would go downtown
Buy a Mercury or two
Cause I’m crazy ‘bout a Mercury
Cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
I’m goin’ to buy me a Mercury
And I’ll cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
You know that gal I love
I stole her from a friend
Fool got lucky stole her back again
Because she knowed he had a Mercury
Cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
Well, she knowed he had a Mercury
And she cruise up and down this road
Hey now mama
Where’d you stay last night
Your hair’s all down
Your clothes don’t fit you right
Had my money
I tell you what I’d do
Go downtown and buy a Mercury or two
Cause I’m crazy ‘bout a Mercury
And I’ll cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
I’m going to buy me a Mercury
And I’ll cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
I’m going to buy me a Mercury
Going to buy me a Mercury
Going to buy me a Mercury
Cruise, cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
I’m going to buy me a Mercury
Buy me a Mercury
Going to buy me a Mercury
Cruise, cruise up and down this road
Up and down this road
Worse: They have that cool song now.
Gonna buy me a Mercury and cruise it up and down the road.
Worst: Doesn't apply to any Merc over the past 20-30 years or so.
prisoner6
Ford is making a good business decision here, but they still have a problem with the lincoln line. How may new lincolns have been seen running around? Ford ought to make lincoln a special order vehicle and zero in on the Ford products, save up a lot of cash and prepare for the coming assault by the unions and their buddies in the white house. When Maobama took over GM and Chrysler they didn’t go after Ford. That didn’t make sense. Ford should be very wary of this bunch.
You could buy a Chrysler, but it still smelled like a Plymouth.
prisoner6
FYI, “Mercury Blues” was written in 1949 by K. C. Douglas and Robert Geddins.
actually Mercury had the extras of lincoln into a ford. For the most part they seemed to get good ratings. However, like most of Detroit they had some huge screw ups like when they redid cougar into a poorly wired compact.
They must have used the same woman who killed oldsmobile to run mercury.
And the real villain behind all this?
Robert McNamara
He was one of the “whiz kids” brought in by Henry Ford II. McNamara decided that having all these different brands actually be different cars was “inefficient.” He could do the same thing by just putting different trim and decals on the same car.
After this tremendous success, he was made Secretary of Defense. Here he decided that we didn't need all these different aircraft and could do everything with just one (the F-111). His style of micromanagement was also largely responsible for the huge success of the VietNam war.
I hear ya, brother. She’s a cutie; her name is Jill. She’s now a host on the TV show “Wipeout”. I think it was in the National Rifleman magazine that I read she is from Texas and is a gun enthusiast / collector.
In regards to another comment on this thread, I’ve owned several Mercury’s in the past, and while the 80’s models were poor quality (like every other American car at the time) the newer ones are great. Mercury’s problem is that they have no distinct products from Ford, and are basically just a trim level on a Ford.
Lincolns have ecome unusually ugly while Caddys have never looked better.
If ya wanna hear the real “Mercury Blues,” go here, and click on “1940s Blues from small independent labels” Then click on the check mark after “Mercury Boogie.” If you’re a Blues fan, you’ll love it!
http://juneberry78s.com/sounds/index.htm
Wow, I might need to start watching Wipeout.
She hot and a conservative. That makes her rank right up there with Megan Kelly.
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