Will Mercury Cars Come Back?

Mercury Motor Company launched their Mercury division in 1939 to offer mid-tier sedans between Ford’s entry-level Ford models and Lincoln luxury models, most often built upon Ford platforms.

Early on, Mercury distinguished itself from Ford by offering distinctive integrated body designs. These models quickly gained favor with hot rodders – so much so that James Dean even featured his customized 1949 Mercury Series 9CM in Rebel Without A Cause!

Why Did Ford Stop Making Mercury Cars?

Mercury was Ford’s mid-priced brand, filling a space between affordable Ford cars and luxurious Lincolns. Mercury initially used its own design and engineering to differentiate itself from Ford products; later however it housed rebadged models that shared only minor styling differences from Ford products. After Edsel’s production ended after only one year and hot rodding became more prevalent and import cars such as Volkswagen Beetles entered the scene, Mercury lost favor among buyers and sales declined significantly.

Mercury reduced their car line for the 2000 model year to two models – Cougar and Marquis – as well as light truck offerings (leaving only Villager minivan in market). Furthermore, Mercury stopped customizing Ford-based vehicles; instead modifying only one change: adding chrome vertical grille openings on Cougars and Grand Marquis models.

The Cougar was designed to fill a niche between Mustang and Thunderbird models, while Marquis served as a bridge between Ford LTD cars and higher-end ones like Chrysler New Yorkers or Oldsmobile Ninety Eights. Performance enthusiasts were offered additional performance models like Marauder which was constructed using Grand Marquis platforms.

In 1976, Mercury unveiled their pint-sized Pinto replacement: the Mercury Bobcat – available as a coupe, hatchback and station wagon – using their “Merc-O-Matic” automatic transmission on all models as well as decorative touches such as airfoil bumpers, jet scoop hoods and aviation-style instrument gauges.

In 1958, Canada adopted the Monarch nameplate to honor Mercury’s early history and avoid potential brand confusion with Ford Galaxie vehicles. Unfortunately, due to brand confusion concerns between Ford Galaxie models and Mercury cars in Canada, however, the Canadian market eventually dropped it and Mercury brand eventually ceased operations that year.

Mercury cars were discontinued from North American assembly lines in 2011 with Ford president, Mark Fields declaring it necessary so they could redirect resources towards revitalizing Lincoln models.

Will Mercury Cars Come Back?

Mercury gained prominence during the 1950s for creating cars that went beyond being just modified Fords. Their Mercury Messenger model became a favorite among hot rodders and even made an appearance in Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Furthermore, this model set an all-time speed record with its V8 engine at 125 mph!

By the 1960s, Mercury had expanded their range by adding sporty models like the Cougar and Marauder as direct competitors to Chevy Impala SS and Mustang GT models. Furthermore, Mercury introduced various station wagon models such as Commuter Voyager Colony Park.

Mercury’s line expanded throughout the 1970s as they added models like Capri and Bobcat as well as compact vehicles like Sable and Lynx, leading to sales more than doubling in this segment. They also offered SUVs like Montclair and Mountaineer.

Mercury made significant changes to their intermediate model range for the 1977 model year, including restructuring their slowest selling vehicles – such as the Cougar as an alternative to Ford Mustang and Taurus; redesign of Monterey; offering various sedan and station wagon body styles; etc.

At this point, Ford began focusing on improving both fuel economy and emissions while adding luxury-oriented models such as Mariner and Milan to its lineup – these models boasted their own distinct styling features that made them stand out.

As Mercury continued to add new models during the 2000s, they added several to its lineup – such as redesigns to its Cougar and Marauder models for this decade; furthermore, its Mystique and Tracer models were discontinued – eventually only three vehicles (Cougar, Sable and Grand Marquis) remain with unique styling that were sold directly to customers.

Mercury made significant strides forward in 2008 by redesigning their Montego and adding the Mariner hybrid SUV to their SUV lineup. Mercury even employed actress Jill Wagner in a campaign intended to attract female buyers and revive its image.

What If Mercury Cars Come Back?

While it is impossible to know for certain, there are signs that Mercury could make a comeback. After all, automakers don’t simply permanently discontinue models or car lines that no longer make financial sense or until demand has decreased significantly and production shifts away from these specific ones.

Mercury first debuted as an automobile brand in 1939 to fill a niche between Ford and Lincoln offerings, competing against both General Motors (GM) and what then was Chrysler (Chrysler). Unfortunately, Mercury quickly failed in attracting buyers in its target segment due to declining sales figures, an aging driver base, poor profitability and declining profitability; leading it into steady decline and eventually discontinuation altogether.

Ford made the difficult decision to phase out Mercury altogether in 2011. Ford kept going as long as possible with production and marketing of Mercury vehicles, but eventually decided it just wasn’t worth producing and marketing cars that no longer sold well.

Mercury brand vehicles in their final years were little more than marginally distinct versions of Ford division products – especially popular F-Series pickup trucks (as Mercury Marquis) and Explorer sport-utility vehicles (as Mercury Mountaineer). Only 2.6% of young buyers considered Mercury as a possible purchase according to research conducted by CNW Marketing.

Ford Motor Company maintained the Mercury brand despite low sales numbers, in hopes that a revival could occur. Unfortunately, this did not materialize and Dearborn ultimately decided to place Mercury into hibernation in favor of developing electric cars under Polestar and Volkswagen ID brands instead. With some luck and plenty of rebranding efforts the Mercury name may yet return; though likely not becoming the go-to choice among younger buyers.

What If The Cyclone Comes Back?

As with other iconic muscle cars from FoMoCo, the Mercury Cyclone enjoys something of a cult following. While not as well-known as Mustang, this superb looking car deserves to see more attention – which might just happen soon with HotCars teaming up with digital artist Bimble Designs to produce an amazing rendering of modern Mercury Cyclone!

As can be seen, this concept car shows how a modernized design could take elements from its predecessor while offering updated features and technology. The result would be a vehicle that not only looks good but would be fun to drive as well. Of course, this is just a hypothetical scenario, but shows what could happen should the brand return in full force.

Mercury underwent several changes during the 1960s, which saw them reposition themselves as a premium division of Ford. Their intermediate Montego line was revised to match Ford Torino styling while their Comet underwent significant redesign in order to compete against A-body coupes (Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Pontiac Grand Prix) for sales growth.

Mercury introduced the Cyclone name as part of an effort to increase performance credibility when they introduced a performance-oriented submodel of the Comet in 1964. By the end of the decade, however, the Cyclone had evolved into its own standalone model range above Cougar with an aerodynamically optimized Cyclone Spoiler II model homologated as their entry in NASCAR for 1969.

1972 saw the Mercury-De Tomaso Pantera enter production as a two-door midengine sports car, competing against models such as Porsche 911 and BMW 7-Series. Assembly took place by De Tomaso in Modena, Italy and featured Ford’s 351 cubic inch V8 (also used in Lincolns).

For 1974, Mercury unveiled another update for their Cougar model line as it became its own model line and transitioned from being part of Montego/Comet to Ford Mustang chassis; also getting its own distinctive taillamps and cat-head logo later adopted on other Mercury vehicles such as LN7. Also new was midsize Mountaineer competing against Ford Windstar and Lincoln Continental (Mercury claimed to build it “in Lincoln tradition”).

Mercury fans might remember its iconic cars like the Cougar or Park Lane as testaments of its storied legacy; however, Mercury was never an industry force; in fact it suffered from an identity crisis, with even its marquee performance vehicles finding difficulty competing against Ford showrooms for customer attention.

Mercury offered one final glimpse at what could have been, with its Villager minivan and Mountaineer SUV providing some glimpse of hope, but even these products couldn’t help the brand regain any market share lost to Ford, leading them to shut it down in January 2011.

Model Lineup

Mercury cars have long been associated with classic muscle car enthusiasts. Yet Mercury was also famous for producing more sophisticated models, which proved popular with women at that time – something not often achieved in auto manufacturing! Perhaps that strong legacy explains why its name continues to carry some weight among consumers today.

Edsel Ford created Ford Motor Co, seeing an opportunity in the market between General Motors’ offerings and Lincoln’s top models. His business would occupy an intermediate niche between them.

Ford began production of cars under its brand for its initial model year of 1940, including Montclair, Park Lane and Monterey models designed to compete against Buick Oldsmobile and Chrysler’s lower-tier brands.

By the middle of the 1950s, Mercury sales had surged. Even renowned marques like DeSoto, Pontiac and Oldsmobile struggled for market share against this newcomer.

Mercury struggled during the ’70s as new generations of drivers demanded more fuel efficiency, leading to its decline. Still, Monterey and Park Lane models managed to remain popular, and Mercury launched the Cougar model line during this era based on Ford Galaxie design and advertised as “A car of distinction built in Lincoln tradition”.

In the ’80s, Chevrolet revamped their lineup to include a compact vehicle known as the Lynx with its low-drag design making it highly fuel efficient. They also reinstated full-size offerings like Monterey and Park Lane models to compete directly against Lincoln Zephyr models.

Mercury Mountaineer underwent an extensive redesign in 2002 for the 2002 model year, sharing a roofline with Ford Explorer but with new design characteristics used throughout Mercury’s fleet, including a rectangular “waterfall” grille and clear lens headlamps which extended into the hood; interior chrome trim was mostly replaced by silver and satin trims.

Mercury car maker’s last model year was 2010. At that point, it had become evident that Mercury could no longer compete against Ford and Lincoln.

History

Mercury cars remain highly-debated among car enthusiasts despite Ford’s decision to stop manufacturing them 12 years ago. Created just prior to WWII, Mercury served an extremely specific function in their Blue Oval ranks: connecting Ford and Lincoln models together.

Mercury’s early models were an instant hit, such as the Montclair and Park Lane models that quickly became industry icons. By the 1950s, Mercury had established itself as the go-to brand for medium-level models like the Eight – particularly popular among hot rodders – as well as helping boost overall sales figures across all of its product lines. James Dean made an unforgettable statement when driving one of these vehicles in Rebel Without A Cause (1955).

Mercury soon began experiencing financial strain as sales began to decrease significantly by the 1970s; therefore, an overhaul was essential if it was going to remain competitive.

Mercury enjoyed great success throughout the ’80s and ’90s by offering more powerful models such as sleeper sedans and sportscars like the Cougar. Unfortunately, by the turn of the millennium it had lost any distinct identity it once held and had simply become an optional trim option within Ford’s existing model lineup.

Ford officially discontinued Mercury after years of declining sales, without plans for replacement models in January 2011. As Ford already struggled to recover from Edsel’s demise, Mercury no longer had much in terms of appeal for consumers.

Are we likely to see Mercury return to prominence? Some are optimistic, while others caution Dearborn that significant effort will need to be put in to revitalizing its brand in today’s competitive marketplace. Reviving Mercury could work, but key will be creating its own distinctive look and feel that sets it apart from Ford-supplied donor models.

Future

Mercury remains beloved among automotive enthusiasts despite being discontinued by parent company Ford in 2011. Established just prior to World War II, the Mercury brand initially sought to bridge the price gap between Ford and Lincoln brands of the Blue Oval family of vehicles. Mercury achieved this goal through an array of unique models which sought to differentiate themselves from standard Ford offerings; known for their distinctive designs and more often-than-not risk-taking behavior.

Mercury continued to expand after World War II with an evolving model lineup, including iconic 1960s vehicles like the Comet and Meteor with compact dimensions and luxurious details. Meanwhile, their Cougar became an immensely popular sports car that could rival A-body coupes like those produced by General Motors (such as Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Pontiac Grand Prix).

As the decade progressed, Mercury began to struggle keeping pace with rising consumer demands. To meet them, Mercury introduced several minivans and SUVs such as Villager and Mountaineer; its Cougar sport compact made a triumphant comeback for 1999 as front drive.

Mercury introduced major redesigns for their Cougar, Grand Marquis and Sable models during this decade as well as discontinuing two slowest selling models; Turnpike Cruiser and Voyager.

By the end of the decade, Mercury was losing buyers and market share at an alarming pace. To meet changing consumer preferences, Mercury unveiled a revamped Cougar and Villager in 2002 – but sales did not improve significantly despite these attempts at revitalization.

Ford began to reduce its investments in independent brands following decreasing profits, with Jaguar Land Rover Aston Martin Lincoln-Mercury all being part of an overcrowded stable that had no spare development funds to dedicate towards creating unique vehicles.

Resurrection

There’s no denying Mercury had its moments. Diehard fans would point to cars like the 1949 Mercury as iconic examples and the 1967 Cougar as being amongst some of the most beautiful ever produced, but in truth most Mercury offerings were forgettable and disappointing.

Established shortly before World War II, Mercury served a specific function within Ford’s Blue Oval lineup — filling in between standard Ford products and luxury Lincoln offerings while competing with mid-level vehicles from General Motors (GM) and Chrysler (Chrysler) such as DeSoto Dodge Buick vehicles.

In the 1970s, this brand thrived until it began experiencing some of the same problems as other brands from that era: shrinking markets and an outdated design reputation. To regain some lost glory, however, they made significant changes throughout the 1980s and beyond; modernizing all model lineups by redesigning best sellers while adding compact models as well as branching out into minivan and SUV segments as diversification measures; however, their fortunes continued their downward slide.

By the late ’90s, it became obvious that Mercury had become little more than an afterthought within Lincoln-Mercury division hierarchy. Although offering some unique models, consumers soon came to perceive Mercury as little more than an uninspired Ford lineup rebadged under another brand.

Once Ford recognized that its core business had suffered due to the global financial crisis of 2008, it became apparent that Ford needed to focus its resources on maintaining it instead of continuing supporting struggling specialty car brands like Mercury or Grand Marquis. That decision was finalized in January 2011, when a Grand Marquis was produced as the last Mercury automobile off of production lines.

Since electric vehicle (EV) sales are on an upswing, Mercury could see another day on the road. There are a few key points to keep in mind before concluding that Mercury can make its comeback: