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: