Mercury could be facing the Axe [Archive] - Ultimatecarpage.com forums

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Prius

03-12-2007, 06:30 PM

It is rumored that Mercury could be getting the Axe from Ford. From what I see, Alan Mulally is taking a similar approach to what Carlos Ghosn did to Nissan, and is trying to bring them back by cutting away all of Ford's unprofitible branches, instead of the traditional thing of closing plants and laying off employees. Apparently he is thinking of getting rid of Mercury as a part of that. He has already sold Aston Martin.

According to here (http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11038&hl=Mercury), Mercury dealers are only selling 6 vehicles a month.

And here is where I got the rumor about Alan Mulally cutting Mercury
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=reutersEdge&storyID=2006-10-23T194651Z_01_N23390200_RTRUKOC_0_US-AUTOS-FORD-MULALLY.xml&from=business

Pando

03-12-2007, 06:34 PM

Less than an hour ago, on UCP:

I think I'll stick to making comments instead of threads.

IWantAnAudiRS6

03-12-2007, 06:39 PM

In all fairness, this one is quite relevant...

And it's a bit of a shame, but they're all the same cars underneath. So... meh... maybe if they just shoved the Marauder into Ford's lineup as a Crown Vic GT or something, then they could easily do away with Mercury.

When all is said and done, what's the point in having so many offshoots selling the same cars? Mercurys are just Fords at higher prices. They used to be individual, and even trendsetting- the Monterey was an exceptional car for the time, and the Cougar was one mad little pony car.

Prius

03-12-2007, 06:42 PM

Mercury is reminding me A LOT of Plymouth and Oldsmobile. They were big back in the day with their peformance cars, but now, those are gone, and now all they have left is a bunch of badge-engineered crap. The new Fords are pretty much the same on price and equipment. The only difference that Mercury has is the badge and the grille. And with al the market overlap with Ford, I can see Mercury joining Oldsmobile and Plymouth in the scrapheap. There is too much market overlap, and Mercury's doing nothing but losing money, so maybe it is time for them to say goodbye.

IWantAnAudiRS6

03-12-2007, 06:47 PM

Even back in the '70s badge engineering was around... IIRC, the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda were the same car chassis-wise... though I'm not 100% on that.

Individuality is no bad thing, but couple that with a lack of charisma and you've got something that's dead in the water.

Prius

03-12-2007, 07:01 PM

Pretty much. But that is the thing, badge engineering it fine, as long as the changes are more than just taillights and grille, and the cars are aimed at different markets. Oldsmobile, Eagle, and Plymouth are all examples of badge engineering gone completely awry. Hell, with the Neon, Chrysler didn't even car to change teh name! They sold it as the Dodge and Plymouth neon. THis is what I think Chrysler should have done:

Never created the Eagle brand. instead, the Talon/Premeir should have been branded as Dodges.

They should have marketed Dodge like they Did Eagle, base it strictly on peformance. Their marketing of Dodge focusing on innovation only made matters worst for Plymouth.

THe Neon should have been a Plymouth model only.

THe Prowler shouldn't have been made. It only added to the confusion. It was a nice car, but it just confused people even more.

Plymouth should have gotten an LH car.

Plymouth should have been marketed like Dodge, focusing on value and innovation.

Well, I guess I have been rambling on abotu nothing. But I see a striking resemblance between Mercury now and Plymouth jusst before it was axed. Ford and Mercury nnow are so simmilar, that now the only thing people are paying for now when buying a Mercury is the badge.

IWantAnAudiRS6

03-12-2007, 07:08 PM

I like it as just Dodge and Chrysler, to be honest. Plymouth added confusion and little new to the mix. I always thought Eagle was designed as a more luxurious brand for the modern person, too. But there we are.

I hope Buick hang in there. I have a strange liking for the Park Avenua Ultra- the 2003 model.

I couldn't give a toss about Mercury, though. And the sooner Lincoln dies, the better.

092326001

03-12-2007, 07:32 PM

Mercury was a really nice brand
However, after the Marauder was killed off, there's nothing that intrests me anymore. Mercury is just deadweight right now.
But Mercury cars have always been nice. I like the Grand Marquis/Marauder quite a bit. But Ford should just modify the Mercury models into their current line up.

fpv_gtho

03-12-2007, 07:40 PM

Even back in the '70s badge engineering was around... IIRC, the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda were the same car chassis-wise... though I'm not 100% on that.

Well do you call that badge engineering, or platform sharing? Badge engineering i thought was exactly that, just new badges. Years ago we had a scheme here in Australia where all the manufacturers producing locally started badge engineering each others cars. We had Corolla's and Camry's with Holden badges, Commodore's with Toyota badges, Falcon ute's with Nissan badges and Patrol's with Ford badges.

Platform sharing seems to be the next step after that, ala Chrysler 300C, Dodge Charger/Magnum.

092326001

03-12-2007, 07:45 PM

The Dodge Charger needs to die.
It's too hideous to live.

The_Canuck

03-12-2007, 08:02 PM

The Dodge Charger needs to die.
It's too hideous to live.

Meh, just wait for the challenger...

Timothy (in VA)

03-12-2007, 08:13 PM

Personally, I hope this rumor turns out to be false. But you probably expect me to say that :rolleyes:. I recall this rumor being around years ago, even before Plymouth bit the dust, and Mercury's still here. It seems to me that it could still be possible to save Mercury, but that would require a complete overhaul of their lineup. I think Mercury should concentrate more on performance and less on luxury; leave that to Lincoln.

Unfortunately, it's been years since Mercury has turned out any product truly worth getting excited about (the Marauder is an exception). The brand may have sunk too low for Ford to consider it being worth saving, especially considering Ford's current financial state. :(

jcp123

03-12-2007, 08:14 PM

They've been saying this for years, and some of the reasons may even be true, I don't know...but being the nostalgic type that I am, I hope they don't, and hope they bring Oldsmobile back as well. Oldsmobile, until the 60's, had a lock on the same type of customer that BMW has now; it was GM's forward-thinking, near-luxury brand, and it seems to me it would only be right for Olds to have been the brand to head up the fight against them. Things like power steering and automatic transmissions were "beta tested" on Oldsmobiles before they went on other brands, even Cadillacs! Plymouth...they have a good, storied history and I wish they hadn't killed it, though I must agree I'm not sure where it fits into the Chrysler Dodge structure. Perhaps it'd be a good outlet for el-strippo model Dodges and Chryslers? That's more or less what it was before they sexied it up in the 60's as a performance brand...

Zytek_Fan

03-12-2007, 08:37 PM

Well, the Mercury brand hasn't been all that popular in the past few years, especially if all the Mercury models are an exact copy of Ford models.

Just wait till they axe Lincoln :p

kingofthering

03-12-2007, 09:27 PM

They won't axe Lincoln, it's undergoing a revival.

Equinox

03-12-2007, 09:35 PM

Well If Mercury is no more... the world will go on. It will be no loss. There have been many makes axed in the past and there will be others. There is more and more competition, so I guess its Mercury's time to fade away.

The only downside is the layoffs. Other than that, whats the difference whether their around or not.

ScionDriver

03-12-2007, 09:49 PM

digitalcraft

03-12-2007, 10:16 PM

I feel slightly nostalgic as my first car was a mercury, but I don't think people will miss the brand very much.

adrenaline

03-13-2007, 01:59 AM

I personally hope they give Mercury the axe. The brand is completely and utterly USELESS. With Mercury gone, they can put more time and resources into reviving Lincoln.

Prius

03-13-2007, 03:47 AM

Mercury is suppose to fill the gap between Ford and Lincoln but it seems that all they do now is get people to walk in and say "Meh this is too expensive, I'll buy a Ford" or "Meh I'd rather pay an extra couple grand and get more luxury with a Lincoln." So whats the loss with Mercury going? I don't see it personally.

The thing is that they have moved Ford upmarket to the part where they are overlapping. If you load up a Ford today, you pretty much have a mercury minus the badges. Back in the eighties, it was easy to tell where Ford stopped and Mercury began, but nowit is not like that way. Just like I said, it is pretty much like Plymouth and Oldsmobile, they used to be great, but now they just let it widdle away to the point where all they are selling is just badge engineered Fords. THey haven't had a real appealing model since the Marauder, and even that one didn't sell all that great, since they cut it after only two years on the market. And wohever said that Ford should get a version of it, they have. After they killed the Marauder, they added a "LX Sport" model to the Crown Victoria line, which is like the MArauder except for some cosmetic changes, and it gave slightly lower output, as its engine was Naturally Aspirated while the Marauder was supercharged.

As far as Lincoln and Buick go, they won't be getting cut anytime soon. GM just poured a lot of money into new models for Buick, including the Lucerne, Lacrosse, Terraza (which flopped), and the upcoming Enclave. I don't think that GM is going to cut them after they have poured so much money into them. But, I heard that Buick is doing worse then Mercury. But still, GM won't axe them after pouring so much money into them. As for Saturn, which they recently poured a lot of money into also, is doing very well. Sales are just rising and rising for them.

For Lincoln, they too won't be getting the axe. Just like GM did for Buick, Ford just poured a ton of money into rejuvinating Lincoln's lineup. IMO they still fail to surpass Cadillac or their european rivals, they just seem to be there, not really gathering a market niche or anything, just kinda there, uncompetitive. But again, I don't think Ford is going to cut them after pouring so much money into them. Plus, what is FOrd going to do without a Luxury brand. God knows that they can't count on Jaguar, since they have just been losing money left and right since they picked them up about two decades ago.

Woot! I can't believe I wrote this much!

NSXType-R

03-13-2007, 12:43 PM

I really wouldn't mind if Mercury went away. As many of you guys said, it's a paperweight, and a big one at that too.

Rockefella

03-13-2007, 01:22 PM

I don't want Mercury to go away. The lady that does the commercials is really hot.

Pando

03-13-2007, 01:33 PM

I don't want Mercury to go away. The lady that does the commercials is really hot.
pxorbn

Rockefella

03-13-2007, 01:39 PM

NSXType-R

03-13-2007, 01:42 PM

How ironic, someone like her doing commercials for such a boring company. Women will do anything for money. :p

Pando

03-13-2007, 01:44 PM

The thing is that they have moved Ford upmarket to the part where they are overlapping. If you load up a Ford today, you pretty much have a mercury minus the badges. Back in the eighties, it was easy to tell where Ford stopped and Mercury began, but nowit is not like that way. Just like I said, it is pretty much like Plymouth and Oldsmobile, they used to be great, but now they just let it widdle away to the point where all they are selling is just badge engineered Fords. THey haven't had a real appealing model since the Marauder, and even that one didn't sell all that great, since they cut it after only two years on the market. And wohever said that Ford should get a version of it, they have. After they killed the Marauder, they added a "LX Sport" model to the Crown Victoria line, which is like the MArauder except for some cosmetic changes, and it gave slightly lower output, as its engine was Naturally Aspirated while the Marauder was supercharged.

As far as Lincoln and Buick go, they won't be getting cut anytime soon. GM just poured a lot of money into new models for Buick, including the Lucerne, Lacrosse, Terraza (which flopped), and the upcoming Enclave. I don't think that GM is going to cut them after they have poured so much money into them. But, I heard that Buick is doing worse then Mercury. But still, GM won't axe them after pouring so much money into them. As for Saturn, which they recently poured a lot of money into also, is doing very well. Sales are just rising and rising for them.

For Lincoln, they too won't be getting the axe. Just like GM did for Buick, Ford just poured a ton of money into rejuvinating Lincoln's lineup. IMO they still fail to surpass Cadillac or their european rivals, they just seem to be there, not really gathering a market niche or anything, just kinda there, uncompetitive. But again, I don't think Ford is going to cut them after pouring so much money into them."Pouring money" into something doesn't necessarily mean, they're not going to sell it. It can have that meaning but with a loss-generating company like GM or Ford I wouldn't take anything for granted.

Plus, what is FOrd going to do without a Luxury brand. God knows that they can't count on Jaguar, since they have just been losing money left and right since they picked them up about two decades ago.Did you read this post in the AM thread?

I read somewhere that Ford was holding Jag back. Jaguar had alot of good ideas and concepts, but Ford said that it was not in their budget etc. etc. (Which is understandable, but Ford must have known Jag would be a costly brand to purchase) I'll see if I can find an article or something on the web. I heard it on T.V.

I don't see Jaguar ever going places, until Ford lets them do what they are capable of doing.

Woot! I can't believe I wrote this much!
Why end a rare half decent post with something like this if you want to be taken seriously?

edit:

Jill Wagner. Hard to find pics but she looks really hot in the commercials.. these pics don't do justice.I approve.

Her, not your hotlinking.

How ironic, someone like her doing commercials for such a boring company. Women will do anything for money. :pLike you wouldn't? Come on, it's a job. I would bleed my hart out for a Ssangyong for the right price.

Prius

03-13-2007, 03:53 PM

Ferrer

03-13-2007, 03:58 PM

When it comes to brands like this, they don't sell them, they do away with them. And it wouldn't make sense to sell Lincoln after pouring that much money into developing new models for them. It would be no different than putting all that money in a big pile and burning it. As for Jag, I don't think that Ford is all that enthuiastic about them. They were bought out of the blue by Jacques Nasser when I bet many of Ford's executives didn't seems to want them, so I bet that is why they aren't interested in giving them a big budget. THat is just waht I think, I may be wrong.
Sometimes you spend money in a brand to differenciate their products mechanically in order to make the sale more attractive.

Take Fiat group for instance. There have been rumours of a Lancia sale, but as it is I would make little sense since most of their cars are heavily base on Fiat parts. On the other hand Alfa Romeo has had a lot of money invested and as result it has its own platforms and engines. Out of the two it is clear which is the more attractive brand for potential buyers.

Pando

03-13-2007, 04:14 PM

When it comes to brands like this, they don't sell them, they do away with them. And it wouldn't make sense to sell Lincoln after pouring that much money into developing new models for them. It would be no different than putting all that money in a big pile and burning it.There's a huge difference, selling a company is a bit different than selling an item. It doesn't matter if you've put millions into a branch of your company during the years, if it looks like that branch is going to cost you up to hundreds of millions just to keep it for another year, what would you do? Of course the world of running businesses is a bit different but I hope you catch my drift. Ferrer explained it well how "pouring money" into a branch many times also is a preparation for a sale.

Prius

03-13-2007, 06:05 PM

kingofthering

03-13-2007, 08:08 PM

Jill Wagner. Hard to find pics but she looks really hot in the commercials.. these pics don't do justice.

http://www.rapoffs.com/media/06-24-06/jillwagner150.jpghttp://www.wingedmessenger.net/Images/wagner.jill.jpg

Yep, but when it comes to the big three, when a brand isn't competitive anymore, they discontinue it instead of selling it. Like with Oldsmobile. I bet that if GM wanted to sell Oldsmobile, Ford or Chrysler would have bought them, rejovinated them, and they would still be around and will still be competietive in teh marketplace, but GM instead just killed them. So, if Ford is to get rid of Lincoln, they wont' sell them, they will kill them.

The commercial is begging for a sniff petrol remake.

As for you, Prius, they won't sell the company because NOBODY will buy it.

It's like Honda buying Lexus, It's not gonna happen because it will cause too much confusion for buyers and kill the image of both.

Ferrer

03-14-2007, 12:12 AM

Yep, but when it comes to the big three, when a brand isn't competitive anymore, they discontinue it instead of selling it. Like with Oldsmobile. I bet that if GM wanted to sell Oldsmobile, Ford or Chrysler would have bought them, rejovinated them, and they would still be around and will still be competietive in teh marketplace, but GM instead just killed them. So, if Ford is to get rid of Lincoln, they wont' sell them, they will kill them.
Contrary to popular belief closing down a bramd costs money. In many cases that's why even when a particular brand is losing money or having poor sales they don't fold it because the cost of closing it is just greater than the cost of maintaining it around. This is the case for Mercury now and was back in 2002/3 for Lancia.

NSXType-R

03-14-2007, 12:47 PM

Like you wouldn't? Come on, it's a job. I would bleed my hart out for a Ssangyong for the right price.

Notice the smiley. :D

Pando

03-17-2007, 02:13 PM

Notice the smiley. :D

I am immune to smiley's.

BMW325

03-23-2007, 03:57 PM

not to bring back a dead thread, but I find this topic particularly interesting

I really think the only way to keep Mercury around would be to totally re-invent it.
Rather than re-badge US-market Fords, I think Mercurys should be re-badged Euro and Aussie market Fords.
Kind of like how GM's Saturn is going to sell re-badged Opel/Vauxhauls for the US market.

Imagine Mercury versions of:
Focus CC
Focus ST / XR5 Turbo (or maybe even the upcoming Focus RS?)
S-MAX (TDCi?)
Falcon XR6 Turbo (maybe even an FPV-sourced model?)

...maybe they could have a theme of all turbocharged cars

A re-badged Mondeo ST would be nice too... but I don't know if there would enough room for it... seems like it would be too close to the Volvo S40/S60 and Jag X-Type... whereas a Mercury-badged XR6T would steal some sales from the Charger/Chrysler 300/Pontiac G8...

I would rather see an X-Type with AWD and the 250hp turbo 5-banger than a Mercury Mondeo.

but speaking of Jag, now that Ford PAG has dropped Aston Martin, that should leave Jag some room to move upmarket with perhaps a new Daimler model??? perhaps take the aston V12 and put it under the hood, erm, bonnet of the XJ.