Ford’s Mercury division has been devoid of any new models for several years now – with suppliers revealing there is nothing in the pipeline beyond 2011 — prompting several rumors that Ford is planning to kill off its once-proud marque. But Ford has been consistent in its backing of Mercury, and a new report seems to confirm the Blue Oval’s allegiance.
According to Automotive News, Ford has handed over the reins for a future Mercury model to its European division. Ford has gone on record that the ‘new’ Mercury will consist of premium small cars, and it looks as though this is the first step towards that goal. And since Ford has no plans to sell its Mercury brand in Europe, the new model is expected to be headed State side.
But fans of Ford of Europe shouldn’t get too overly excited. While the next Mercury model will have strong European roots, it will not be a completely new model. In fact, the first small Mercury will likely be a rebadged version of the Euro-spec Ford Focus – a vehicle that is already headed to Ford showrooms in the U.S. Mercury-badged versions of the Ford Mondeo and Kuga are also said to be in the works.
So while Mercury’s future looks like it will still be filled with plenty of Ford re-badges, it’s good to hear that the brand actually has a future – especially with European influences.
10/13, 6:01 PM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
……… Cool. I am praying for a complement to the
……… Ford Fiesta to be called the Mercury Mierda.
10/13, 6:15 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
^ LMAO! ^
And knowing the gringos that are in charge, I wouldn’t put it past them.
Heck, in my city, we have a street called “La Madre Way.” That was either gringos being stupid, or Mexican’s playing a mean joke. It’s funny as hell, though.
10/13, 6:15 PM
posted by:
autonut
I think it is clear thinking on the death bed.
10/13, 6:23 PM
posted by:
cereal
About time…. ???
10/13, 6:56 PM
posted by:
El Aleman
So in other words Mercury is gonna offer rebadged versions of the Euro-Fords soon to come to America?
10/13, 7:02 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
“it’s good to hear that the brand actually has a future…” Yes LLN, knowing that Mercury has a future, I can now die a happy man.
10/13, 7:30 PM
posted by:
ktulu
2 late
10/13, 7:40 PM
posted by:
autonut
El Aleman, please define “soon” in Ford’s terms. Another century, perhaps.
10/13, 8:36 PM
posted by:
tyler_is_aero_tt
Doesn’t anybody ever think on the bright side anymore? Ford of Europe has way better designs than any Ford or Mercury here, higher quality, more fun to drive, and more reliable- pretty much better in every way. So Mercury won’t be bland carbon-copied Fords for people over the age of 65 anymore. I’m thinking more of like a classy Saturn.
10/13, 8:57 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
My mother used to let me drive our ‘69 Mercury Grand Marquis when I was 15. Great starter car: 429 cubes and I’m guessing close to 5,000 lbs. I still remember being able to turn the steering wheel to 3 or 9 o’clock without inducing any noticeable change to the vehicle’s direction. My other favorite Mercury was my ‘85 5.0 Capri with the ‘bubble’ hatch and the last year for the 4 barrel carb. Of course it was really just a Mustang underneath the bulging fenders, but everyone had one of those.
10/13, 11:55 PM
posted by:
manarc250
Mercury has a place as a brand between Ford and Lincoln. It will allow Lincoln to hopefully more a touch more upscale and fill in the gap. All the dealers should be moving towards carrying all three brands. It would be just like a Chevy, Buick, Cadillac store. Im not a huge fan of Buick but the gap between Chevy and Cadillac leaves a big void that Buick could fill nicely. Selling these brands out of one dealership should give a huge range of products to touch every product segment out there, giving the stores a fighting chance and the manufactures a chance to be competitive all around.
10/14, 8:59 AM
posted by:
muttonchops
I’ve repeatedly said that the only thing that Mercury needs to solidify it’s place as an actual brand is ONE unique car. How hard would it be to create a small roadster on the Mazda MX-5 platform? How many convertibles does Ford have? One? This car would be the perfect low cost “halo” vehicle for Mercury and would help define the brand’s core message of efficient and stylish small cars. They could even use the folding hardtop version which is pretty sweet. it would be Ford’s only folding hard top in the American market.
10/14, 9:35 AM
posted by:
sudo95
Ford fans have been screaming for the Euro-spec focus instead of crappy American version we’ve been forced to buy. At least we’ll be getting a Mercury version of a much better Focus.
10/14, 9:49 AM
posted by:
BMW M1
Its still gonna be doomed! The Euro Focus will come out as a Ford, and then 2-3 years later they plan to release the same model with a different design and market it in a higher price segment
10/14, 10:06 AM
posted by:
Badass Z51
So. It’ll still be an ugly piece of junk because Ford REFUSES to give Americans what they want.
All American car companies have the same credo……” Here’s what we think you should have, it’s kind of what you want… but not really”.
All 3 deserve to be in the shape they’re in.
10/14, 12:05 PM
posted by:
MercMark
Bring back a Cougar version of the Mustang!
10/14, 4:03 PM
posted by:
yarddog82abn
It’s about time, I guess they finally read my letters. and if this turns out not to work I had no part what so ever….
04/02, 5:46 PM
posted by:
Other Man
They should probably eliminate the Lincoln MKX and MKZ to give Mercury some breathing room. That’s part of the problem. Ford and Lincoln push close together, and as a result, there’s no room for Mercury to take on Buick and Acura like they should.