A whopping 45 percent of Mercury dealers are “very concerned” Ford will scrap the Mercury brand, according to a new survey. Another 32 percent say they are somewhat concerned about the possibility.
Only 23 percent of dealers told Automotive News they were not worried Ford might drop the brand, although it’s not clear if a lack of concern on the part of multi-brand dealers necessarily means they don’t anticipate it.
28 percent of dealers said the automaker’s other brands, such as Lincoln or Ford, could carry their stores “easily.” 36 percent of dealers said their stores could survive without Mercury, but with some difficulty. 11 percent said they might be able to survive, while 17 percent said not likely, and 8 percent said no. Overall, dealers of both Lincoln and Mercury vehicles felt Lincoln was much more important to their survival than Mercury.
27 percent of dealers think Mercury’s offerings will not be competitive at all within four years. Only 7 percent of dealers feel the same way about Lincoln, which they are considerably more optimistic about. 50 percent of Lincoln dealers say they are “very optimistic” about the company’s future, while just 10 percent feel very optimistic about Mercury.
Mercury’s sales have fallen from a high of about 450,000 units a year in 1997 and 1999 to around 200,000 units per year between 2003 and 2006.
