It’s no secret that the Mercury brand of cars is slowly circling the drain. They have been for a while, and despite Ford’s CEO, Alan Mullay claiming that the brand is doing well, things don’t look too bright. Driver’s Life wrote earlier on the rumor that by 2012, Mercury would be killed off in much the same way as GM did to Oldsmobile.

Why did it come to this? What should be done about it?

Let me walk you through a brief history of the Mercury brand. Ford has owned the marque since its initial development in 1939. Mercury vehicles fit between entry-level Ford and luxury Lincoln models, and were known for performance. Mercury did quite well for itself up until the 1970s, when the face of the auto industry began to change. The oil crisis, a shift in buyer trends, and financial mismanagement by Ford all contributed to challenges that made the seventies and eighties pretty difficult for Mercury. They continued their historical role of dressing up plainer Ford vehicles and selling them at a higher price, as “near luxury” cars, but unfortunately there were a lot of “near luxury” cars on the market at that time, and Mercury really didn’t offer many unique or engaging products that stood out. Only Mercury’s niche products, like the Cougar XR-7 specialty coupe, seemed to find real success with buyers. Throughout the nineties, Mercury continued to build lackluster rebadged Fords, without offering many unique or exciting models. Sales finally slumped so badly, that in 1999, the brand was all but pulled from Canada.

Ford decided to revive the brand in 2006, a move that was obviously made far too late. In an effort to re-assert their market presence, Mercury began implementing universal design elements to create a more “unified” look. These included an update of the signature “waterfall” front grille and badge lettering. Mercury was also afforded a larger budget for marketing the brand. Did the revival work? Not so much, it seems.

Here are my thoughts. Mercury vehicles are decent in most regards. They look more appealing than most Ford vehicles, and do have a more upscale feel to them. But can I really justify paying an inflated price for a decent car, when Ford can sell me virtually the same thing for less money? Not really. Mercury doesn’t offer me an engine that’s more powerful than its Ford counterpart. Mercury as a brand name does not carry any special connotations either, which is sad given the age of the company.
Ford is (or should be) fully aware of these challenges to their strategy for Mercury. What should they do about it?

If I was in charge, my revival strategy would consist of ditching the majority of the current vehicle lineup, in favor of fresh, exciting and unique models. Easier said than done. A fresh lineup costs money, especially if they must be designed from scratch and built on new platforms. But, if the saga of Saturn has taught us anything, its that badge engineering when done in a practical manner actually works. Instead of rebadging existing Ford vehicles, why not bring over Ford vehicles that are only available in Europe and Australia? Case in point, the Euro Ford Focus ST would attract a younger demographic with an interest in performance. The Mondeo is another example. This is a vehicle that was just named Car of the Year in Europe! As for a flagship performance vehicle, why not bring over the Falcon from down under? All of these cars, built on existing global Ford architecture, brought stateside and badged as Mercury’s could make a massive impact on sales. For a moderate cash investment, Ford could revive the Mercury brand’s public perception, bring in fresh and exciting new products with edgy, European influenced styling, and finally offer people a legitimate reason to buy a Mercury.

What are your thoughts on Mercury’s current state? What would you do if you had the power to institute change? Does Mercury deserve to be revived? Your opinion counts! Leave a comment!

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