The last Mercury Sable is expected to roll off the production line this Thursday. Even though Ford is releasing an all-new Taurus, Ford decided to not spend the money on a Mercury variant...so we're saying bye bye to the Sable once again.
"The last Sable will roll down the line on Thursday," said Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski.
The death of the Sable leaves Mercury with only four models, the Mariner, Mountaineer, Milan and Grand Marquis. Both the Mountaineer and Grand Marquis are expected to be dead within the next few years. Mercury is supposed to be getting a new small car, even though nothing has been officially confirmed yet.
Ford chose to not develop a new Sable so that they could invest more money in the Taurus.
"They had to make a choice, and their choice is to polish the Blue Oval," Analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics said.
Full Story: Detroit News
| « Previous | Next » |
Comments (12)
Just kill the brand already.
Posted by G | May 18, 2009 11:03 AM
Posted on May 18, 2009 11:03
Agreed, they should kill Mercury. I don't see where it fits in the grand scheme of things. Ford itself has decent cars now, and Lincoln has the fancier cars, so where does Mercury fit?
Posted by Mazda6 Guy | May 18, 2009 12:46 PM
Posted on May 18, 2009 12:46
Agreed. Mercury should go, it's just redundant.
But, i wonder if this is just a 1'st small step in the process. For the past 4 or 5 years Ford has been making smaller, quieter steps during their restructuring than GM or Chrysler.
I find it interesting that Ford is still going to have a Crown Victoria that will share a platform with the Australian Ford Falcon. The Taurus platform is full sized and can be configured for 2 or AWD. What else does does Gram & Gramps need? I can only guess Ford still wants the large piece of law enforcement pie it enjoys since the demise of GM's B-body.
I haven't researched anything about the new Crown Vic, so kick me if i'm missing something obvious.
Posted by Trooper Bri | May 18, 2009 2:18 PM
Posted on May 18, 2009 14:18
It's slowly heading in that direction. I think at this point Ford is just honoring their remainder models until their lifespan cycle ends. Within the next 5 years or so the Mercury brand will prob be dead.
Posted by SteelCity1981 | May 18, 2009 2:33 PM
Posted on May 18, 2009 14:33
Ide want em to stay... but all their models are just re-badges of Fords. Nothing special that stands out. Plus, you can probably get a better deal on its Ford counterpart due to the quantities made. [example: Chevy VS GMC twins] Fords just burning money into a 4 car automobile company, when they could be using that money to make the quality of Ford badges cars that much better.
Good job cutting the Sable loose and spending that spare change uping the quality of the Taurus... but for the LOVE OF GOD, get rid of the Taurus name. That alone kills sales.
Cut the Mountaineer and Milan, ya dont need either!! Use that money to up the ainty of the Ranger... Inject it with steroids and make it go head to head with the Tacoma, Forester and The Suzuki Forester.
Cut the Mariner and up the quality, styling and overall appeal of the Escape to reel-in RAV4, CRV, Forester and Rouge fans by offering them a top notch compact suv from a auto company with decades of history.
AND kill the Taurus X.... I mean, seriously, does Ford need 3 crossovers with the 3.5 engine [Edge, Flex, Taurus X]?
Posted by Bradford | May 18, 2009 2:49 PM
Posted on May 18, 2009 14:49
i agree the mercury should be killed. but man, I would love to see another Mercury Cougar full-size or hatchback
Posted by MK | May 18, 2009 4:24 PM
Posted on May 18, 2009 16:24
How about change Mercury into a Scion competitor?
Posted by upl8n8 | May 18, 2009 8:21 PM
Posted on May 18, 2009 20:21
Wow, here I thought I was the only one thinking that the whole division should have been killed off since the 80's!!
Posted by Topper | May 19, 2009 7:33 AM
Posted on May 19, 2009 07:33
I've never seen one of these cars on the road, so no loss here.
Posted by gm0n3y | May 19, 2009 2:57 PM
Posted on May 19, 2009 14:57
@Bradford:
The existing Taurus is actually a rebranded Five Hundred (not "500" - some silly strategy to name their US cars starting with the letter F, I'd guess). They renamed it Taurus hoping to increase sales. Probably not a bad car, but its styling could lend itself to getting lost in a parking lot...
Posted by Kawi | May 20, 2009 8:14 AM
Posted on May 20, 2009 08:14
I wish Mercury didn't get rid of the Marauder or Grande Marquis Performance Package, which had the CVPI upgrades... sob :(
Posted by Saheed | May 22, 2009 5:54 AM
Posted on May 22, 2009 05:54
"Ford chose to not develop a new Sable so that they could invest more money in the Taurus."
HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...A SABLE IS A TAURUS. Du-uh.
Posted by freddy | May 22, 2009 8:54 AM
Posted on May 22, 2009 08:54