Ford has made the moderately difficult decision to wind down the Mercury brand. For years, the brand has offered mere replicas of Ford-branded products, but little else. Without Mercury, Ford will be able to devote more resources to its core products, and to its Lincoln brand.
Unfortunately, shutting down Mercury is not without substantial costs. Ford’s CFO, Lewis Booth, estimated that the process will cost about $500 million. [click to continue…]
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New reports are circulating that suggest Ford executives are on the verge of winding down the Mercury brand. The company that has existing for 71 years has over time become a mere clone of Ford-branded products and lacks an identity of its own, which is why the brand’s future is uncertain.
Mercury’s sales volume has been on the decline in recent years. As a result, many executives are running out of excuses to justify continuing support for the brand. Unfortunately, even with dismal sales, dissolving a brand is no simple feat. [click to continue…]
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General Motors stole plenty of attention at the 2010 Washington Auto Show, where the automaker announced that the Nation’s capital will be one of the pilot markets to receive the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. But Ford Motor Company was not without its own unique news, including news of a new small car for Mercury.
Positioned to fill a void between the smaller cars of the Ford and Lincoln lineups, Ford will be launching an all-new small car for Mercury by early 2011. Both Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally and Ford President of the Americas Mark Fields have reiterated the company’s plans to make the entry-luxury Mercury brand become more visible in this lucrative segment. [click to continue…]
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Ford has quickly managed to change perceptions within the past year. Although it still produces the most popular pickup truck on the road, the Ford F-150, and a slew of other large trucks and SUVs, the automaker has managed to improve its image amid radically changing consumer preferences thanks to competitive, fuel-efficient models and the addition of hybrid technology.
One new hybrid from Ford that certainly deserves attention is the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid. Based on the Ford Fusion, the Milan Hybrid just goes to show how mainstream hybrid technology has become as the Milan rides well, drives well, and is certainly fuel-efficient, but it lacks the quirkiness of other hybrid vehicles such as the Honda Insight or Toyota Prius. [click to continue…]
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For 2009, J.D. Power’s Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) has identified Mercury for providing outstanding sales satisfaction. This measures the overall experience of a new car purchase and considers the sales team, dealership facilities, delivery, and the price of the vehicle.
Overall, the last several years has seen an increase in the SSI average. The single area that has shown the most improvement this year was the salesperson as buyers are finding that they are becoming easier to work with when finding a vehicle and negotiating a price. [click to continue…]
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