Ford’s decision last week to kill Mercury allows the automaker to focus its resources on the Ford and Lincoln brands. But, initially, at least, closing Mercury means Ford Motor has to give up the 92,299 sales Mercury reported last year. And the challenge to take Lincoln upscale requires consistency and discipline in product and marketing.
Ford Motor Co. must do with Lincoln what it has done with the Ford brand–infuse it with new energy and sparkling product–if it is to offset the loss of Mercury sales when that 71-year-old brand dies.
Lincoln and Mercury haven’t contributed much to Ford’s success this year. Ford-brand sales have surged 33.8 percent, to 178,057 vehicles, through May. Lincoln and Mercury are up 8,189 sales, about 11.5 percent.
Lincoln and Mercury accounted for 175,146 sales in 2009. Chevrolet sold nearly that many vehicles last month.
Though Lincoln has a freshened lineup and stronger styling than in the past, it is still an also-ran among luxury brands in the United States. Ford clearly will need more volume from Lincoln to appease Mercury dealers–especially those who currently have Lincoln-Mercury stores.
Ford Motor announced Wednesday that it would discontinue selling Mercury models this fall, ending a 71-year-old brand that once stood for innovation and speed. The move had been widely expected as Ford has revealed few new products for the brand in recent years.
Mark Fields, the president of Ford’s Americas region, said the company would focus its resources on its core Ford division as well as Lincoln.
Ford will end production of Mercury products by the end of this year.
Edsel Ford conceived the Mercury brand in the 1930s as a way to fill the gap between basic Fords and luxury Lincolns. Now, that gap will again go unfilled.
Wall Street Journal said the speed of Ford’s intended action reflects CEO Alan Mulally’s desire to eliminate distractions while focusing on the namesake Ford brand and expanding the long-neglected Lincoln luxury division.
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