Are Mercury’s Days Numbered??
The rumor mill has been cranking out news that Mercury may be on its way to retirement as sales for the vehicle continue to decline. Ford continues to deny these claims though auto executive Jerome York said that discontinuing the brand would be a wise decision for the struggling automaker. York is an advisor to Kirk Kerkorian, whose company ownes 4.7% of Ford. So far Mercury’s sales have been down 23% only beating out Chrylser and Hummer. During the mid- 80s Mercury was selling half a million vehicles a year compared to a mere 168,000 last year. Market researcher Aaron Bragmon predicts that “Mercury has one more product cycle left in it, and then will almost certainly be retired as a brand.” However, Tom Libby of J.D. Powers notes that “”Discontinuing a brand isn’t as easy as you might think…It’s a long-term process and it can be very expensive.” Within the next few years Mercury enthusiasts will likely find out if the brand has already sealed its fate.
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