This Is The End, Beautiful Mercury
Like the poet Jim Morrison once sang – “This is the end, my only friend, the end…” – it looks as though Mercury will soon be no more. Rumors have been circulating the world wide web since late last week – Ford is planning (yet again) on shutting down their Mercury brand – possibly to help reshape an image or just save some money. In this auto economy anything is possible.
After a long standing relationship for 71 years with loyal customers, and the introduction of such icons as the Cougar, Mercury will join a the list of canceled brands including Saturn, Pontiac and Hummer. Declining sales and inability to differentiate itself from Ford are the key factors that help put one final nail in Merc’s coffin.
According to The Wall Street Journal: “Ford spokesman Mark Truby said the company’s plans for Mercury haven’t changed, meaning a previously outlined strategy for turning Mercury into “a smaller niche brand” remain intact. But niche brands typically survive only if they offer something special.”
It’s with a sad heart we report this news – and hope the rumor continues to me just that. I can remember fondly my time with the Mercury name plate – driving my 1993 Topaz all over the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. I must have put 100,000 miles on the Merc before giving it up to another buyer, as I watched it pull away with someone else’s license plates attached I couldn’t help but wonder if I made a mistake. One day we may see a rebirth of Mercury (maybe we are putting it to an early grave) – but for now we sing a song to honor her on the way to automotive heaven:
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