And Then There Were Two: Report States Mercury To Wind Down

According to a report by Bloomberg News, Mercury is on its deathbed. The usual “people familiar with the plan,” say a proposal for the winding down of the brand is being drawn up and will be presented to Ford’s Board of Directors in July.

This report comes as a surprise simply because Ford CEO Alan Mullaly has said, despite rampant speculation to the contrary, that Mercury was sticking around. Many would say though, that Mercury has no unique technology or calling card, no catchy piece of design. The four models in the showroom (Milan, Mariner, Mountaineer, and Grand Marquis), could be called blatant pieces of badge engineering, a practice that has proven to be the fastest way to kill an automotive brand (see Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Plymouth).

It’s sad to see Mercury go, simply because it’s a brand with a 70-year history, but it is not totally unexpected. We will update the story as more information becomes available.