[staff]

I was reading an article on Left Lane News today: "Lincoln Dealers fear for survival as Mercury dies" and happen to stumble across on reader's comments:

Quote

I still think that shutting down Mercury is Ford’s biggest misstep in a few years. However, barring that, I think they mismanaged this whole situation. The Mercury decision was made prematurely. Sure, they’ve got 7 upcoming models that are new or revamped; yet, why make a move on Mercury until they think the Lincoln brand is ready to stand alone? They were moving enough Mercurys to keep the Lincoln-Mercury franchises alive. Yet, now, they’re looking at a bunch of dealers folding-and they anticipate it? It seems fairly logical that at some point, when Lincoln does have a self-sustaining lineup, then Ford will need enough franchise locations to move Lincoln metal.

What do you think about the death of Mercury and the prospect of Lincoln?

[Madlock]

As sad and unfortunate as it may be, the decision to end Mercury is one of Ford's best, without question. How they got here makes absolutely no difference. Tomorrow is all that matters. And the simple fact is that there is no dollar Ford could invest in Lincoln that wouldn't be FAR better spent or saved, or derive FAR greater dividends elsewhere.

Furthermore, it's as much about Ford needing to consolidate its retail footprint and ensuring L dealers become even more motivated to consolidate with nearby Ford stores to reduce overall store count. In an environment in which any foreseeable growth will be through marketshare won rather than marketspace expansion, a stronger and less vulnerable core becomes paramount.

It's also an important step toward Ford achieving investment grade debt status, something that will result in a guaranteed return equal to several times the same additional speculative investment reviving Mercury would have required, which would largely have come at the expense of sales either cannibalized from the Blue Oval, or that Ford could have made without the additional overhead of a separate brand.

The legacy infrastructure is Detroit's greatest albatross and obstacle to being able to fully revive itself by simply applying the same sets of governing principles and practices that govern any other business.

[poquita10]

staff, on 14 June 2010 - 01:25 PM, said:

I was reading an article on Left Lane News today: "Lincoln Dealers fear for survival as Mercury dies" and happen to stumble across on reader's comments:



What do you think about the death of Mercury and the prospect of Lincoln?

Time will tell. If Ford does a good job of getting the Mercury customers to switch to either Ford or Linclon, it will be a smart move. My first Ford product was a Mercury Sable because it was my perception that it was a step above the Taurus (status). I know a lot of people in my area (Zip 85206) are in love with the Grand Marquis and I'm not sure where they will go now that that car and it's Ford counterpart are gone. I think Ford should hit them hard right now to get them to switch to another Ford brand.

[Madlock]

poquita10, on 14 June 2010 - 05:08 PM, said:

Time will tell. If Ford does a good job of getting the Mercury customers to switch to either Ford or Linclon, it will be a smart move. My first Ford product was a Mercury Sable because it was my perception that it was a step above the Taurus (status). I know a lot of people in my area (Zip 85206) are in love with the Grand Marquis and I'm not sure where they will go now that that car and it's Ford counterpart are gone. I think Ford should hit them hard right now to get them to switch to another Ford brand.

The fact of the matter is that Mercury customers are too few, even without considering the number that will default to the Blue Oval, to justify the ongoing investment, even with every other practical reality set aside.

The notion of "more" necessarily being "better" is already long-past, and anything that remains to be seen has already been witnessed several times over.

[robertlane]

I found it interesting that some L/M dealers are looking for Volvo franchises.

For Lincoln-Mercury dealer Darryl Wischnewsky in Houston, survival boils down to one thing: getting a Volvo franchise.

Wischnewsky has a letter of intent from Volvo and is awaiting final approval. Without another franchise, he worries, his store -- which will have only Lincoln when Mercury dies in the fourth quarter -- will be doomed.

Meanwhile, he says: "You have to cut all unnecessary expenses. That means going straight to advertising; then comes personnel."

Ford Motor Co's decision to kill the Mercury brand by year end is essentially a death sentence for many of the 276 Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. In most cases, Lincoln cannot stand alone, Ford and many dealers say. Options for Lincoln-Mercury dealers are limited: find a replacement franchise such as Ford, sell out or drastically cut costs.

Many Lincoln-Mercury dealers are putting on a brave face, but few have quick answers. Some hope Ford revs up marketing and delivers fresh products for Lincoln.

"We already have good product. What we haven't had is dedicated marketing," says Ed Witt, owner of Witt Lincoln-Mercury in San Diego. "That's going to make a huge difference."

Mike Jackson, CEO of AutoNation Inc., has one stand-alone Lincoln-Mercury dealership and is glad that's all. He does not believe most Lincoln stand-alones will survive.

Read more: http://www.autonews....6#ixzz0qsAOojtt

[MikeB]

I posted on another thread my concerns about Ford's decision:

I heard this news last week and for me it begs the question, "What about the Lincoln nameplate?" I have heard that Ford is dissappointed in it's sales compared to the other luxury brands (I think they mentioned Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes/BMW, etc.). If they merge Lincoln with Ford dealerships (which is where I purchased mine) I think the shine of the car and its special status as well as the customer care aspect and perceived luxury of the brand will diminsh further and I can see Ford backing out of Lincoln as well. I have not taken my 2010 MKS back for its first service yet but am concerned that I will not be treated like I was with my 2000 Lexus RX 300 or my 2003 Acura MDX. We'll see how this plays out but I am concerned for the brand.

What do others think? Does Lincoln compete well with other luxury brands? Is the customer care and support of the Lincoln owner better then what a Ford owner receives? Is the Lincoln different enough from their Ford corporate twin nameplates? Does Lincoln offer special options in their models not availabe in the Ford nameplate? (Taurus vs. Lincoln MKS, for example)

[frpda205]

MikeB, on 14 June 2010 - 08:16 PM, said:

I posted on another thread my concerns about Ford's decision:

I heard this news last week and for me it begs the question, "What about the Lincoln nameplate?" I have heard that Ford is dissappointed in it's sales compared to the other luxury brands (I think they mentioned Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes/BMW, etc.). If they merge Lincoln with Ford dealerships (which is where I purchased mine) I think the shine of the car and its special status as well as the customer care aspect and perceived luxury of the brand will diminsh further and I can see Ford backing out of Lincoln as well. I have not taken my 2010 MKS back for its first service yet but am concerned that I will not be treated like I was with my 2000 Lexus RX 300 or my 2003 Acura MDX. We'll see how this plays out but I am concerned for the brand.

What do others think? Does Lincoln compete well with other luxury brands? Is the customer care and support of the Lincoln owner better then what a Ford owner receives? Is the Lincoln different enough from their Ford corporate twin nameplates? Does Lincoln offer special options in their models not availabe in the Ford nameplate? (Taurus vs. Lincoln MKS, for example)

Mercury should have become the : hybrid / electric store. They hybrid models, the electric models, the natural gas models all should have started under the Mercury banner where the bugs got worked out, then branched out to Ford and Lincoln.


2010 LINCOLN MKt EcoBoost AWD
Tow Package, Dual DVD, Park Assist, Option PKG 201a, Power Fold Third Row,
Second Row Bench, Adaptive Cruise & HID headlights, BLIS,
(commonly referred to by friends and family as "FLEX's overpriced big brother")
2006 Chrysler T & C 3.8 Touring
2000 Mercury Sable Premium 24v (R.I.P. totaled 06-10-2010)
1998 Ford Taurus SE 3.0

This post has been edited by frpda205: 14 June 2010 - 09:02 PM

[GeoDark]

They have lost a market that they will never regain. The lincoln will fall by the wayside in just a matter of time because people at Ford Motor do not listern to their consumers. The MKZ is a pink elephant is just another example of the problem.

This post has been edited by GeoDark: 15 June 2010 - 12:26 AM

[frazgo]

Having bought nothing but new merc's since 90 its hard to see the brand die. All were great cars that went well over 120K problem free before trade in time. The brand has been on the watch list for a few years now simply because Ford invested little into product, certainly nothing into unique product to keep the brand going. Freeing up the resources to grow Lincoln makes sense in the long term. Too bad they didn't see it fit to roll out some of the new Euro-fords as contented up Mercury's to save the brand.

We bought a 2010 Milan Premier last fall and love the car. Yesterday we got our form letter promising to honor all the warranty and a request to stay loyal to Ford. As a loyal Merc customer I have to say I'm at a cross roads as to what we'll do in 5 or so years when we need to buy our next new car, other brands aren't out of the question, especially Buick which is making a good hard charge at the entry level luxury that Mercury sat in for years.

[tgara]

In the original quote above, someone said the decision to kill Mercury was made prematurely. Has this person been living under a rock? People have been discussing elimination of Mercury for at least 10 years, and more actively since 2006 when Mullaly took the reins at Ford.

IMHO, Ford should have done this a long time ago. As a business matter, Mercury sales have been pathetic: In 2009, Ford sold 92,299 Mercury vehicles, down from 359,143 in 2000. The Mercury brand had no real appeal, except to people over age 60. Mercury was developed during the Depression as a step-up from the modest Ford brand. But today people don’t necessarily think of Fords as cheap cars, so there’s no need for an intermediate brand. Other makers don't have an intermediate brand, just a luxury brand: Toyota has Lexus. Nissan has Infiniti. Honda has Acura. And now Ford will have Lincoln as it's luxury brand if the start to invest and advertise for Lincoln. With a simplified brand lineup, this should be a lot easier.

What will likely happen is that the Ford brands will move up into the Mercury space, and Lincoln will slot a smaller car down into the Mercury space. With Ford getting rid of Aston Martin, Jag, and Land Rover, it's good to see Ford getting back to basics. The Ford stock price has been on an upward climb since 2009, and that should continue with this realignment.

[robertlane]

frazgo, on 15 June 2010 - 10:18 AM, said:

As a loyal Merc customer I have to say I'm at a cross roads as to what we'll do in 5 or so years when we need to buy our next new car, other brands aren't out of the question, especially Buick which is making a good hard charge at the entry level luxury that Mercury sat in for years.

Buick is looking good. A long term project for GM, however, they have a nice niche in the Asian market.

tgara, on 15 June 2010 - 07:06 PM, said:

In the original quote above, someone said the decision to kill Mercury was made prematurely. Has this person been living under a rock? People have been discussing elimination of Mercury for at least 10 years, and more actively since 2006 when Mullaly took the reins at Ford.

IMHO, Ford should have done this a long time ago. As a business matter, Mercury sales have been pathetic: In 2009, Ford sold 92,299 Mercury vehicles, down from 359,143 in 2000. The Mercury brand had no real appeal, except to people over age 60. Mercury was developed during the Depression as a step-up from the modest Ford brand. But today people don’t necessarily think of Fords as cheap cars, so there’s no need for an intermediate brand. Other makers don't have an intermediate brand, just a luxury brand: Toyota has Lexus. Nissan has Infiniti. Honda has Acura. And now Ford will have Lincoln as it's luxury brand if the start to invest and advertise for Lincoln. With a simplified brand lineup, this should be a lot easier.

What will likely happen is that the Ford brands will move up into the Mercury space, and Lincoln will slot a smaller car down into the Mercury space. With Ford getting rid of Aston Martin, Jag, and Land Rover, it's good to see Ford getting back to basics. The Ford stock price has been on an upward climb since 2009, and that should continue with this realignment.

It is good seeing fit to focus on Ford - that's all that they have now though so they gotta get it right. Honestly though, they seem on track and focused.

I wonder if the decision to shutter Mercury has based in part of Ford's debt load?

[Armjim]

Having NOT been living under a rock...I hope...I still am sorry to see Mercury go. For those of us under 60, let's not discount the fact that we will be 60 one day, and I see nothing wrong with having a car being made for people in their late 50's and later. I personally do not get insulted seeing people enjoying their Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Cars. My only Mercury was a 1989 Sable LS which I enjoyed. Back then, Mercury was much more distinctive from Ford. A Sable was a step above a Taurus with a more opulent interior and jazzier exterior. Flash forward almost 20 years and the Sable was nothing more than the rebadged Ford Five Hundred renamed Taurus. Literally, ribbed tailights and an altered grill were the only things that set the Sable apart from the Taurus.

As has been pointed out, Ford has become the equal of Mercury in the perception of the public. The cars look the same both inside and out and share the exact same engines. Ford did not allocate enough dollars to Mercury for them to set the brand apart. More than at any time in history, this decade Mercury was told to put their logo on the corresponding Ford product and that was it. Mercury should have been what Buick is becoming: a true entry level luxury car. But then that would mean that Lincoln would have to really step it up. The fact there have been so many discussions of MKS or Taurus? shows that Ford as a brand is causing trouble for Ford as a maker. Mercury got lost and now Ford the maker has decided it can be like Toyota, just offering the two lines (Ford and Lincoln) which overlap somewhat. But the public still perceives that a Lexus ES is a far better car than a Camry. Though I don't think people think a Lincoln is just a high priced Ford, there are doubts that Lincoln is in the same league as Lexus and even Cadillac now. I think that happened because they dropped the Continental in 2002 and did not continue to evolve the LS which a lot of people seemed to like and respect. The MKS is an important addition, but it does not have the ring of flagship yet. The MKT looks like a hearse (as do similar vehicles from Audi and Mercedes). With the Town Car going away, Lincoln needs a car that people looking at the Lexus LS or similar would consider. The MKS is almost there, it just needs to have 100% exquisite interior appointments and the best paint job Lincoln can apply and it should not lack one feature than a lesser car in the company has.

To get back on subject, Mercury should have been positioned to do battle with Buick and entry level Lexus. Let Ford deal with Toyota, Chevy, Honda etc. and Lincoln duke it out with Cadillac, Mercedes and upper level Lexus. Audi and BMW drivers would never buy anything but, they-if my friends and associates are any indication, are more interested in what the car represents than what it really is. So yes, I think Ford pulled the plug too soon, but it is obvious to me they decided it was not worth the effort, hopefully because they did their marketing research rather than just deciding not to spend the money.

[blue blooded ford fan]

my very first car was a mercury comet 66, god how i loved that car i put in a cleveland 351 built !!!. added a c-6 tranny amongst other goodies, wow what a hot rod i owned that car for a decade... alas times like that are now a pleasant memory of a bygone era. mercs are dead my friends they died a slow death over the decades case in point the bobcat ???, and how about killing off the capri?. sorry but fond memories can,t save a dead line of boring ford knock off,s. this is a wise move and could have been done anytime over the last decade..

[brucelinc]

What do others think? Does Lincoln compete well with other luxury brands? Is the customer care and support of the Lincoln owner better then what a Ford owner receives? Is the Lincoln different enough from their Ford corporate twin nameplates? Does Lincoln offer special options in their models not availabe in the Ford nameplate? (Taurus vs. Lincoln MKS, for example)

Help me understand what special treatment a Lincoln owner should get that a Ford owner shouldn't. I expect great service regardless of the car I drive. We bought my wife a 2008 Taurus from a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury store. I bought a 2010 Lincoln MKS from the same store. We were treated like royalty when and after buying the Taurus - and it was one of the discounted $19,000 internet specials. The treatment after buying the MKS was the same - I really don't know how it could be better.

Whether we go in with the Taurus or the Lincoln, the dealer provides Starbucks coffee and pastries in the morning and cookies or popcorn in the afternoon. They have a lounge with internet access and will loan you a laptop if you need it. They offer to wash the car for free. They provide free loaners while the car is under warranty. They send us Christmas and birthday cards. We get little notes of appreciation and annoucements of dealer events. The delivery process was much more involved with the Lincoln because it has a lot more features that were new and different and it took more time. However, with both cars, the sales manager looked the cars over carefully with us and reviewed the operation of controls, sound systems, etc. Both were cleaned and spotless at delivery. If either car is in the shop, they cover the seats and floor so they do not get dirty.

I have never bought a Mercedes or Lexus. If I did, what level of customer service would I expect or get that I don't get with the Taurus or Lincoln?

[brucelinc]

My parents drove Mercuries - back in the day when they had unique sheet metal and wheelbases. I learned to drive in a Grand Marquis with a 429 4 barrel. I thought I was Steve McGarret of Hawaii 5-0 the way I drove that thing. I still get goose bumps when I see film of Parnelli Jones racing a '63 Merc up Pikes Peak. I like to see old footage of David Pearson winning NASCAR races in the famed Wood Brothers #21 Mercury. I have fond memories of Mercury, for sure.

Things have changed. We could talk all day about what happened but it doesn't really matter. It was time to pull the plug on the old girl. I am encouraged that more resources can go into Lincoln. While the Lincoln name is damaged, I think the current Ford management can repair it. It will not be easy, quick or cheap. However, it must be done and I have confidence in the current team that are undertaking that daunting task.

This post has been edited by brucelinc: 16 June 2010 - 09:50 AM

[tgara]

Armjim, on 16 June 2010 - 07:59 AM, said:

Mercury should have been positioned to do battle with Buick and entry level Lexus.

Actually, that's what Lincoln has been doing in recent years. In the Ford family, it was Jaguar that competed with Cadillac.

Which begs the question, what brands was Mercury competing against? Nobody seems to know, not even people at Ford.

This post has been edited by tgara: 16 June 2010 - 09:50 PM

[joehio]

Good question Todd,who was Mercury competing against. From my recollection of Aunts and Uncles ownin Merc's, I would say Pontiacs and Oldsmoblies, maybe some Buicks too! Years ago, Mercury's were upscaled versions of Fords, Lately, they were just rebadged Crown Vics, Sables, etc.
Joe

This post has been edited by joehio: 17 June 2010 - 10:12 PM

[ranger3]

Good question Todd,who was Mercury competing against.  From my recollection of Aunts and Uncles ownin Merc's, I would say Pontiacs and Oldsmoblies, maybe some Buicks too!  Years ago, Mercury's were upscaled versions of Fords,  Lately, they were just rebadged Crown Vics, Sables, etc.  

That is my thought, most folks that used to own Mercury were also looking at Buick, Pontiac or oldsmobile. I think that if Ford does it some of it's models like they did with the F150 Platinum, they can woo some of those Mercury folks and keep them in the fold. Personally I am more than impressed with what they have done with the Lincoln Line.

[robertlane]

blue blooded ford fan, on 16 June 2010 - 06:10 AM, said:

my very first car was a mercury comet 66, god how i loved that car i put in a cleveland 351 built !!!. added a c-6 tranny amongst other goodies, wow what a hot rod i owned that car for a decade... alas times like that are now a pleasant memory of a bygone era. mercs are dead my friends they died a slow death over the decades case in point the bobcat ???, and how about killing off the capri?. sorry but fond memories can,t save a dead line of boring ford knock off,s. this is a wise move and could have been done anytime over the last decade..

I forget that I had a 1965 Mercury Comet Caliente. . .yellow 289-4V (A-code). I loved that car. I also had a 1970 Cougar XR7 351C-4V. The 1970s had a hood that was shaped to catch your head when it was open and you were working on the engine. If you've worked on one, you know what I mean.

I liked that Cougar too.

brucelinc, on 16 June 2010 - 06:36 AM, said:

What do others think? Does Lincoln compete well with other luxury brands? Is the customer care and support of the Lincoln owner better then what a Ford owner receives? Is the Lincoln different enough from their Ford corporate twin nameplates? Does Lincoln offer special options in their models not availabe in the Ford nameplate? (Taurus vs. Lincoln MKS, for example)

Help me understand what special treatment a Lincoln owner should get that a Ford owner shouldn't. I expect great service regardless of the car I drive. We bought my wife a 2008 Taurus from a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury store. I bought a 2010 Lincoln MKS from the same store. We were treated like royalty when and after buying the Taurus - and it was one of the discounted $19,000 internet specials. The treatment after buying the MKS was the same - I really don't know how it could be better.

Whether we go in with the Taurus or the Lincoln, the dealer provides Starbucks coffee and pastries in the morning and cookies or popcorn in the afternoon. They have a lounge with internet access and will loan you a laptop if you need it. They offer to wash the car for free. They provide free loaners while the car is under warranty. They send us Christmas and birthday cards. We get little notes of appreciation and annoucements of dealer events. The delivery process was much more involved with the Lincoln because it has a lot more features that were new and different and it took more time. However, with both cars, the sales manager looked the cars over carefully with us and reviewed the operation of controls, sound systems, etc. Both were cleaned and spotless at delivery. If either car is in the shop, they cover the seats and floor so they do not get dirty.

I have never bought a Mercedes or Lexus. If I did, what level of customer service would I expect or get that I don't get with the Taurus or Lincoln?

Henry Ford said (something to the effect) that a company whose focus is on customer service will experience one problem - large profits. This is the way that it should be.

[MKS Vision]

Here in Canada we have not had the Mercury Brand in 11 years. Personaly I always thought of the Mercury version of a car as the second tier and I am surprised to read they were considered more luxuries.

Lincoln Dealers here are combined with Ford Dealers and I never thought less of Lincoln because of that. Expcept for those "Living Under Rocks" people everyone knows that Mercury is owned and build by Ford, same with Lincoln. Perception does not make a car better (Just ask the runaway Toyota owners)

This post has been edited by MKS Vision: 18 June 2010 - 06:51 PM