REPORT: Mercury Sable reaching the end of the line Thursday
2008 Mercury Sable – Click above for high-res image gallery
Mercury's born-again Sable sedan is dead again – or, more accurately, it will be come so on Thursday. According to The Detroit News, Ford's gussied-up Taurus (itself a gussied-up Five Hundred) will expire later this week, leaving Mercury with just four models: the Milan, Mariner, Mountaineer, and Grand Marquis.
And while the Taurus is getting a brand-spanking new replacement model for 2010, a Sable stablemate is apparently not in the cards, in large measure because Ford reportedly chose to spend more money on developing and marketing its Taurus replacement.
Ford's middle-tier brand is expected to lose both the Mountaineer and Grand Marquis within the next couple of model years, and the only new product mooted for the waterfall-grille brand is a new small car that has yet-to-be confirmed.
Eerily, the Blue Oval recently tested the small car waters for its Lincoln luxury brand with its Concept C showcar that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The presence of the tidy Euro-look hatchback once again set tongues wagging that Ford may be pondering whether or not to axe the Mercury marque altogether. For its part, Blue Oval officials dismiss such plans, but there is no denying that Mercury's stable is getting smaller, and at the moment, little product appears to be in the replacement pipeline.
According to the DetNews, Ford sold just 1,158 Sables in April, a drop of nearly 40% year-over-year versus 2008.
Gallery: 2008 Mercury Sable
[Source: The Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Avinash machado 10:37AM (5/18/2009)
Maybe they could reposition Mercury to compete with the new Buick.
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Matt 10:38AM (5/18/2009)
That is what Lincoln is for...and they are doing a great job of it.
RandomNess 10:40AM (5/18/2009)
I doubt they would do that. Ford has Lincoln for luxury cars. This is why I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what Mercury is for. Was it suppose to be a sports brand like how pontiac was (way before they became pretty useless cars)?
dukeisduke 10:43AM (5/18/2009)
They have for years marketed the Grand Marquis against the larger Buicks (for the white belt and shoe set).
Let Mercury die, and instead sell Lincolns in all Ford dealerships.
Tool 11:50AM (5/18/2009)
When I see Ford not doing a rebadged Taurus and trying to pawn it off as a Sable, I think these guys might finally get it.
Who really needs three variants -- Taurus, Sable, and the MK-whatever -- in two distribution channels?
Now, Ford Motor Co can have two relatively differentiated products: 1 Ford and 1 Lincoln that truly serve different customers.
Well Done.
tanooki2003 10:11PM (5/18/2009)
Well said Tool
That is exactly what I have been trying to say for many years. The same could be said for GM and Chrysler.
Ford definitely wins my respect!
JDM Life 10:38AM (5/18/2009)
It wont be missed thats for sure.
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brn 11:44AM (5/18/2009)
I'll miss it. Mercury was underrated. Sure, they were rebadged Fords, but when looking at Ford, I always go to a Mercury dealer. Smoother, quieter, better fit-n-finish.
If you were looking for bare-bones, Ford made more sense. If you wanted more, Mercury was better bang for the buck.
Derek 10:46AM (5/18/2009)
They should take Mercury and make it an upscale package addition for Ford vehicles, with optional grills/body work changes. i.e. the 2010 Ford Taurus, Mercury Edition.
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Wildcat0695 1:03PM (5/18/2009)
I like your idea.
oinky 1:44PM (5/18/2009)
Brilliant!
dukeisduke 10:47AM (5/18/2009)
RandomNess, the Mercury brand (it was born in 1939) was intended to be something Ford owners could step up to, like Oldsmobile for GM. The same reason they added Edsel, to create a stairstep progression (Ford > Edsel > Mercury > Lincoln).
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DJ 10:47AM (5/18/2009)
If Ford allows Mercury to survive, they should fill the lineup with European and Australian sourced Ford product badged as Mercury cars
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Alex 10:55AM (5/18/2009)
Problem with that plan is that Ford is moving to a Global Platform structure so there will be no Euro Ford or US Ford specific vehicle. They'll just be Fords. You might not be able to get all cars Ford makes in any country but that will only be because FMC has determined that the X vehicle would not sell at a profit in Y country.
Alex 10:51AM (5/18/2009)
Mercury is the soldier without a country. I think it would be in Ford's best interest to let the badge die a quick death. There was a time when there was a very well defined difference between a Ford and a Lincoln and those definitions left a large gap between a top-spec Ford and a base Lincoln; perfect for Mercury. We don't live in those times anymore.
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nardvark 10:53AM (5/18/2009)
I always thought it was a handsome vehicle. I'm not sure I ever saw a commercial for one. That said, Ford's interior quality has gone up enough that I don't know what Mercury has to offer other than a grill with the lines in a different direction.
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Mitch 10:55AM (5/18/2009)
The Montego,Sable,Taurus and 500 are GOOD cars.Excellent MPG,quiet.roomy,more backseat legroom than any other Sedan,HUGE trunk and dependable.Not the BEST looking as sporty goes,but GOOD cars and should have been marketed more and would have sold more.Also the SAFEST sedans in North America.The new Taurus is a more than worthy replacement.
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Rick 10:55AM (5/18/2009)
A Ford with leather, I'm surprised Mercury lasted this long.
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Taglane 2:07PM (5/18/2009)
I don't think Ford knows what to do with Mercury. They've just been rebadges forever..........Like Pontiac.......
Nevertheless, all seven Sable owners will be saddened to hear the news.
Frank Filipponio 10:58AM (5/18/2009)
Having just Ford and Lincoln would be like having just Chevy and Cadillac at GM. There is room for Mercury as a Buick rival. Ford just needs to differentiate the models better.
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