Sorry for going down the thread piecemeal.

Mercury isn't going anywhere. This has been a rumor ever since Jac Nasser actually was phasing Mercury out in favor of an expanded (and in theory more profitable) Lincoln brand. Since those days, Ford has concluded that Lincoln can't stand on it's own without Mercury. Ford's answered that by taking the easiest route to restore Merc: Rebadging new Ford models as they come on line, adapting a "Mercury look", changing interior trimming, and having a bigger engine, or a bit more power than Ford. Badge engineered Lincolns are additionally destined for AWD.

There won't be any Mercurys upstaging Fords at autoshows. Just as Milan was displayed alongside Fusion and Zephyr, and Montego alongside the FiveHundred, future Mercs will be the same way.

Finally, as pointed out already, Mercury is making money. L-M dealers are pretty satisfied with Merc's turnaround so far. And supposedly there is going to be a 2 door something and a sports sedan in the works (which like the Milan and Montego) probally won't be shown until it's about production ready.

Mercury's death is being greatly exaggerated.

 

Hope that "2-door something" comes soon. My sister is still holding out with her beloved 1991 5.0 Cougar that she purchased new in Jan. '91!

 

Catch is that although I know it's a 2 door something and I know it's in the pipeline, I don't know if it's going to be a Cougar or a Lincoln MK something convertible.

 

Maybe Fomoco can't afford to do anything positive with Merc at this time and circumstance.

They certainly can't afford to kill the brand... Anyone that looks at what it took to shut down Olds should be cautious.

I have no idea what Ford has in mind, but I seriously doubt that addressing Lincoln - Mercury dealer issues is high on their list.

Ford has some high dollar premium brands bleeding profuse red ink.

I wish them luck...but not at the expense of GM's share.