Mercury to Bite The Dust by 2012

It comes to no surprise to anyone who has been watching the U.S. auto industry the past few years, but even if Ford had it coming, it’s a sad development to see a marque like Mercury following in the footsteps of Oldsmobile and Plymouth.

While Ford hasn’t officially announced the death of Mercury, Inside Line supports that word from sources that supply the brand is that the marque will quietly be put to sleep by 2012. Mercury has no plans of intruding any new vehicle and from the looks of it, the last new model to roll-off the designers board will be a revised version of the Milan mid-size sedan that’s expected sometime in 2009. -Continued

The mid-level luxury brand that’s celebrating its 70th birthday this year was founded in 1938 by Edsel Ford as a bridge between Ford's mainstream vehicles and upscale Lincolns. Today, Mercury’s models are considered nothing more than rebadged Fords something that has definetely had a negative impact on sales which are at their lowest point in 47 years. In the first five months of the 2008 Mercury delivered 23.4 percent fewer cars and light trucks than in 2007.

Link: Inside Line