Like GM, Ford Motor Company iscontinuing to shrink its brand portfolio. Following the recent sale ofVolvo Cars to China's Geely, with which it completed the dismantling ofthe premium group that once included Aston Martin, Jaguar and LandRover, the Deaborn automaker made it official today that it willterminate the Mercury division in the fourth quarter of this year.
Given Mercury's declining salesover the years (the brand holds a pitiful 0.8 percent market share inthe U.S. - overall Ford has 16%) and the fact that its entire lineupcomprises of re-grilled / re-badged Ford models, the announcement wasno surprise.
Somehad suggested in the past that Mercury should do what GM is doing withBuick - enhance its U.S. lineup with Ford's European models, butapparently that role is partially going to Ford with the new Euro-styleFiesta and Focus cars.
Fordadmitted that the majority of current Mercury sales are to fleet buyersand customers purchasing through employee, retiree and friends andfamily discounts, which the company anticipates can be satisfied byFord brand vehicles.
Thecompany added that it will work closely with Mercury dealers andcustomers during the transition, providing providing existing ownerswith access to parts and service support at Ford and Lincoln dealersand by honoring current warranties.
"Weare 100 percent committed to supporting Mercury owners through Ford andLincoln dealerships and working hard to keep them as valued customersin the future," said Ford President, Mark Fields.
"Atthe same time, we will work closely with our dealers to phase outMercury franchises and continue to build a healthy, growing Lincolnwith strong new products and a profitable dealer network that deliversa world-class customer experience."
Mercurywas introduced into the market 71 years ago by Edsel Ford as aBuick-like, mid-priced alternative to mainstream Ford and luxuryLincoln models.
Thebrand's sales peaked at 579,498 units in 1978, but have since plungedto just 92,299 vehicles in 2009. In the first quarter of 2010,Mercury's sales accounted for a mere 1.9% of FoMoCo's global sales. |
發表於 2010-6-3 08:12 AM
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