Revived Mercury will focus on 3 segments
Rick Kranz
Automotive News | September 29, 2008 - 12:01 am EST
As Mercury is recast and new models arrive next decade, the brand will concentrate on three vehicle segments.
"What Mercury people told us is please stay in the core of the market," said Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.'s group vice president of marketing and communications.
"And the core of the U.S. market right now, other than full-sized trucks and full-sized SUVS, is the C segment, the C-D segment and the crossover segment," Farley said in an interview last week at a Ford event in Detroit. "You add up those segments, and they are more than half of the industry."
That means Mercury's line will consist of a new small car on the redesigned front-drive Ford Focus platform, the Milan sedan and the Mariner crossover. A restyled, re-engineered Milan, along with a hybrid version, will be offered for the 2010 model year. The small Mercury will arrive in the 2011 model year.
Mercury also markets the Sable and Grand Marquis cars and Mountaineer SUV. Ford Motor is likely to discontinue those models.
Mercury's models will have unique sheet metal from the A-pillar forward along with a trunk lid and rear fascia that differentiate each model from a Ford. That strategy is currently applied to the Milan and Mariner.
"You can expect similar differentiation to what we have today," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's product chief. "It has been reasonably successful."
Farley said Mercury's vehicles will need to have styling distinctive from Ford's because Ford Motor is pushing a dealer consolidation plan that puts Ford, Mercury and Lincoln under one roof.
SOURCE:
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