Ford si prepara a chiudere Mercury

[RS6plus]

DETROIT -- Dealer sources say they expect Ford Motor Co. to confirm plans to phase out its 71-year-old Mercury brand at a press conference this afternoon.

Some sources say Ford also may announce that the planned Mercury Tracer small car could be sold as a Lincoln instead. Ford announced in February that Mercury would get the Tracer, which is based on the Ford Focus platform.

One dealer, who asked not to be identified, said Ford flew Bob Tasca Jr., chairman of the Lincoln-Mercury brands for the Ford Lincoln Mercury dealer council, to Detroit yesterday.

Production will cease on the Mercury Milan and Grand Marquis sedans and the Mariner sport-utility vehicle in the fourth quarter, a source who asked not to be identified revealing internal discussions told Bloomberg. Ford hasn't disclosed plans to produce a Mercury Mountaineer version of the redesigned Ford Explorer SUV going into production this year.

Sources previously confirmed that Ford executives planned to propose to the board in July that Mercury be wound down by slowly starving it of product and marketing funds.

Mercury sales fell 74 percent from 2000 through 2009 and dropped 11 percent in May. "Sales had sunk too low to keep Mercury around," said John Wolkonowicz, an auto analyst with IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. "The volumes are now probably too small for it to be profitable."

Mercury would join the ranks of other departed Detroit brands, such as Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn and Plymouth. Edsel Ford, son of founder Henry Ford, established Mercury during the Great Depression as a mid-priced alternative to mainstream Ford and upscale Lincoln.

Ford spokesman Mark Truby said the automaker would make an announcement today at 4 p.m. involving an "important product and brand discussion." He declined to comment on Mercury's future.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100602/RETAIL07/100609962/1255#ixzz0pjAOioaj

Dopo l'addio ad Oldsmobile, Saturn, Pontiac e Hummer da parte di General Motors e di Plymouth da parte di Chrysler, tocca ora a Mercury.

Dal 2000 al 2009 le vendite sonod iminuite del 74%

Già otto anni fa, l'allora vertice del Gruppo Ford aveva pensato di chiudere Mercury, ma alla fine Elena Ford (nipote di Edsel e attualmente direttrice marketing del marchio) li aveva convinti a proseguire l'attività.

Modificato 2 Giugno 2010 da RS6plus

[Beckervdo]

Plymouth è gruppo Chrysler comunque

[RS6plus]

ottima correzione, chiusa dal 2001 da daimlerchrysler

[Beckervdo]

ottima correzione, chiusa dal 2001 da daimlerchrysler

Figurati, può sfuggire;)

[Beckervdo]

E' ufficiale. Ford chiude Mercury.

Just the Facts:

• Ford has officially announced that it will be shutting down its Mercury brand.
  
• The decision to eliminate Mercury came after an extensive business and product review that Ford conducts every spring.
  
• It was approved by the board of directors at its regularly scheduled June meeting today.
  

DEARBORN, Michigan — Ford has officially announced that it will be shutting down its Mercury brand, with the last Mercury vehicle to be produced in the fourth quarter of this year. The decision to eliminate Mercury came after an extensive business and product review that Ford conducts every spring. It was approved by the board of directors at its regularly scheduled June meeting today (Wednesday).

The decision comes as the Ford brand has strengthened and the automaker looks to accelerate the Lincoln brand.

Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, noted that Mercury captures only 0.8 percent of the U.S. market, and its share has been in decline. In contrast, the Ford brand has gained 2.2 percentage points of U.S. market share so far this year. "The gains that Ford has made just this year, amounts to twice Mercury's market share," Fields noted.

Ford has 1,712 dealers with the Mercury franchise. Of those, 925 are Ford-Lincoln-Mercury (FLM); 276 are Lincoln-Mercury (LM); 511 are Ford-Mercury. There are no Mercury standalone dealerships.

Ford will contact all of the 1,712 dealers over the next 24 to 36 hours. The FLM dealers are likely happy about the decision. The LM dealers are not. Some will be able to make it as standalone Lincoln dealers, some will not. Fields acknowledges Ford will compensate those dealers or help them find a Ford franchise to add to Lincoln.

Via InsideLine.com

[Touareg 2.5]

La gamma attuale se non erro è composta da Milan, Mariner, Mountaineer e Grand Marquis .

Tutti rebadges e tra l'altro vecchiotti, tranne la Milan che ha un anno circa di vita.

[Beckervdo]

La gamma attuale se non erro è composta da Milan, Mariner, Mountaineer e Grand Marquis .

Tutti rebadges e tra l'altro vecchiotti, tranne la Milan che ha un anno circa di vita.

Esattamente

[simonepietro]

minimo è almeno da 2 anni che pensa di compiere tale operazione

http://www.autopareri.com/forum/698726-post1.html