Mercury's demise follows some other famous American nameplates that was sold, discontinued or closed. Like General Motors Co.'s Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer.
"We have made tremendous progress on profitably growing the Ford brand during the past few years. Now it is time to do the same for Lincoln," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas.
Some say closing Mercury will help Lincoln, which trails to its German and Japanese counterparts. "Lincoln needs to be more youthful, and it needs to be a luxury brand with sex appeal, and it doesn't have those characteristics right now," said Rebecca Lindland, an auto industry analyst at IHS Global Insight.
Ford stated on its website: "Ford will continue to provide existing and future Mercury owners with parts and service support at Ford and Lincoln dealers, and honor current warranties and Ford’s Extended Service Plans."
Source: Los Angeles Times
