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Automotive News & Views What about the future of Ford Inc?? 
1858 messages, Last post on Oct 16, 2006 at 6:25 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: grbeck (Aug 18, 2005 9:43 pm)
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Replying to: grbeck (Aug 18, 2005 9:43 pm) It would be difficult for Mercury to find a nameplate with heritage that anyone under age 50 could appreciate. What are they going to revive? Still... Mercury needs to stand for something. A unique (and dramatically different) styling theme would be one way to accomplish that. Even if the retro styling cue do not evoke a particular vehicle, it would be a good deal better than the current practice of having the Chrome Fairy attack an unsuspecting Ford.
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Replying to: navigator89 (Aug 18, 2005 11:28 pm) |
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Replying to: varmint (Aug 19, 2005 10:11 am) There are only three Mercury models that I would consider "memorable" and distinctive - the 1949-51 models (associated with James Dean and the entire custom car movement); the 1967-70 Cougar and the 1957-58 Turnpike Cruiser. And that last one is not memorable or distinctive in a good way. Ford doesn't have enough money to give Mercury a distinctive style. Plus, any time a Mercury model hits it big, Ford dealers will demand a version. And since they greatly outnumber their Mercury brethern, and are much more important to the company's bottom line, they'll get it. Mercury is structured for a new-car market that doesn't exist anymore. It does, however, symbolize a problem faced by both Ford and GM - they keep models and brands around to fulfill dealer franchise agreements and labor agreements, not because customers want them. But they don't have the money to really give those brands a distinctive identity. Plus, there are still too many executives in Detroit who believe that they can produce a brand identity with smoke and mirrors. In a perfect world, Ford would stop wasting money on Mercury and give us top-notch Fords and Lincolns. |
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Replying to: nippononly (Aug 15, 2005 10:34 pm) A dumb idea (to end it early), really. They should WANT to cannibalize Explorer sales. If they don't do it, then somebody else will! On the other hand, the alleged reason is that Freestyle doesn't generate enough margin, and that they are relucant to up the price on a Ford product, so they intend to market it through Mercury, instead. That being the case, why did they bring it out as a Ford to start with? Perhaps they got caught with unexpected rapid inflation on some of the parts (CVT?) ? |
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As far as I know Mercury was successful only when selling rebadged Ford. I do not think that it costs much to maintain Mercury - development costs are absorbed by Ford and additional costs are related only to defferent styling. I personally would rather not to go to Ford dealership (or Chevrolet or Dodge). I prefer Lincoln-Mercury dealers, so if Mecury is shut down I would rather move to Saturn or some other brand. Yeah and I am not going to buy Camcord either – too mainstream for my taste and not so reliable after all. |
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| About the dealers. The Mercury/Lincoln dealer here is outstanding. Thats where I bought my VIllager. The Ford dealers I have not been impressed with at all. Sales and service departments. I'm waiting for the new Fusion/Milan to come out, and I'm hoping the Milan is sporty enough compared with the Fusion. | |
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Maybe the dealership is the way to revive the brand. They might be able to carve a niche by going with the no haggle sales model the way Saturn did. Of course, that was part of the model before Saturn dealers opened, so retrofitting it could be difficult. But major changes to the buying and ownership experience might help. Something like a full 5-year maintenance contract might gain some buyers the way Hyundai won buyers with their warranty. I'm sure there are other facets of the dealership experience which can be tweaked. FWIW, I'm of the opinion that Merc should be shuttered. But, like Grbeck wrote, it's not so simple. |
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Replying to: nippononly (Aug 18, 2005 7:05 am) |
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| I've thought for awhile now that the domestic manufacturers have made a huge mistake by not vigorously competing with high quality products in the compact, entry-level market. These cars sell to first time buyers, and brand loyalty is very important. Even if you don't make money on the car, you can draw new customers in the door, and if they get a good product, they will likely buy from you again. Unfortunately, Ford hasn't done this. How many recalls did the Focus have in its first two years? How many did the Toyota Corolla have? Whose buyers are more likely to never to buy from that manufacturer again? A lot of compact buyers are young, and will buy another 5-10 cars in their lifetime. They should be pampered. | |
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