Goodbye Mercury

The 71-year-old automotive brand, that is, not the planet. Ford Motor Company (USA) will halt all Mercury production in this fourth quarter.

The Mercury brand was created in 1939 by Henry Ford’s son Edsel, as a premium brand for Ford drivers to move up to. Over the years the difference between the two has grown smaller and smaller until now where it’s mostly cosmetic. Along with that news came word that the Lincoln nameplate will be expanded, and will probably include Lincoln’s first “C-segment” vehicle, most likely a version of Ford’s new Focus which was originally supposed to be the new Mercury Tracer. The past three years have seen a major improvement in the Ford product lineup — so much so that many former Mercury drivers were now buying Fords instead.

In mythology Mercury (Latin: Mercurius) was a winged messenger and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology.