May 27, 2010

Report: Ford preparing to kill Mercury brand

04:11 PM 4
By Ford, Wieck

Bloomberg News says Ford's brass are preparing a proposal to kill Mercury and will present it to Ford's board in July, according to people who asked not to be identified revealing internal discussions.

The timing of the demise of Merc -- created in 1939 by Edsel Ford -- depends on how fast Ford can convince dealers, who also sell Lincolns, to close or merge with Ford showrooms, the people told Bloomberg.

"Mercury is a forgotten brand," said John Wolkonowicz, an auto analyst with IHS Global Insight. "Many Americans probably already think it has been discontinued. Mercury was too similar to Ford from the very beginning."

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