Merkur (, '' Mercury'') is a North American brand of automobiles marketed by the Lincoln- Mercury division of

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

for model years 1985–1989. Drawing its name from the German word for Mercury, Merkur, the brand targeted buyers of European

executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car, and is considered equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars ...

s, marketing two

captive import Captive import is a marketing term and a strategy for a vehicle that is foreign-built and sold under the name of an importer or by a domestic automaker through its own dealer distribution system. The foreign vehicle may be produced by a subsidia ...

models manufactured by

Ford of Europe Ford of Europe GmbH is a subsidiary company of Ford Motor Company founded in 1967 in Cork (city), Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with headquarters in Cologne, Germany. History Ford of Europe was founded in 1967 by the merger of Ford of Bri ...

's German division. Following the 1989 model year, Lincoln-Mercury withdrew Merkur, making it one of the most short-lived automotive brands in modern American automotive history, lasting one model year longer than the

Edsel Edsel is a discontinued division and brand of automobiles that was produced by the Ford Motor Company in the 1958 to 1960 model years. Deriving its name from Edsel Ford, son of company founder Henry Ford, Edsels were developed in an effort to ...

Background

During the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States and Canada, buyer preferences in the luxury-vehicle segment began shifting from once traditional Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler models towards more European-produced and inspired vehicles. As a response, the Japanese automotive industry launched luxury-oriented brands developed for North America, including Honda's

Acura Acura is the luxury and performance division of Japanese automaker Honda, based primarily in North America. The brand was launched on March 27, 1986, marketing luxury and performance automobiles. Acura sells cars in the United States, Canada, M ...

brand launched in 1985 and Nissan and Toyota launching

Infiniti (stylized in all caps) is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. The brand began on November 8, 1989, initially in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in the 201 ...

and

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota, Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked amon ...

, respectively, in 1989. In its own response, Ford created the Merkur brand in November 1983 with an expected launch for the 1985 model year. Instead of developing all-new products, Merkur adapted vehicles from Ford of Europe to meet American safety and emissions regulations. During the 1970s, the

Mercury Capri Capri (later Mercury Capri) is a Nameplate (automotive), nameplate marketed by the Mercury (automobile), Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company over three generations between 1970 and 1994. From 1970 to 1978, the Capri was a sport compact ...

had been imported from West Germany, becoming the most-imported car in the United States behind the

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003. One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its pr ...

. In the initial launch of Merkur, approximately 800 Lincoln-Mercury dealers signed on to represent the brand. Advertising and PR materials urged using the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

pronunciation of the brand name, German for ''Mercury'', and vehicle emblems highlighted their manufacture by ''Ford Werke AG-Cologne, West Germany'' ( Cologne Body & Assembly).

Models

Merkur marketed two models: the three-door XR4Ti hatchback and the five-door Scorpio hatchback. North American regulations dictated numerous modifications, including 5-mph bumpers, FMVSS 108-compliant headlamps, and an instrument panel with non-metric gauges.

XR4Ti

Introduced for 1985 as the introductory Merkur vehicle, the

Merkur XR4Ti The Merkur XR4Ti is a performance-oriented 3-door hatchback sold in North America from 1985 to 1989. A product of the Ford Motor Company, the car was a version of the European Ford Sierra adapted to U.S. regulations. The XR4Ti project was champion ...

was a performance-oriented hatchback. Sized nearly identically to the

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...

hatchback, the XR4Ti was a slightly rebodied version of the Ford Sierra XR4i, the mid-range sporting model of the Sierra. Its name highlighted its turbocharged engine (see below), eschewing anything that might conflict with General Motors' branding, e.g., the GMC Sierra and

Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed for model years 1982–1996 by the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors — over a single generation. Body styles included a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, and the 4-d ...

nameplates. Its engine was a modified version of the a 2.3L turbocharged inline-4 used by the

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and the

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, with its intercooler deleted. The engine made when paired with a 5-speed manual transmission and with a 3-speed automatic transmission. The body of the XR4Ti was shared with the Sierra XR4i, modified for American regulations and using the C-pillar windows of the 5-door Sierra and opening rear quarter windows behind the front doors. In line with the Sierra XR4i, the Merkur XR4Ti was distinguished by a large biplane rear spoiler, similar to that of the Ford Mustang SVO. Adapting the Merkur XR4Ti for North American sale required final assembly by specialty manufacturer Karmann in Rheine, West Germany. Prior to the 1988 introduction of the Merkur Scorpio, the XR4Ti was the sole Merkur model. In early 1989, the XR4Ti was discontinued.

Scorpio

Introduced in mid-1987 as a 1988 model, the Merkur Scorpio targeted the executive sedan segment. Recalling the styling of the

Mercury Sable The Mercury Sable is a range of automobiles manufactured and marketed by the Mercury brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced on December 26, 1985, as the replacement for the Mercury Marquis, the Sable marked the transition of the mid-size Mercur ...

and

Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from 1985 to 2019. From 1985 to 2009, Ford marketed the Taurus alongside its rebadged variant, the Mercury Sable. Four generati ...

, the Scorpio was an extended-wheelbase version of the Ford Sierra, making it the largest car sold by Ford of Europe. As an entry-level luxury car, the Merkur Scorpio competed against sedans including the Acura Legend,

Audi 100 The Audi 100 and Audi 200 (and sometimes called Audi 5000 in North America) are primarily mid-size/executive cars manufactured and marketed by the Audi division of the Volkswagen Group. The car was made from 1968 to 1997 across four generations (C ...

, Mercedes-Benz 190E,

Saab 9000 The Saab 9000 is an automobile produced by the Swedish company Saab from 1984 to 1998. Representing the company's foray into the executive car scene, it was developed as a result of the successes of the turbocharged 99 and 900 models. The 90 ...

, Sterling 827, and

Volvo 740 The Volvo 700 series is a range of executive cars produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1982 to 1992. The 700 series was introduced in 1982 with the premium 760 models, followed two years later by the more basic 740s, which benef ...

. In sharp contrast to many of its competitors, the Scorpio was offered only as a 5-door hatchback (a configuration otherwise only offered by Saab and Sterling in North America). The model offered an optional Touring Package upgrade. The Merkur Scorpio (unlike the XR4Ti) was assembled on the Ford Cologne assembly line in West Germany. The body was largely unchanged for North America, with the exception of 5-mph bumpers, and US-market bumpers; Merkurs are also distinguished by badging and full-width taillamps. Powertrain modifications were minimal, as the 2.9L V6 was an engine used in North America (by the Ranger and Bronco II). While a 5-speed manual transmission was standard, nearly every Scorpio sold was equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. One of the shortest-lived vehicles ever produced by Ford Motor Company, the Merkur Scorpio was discontinued at the end of the 1989 model year, marking the end of the Merkur brand.

Discontinuation

In the United States and Canada, Merkur was ultimately not considered a success by Ford. Projected to sell 15,000–20,000 vehicles annually, the brand only sold 26,000 XR4Tis in its first two years; sales declined nearly 50% for 1987. On average, each Lincoln-Mercury dealer would sell one to two Merkur vehicles each year. Several factors led to the slow sales of the Merkur line, including an unfavorable exchange rate between the dollar and the West German

Deutsche mark The Deutsche Mark (; "German mark (currency), mark"), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later of unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it ...

, leading to unstable pricing. By 1989, the Merkur Scorpio rivaled the Lincoln Town Car in price, despite its strong visual resemblance to the far more affordable Mercury Sable. Alongside the lack of sales from either the Scorpio and the XR4Ti, the fate of the Merkur line was ultimately sealed by passive restraint requirements in North America. To bring the two vehicles into compliance for 1990, the two vehicles would have required the addition of airbag(s) or a passive restraint system (automatic seatbelts), requiring an expensive redesign for both model lines (the Ford Sierra and Ford Scorpio did not receive airbags until their 1993 and 1994 replacements, respectively). As slow sales of the brand did not justify the expense of such a redesign, Ford withdrew the XR4ti in early 1989, with sales of the Scorpio ending at the end of the model year.

References

External links

Merkur Club of America
{{Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company Ford of Europe Ford Motor Company of Canada 1980s cars American brands Defunct brands Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1983 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1989 1983 establishments in the United States 1989 disestablishments in the United States Ford Motor Company marques Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers