Mercury sales have been insignificant compared to carrying costs for an automotive brand so Ford will eliminate it by the end of 2010. Without this drain on resources, Ford intends to focus on revitalizing its luxury Lincoln brand which has been losing market share to competitors.
Background
Mercury was for buyers wanting something better than a Ford but who couldn’t afford a Lincoln
Cost of supporting an extra brand could add up to billions of dollars annually
Lincoln steadily losing market share to Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Cadillac