Mercury sales down to a trickle

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. sales figures for Mercury cars January through November 2010 were 57 percent lower than they were five years ago, an industry research group said.

TrueCar.com said the 84,802 Mercurys sold in the first 11 months of the year, a sharp drop from the 195,949 sold in the same period of 2005, made up only 5 percent of Ford Motor Co.'s sales of 1.7 million vehicles for the year.

The San Antonio Express-News reported Monday the brand that was supposed to appeal to upscale consumers who wanted to step away from Ford but were not ready to purchase a Lincoln Continental.

In time, Ford and Mercury became, essentially, interchangeable. "For the most part they were just cosmetically enhanced Fords," said Jesse Toprak, TrueCar.com's vice president of industry trends and insight.

The last Mercury rolled off the assembly line Oct. 3, but showrooms have a dwindling supply on hand.

"It's a great car. She loves it," said Joey Guerra, who bought a Mercury Mariner, a mid-size sport utility vehicle for his daughter last year.