Another Car Company Bites the Dust: Mercury, R.I.P.

Image from source, Wall Street Journal

It makes sense for Ford to kill off Mercury.  They haven't been a distinct brand in a long time, seemingly made up of a bunch of Fords with different badges (and higher prices).  But it's still a little bit--a very little bit--sad.  In my lifetime, I've seen the demise of AMC, Plymouth, Eagle, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer.  Of those, the biggest surprises were Plymouth (which had survived the near death of Chrysler in the 1970s), Olds (which just seemed too old to go away) and Pontiac (which seemed to at least have the most classic cars in its history). But Mercury was just kind of there.

The last Mercury I remember with a distinct personality was the last iteration of the Cougar, and even it was only "cool" for a year or two before it just looked kind of odd.  All the rest have been retreads of Fords, and they didn't even come up with a better logo than the 80s "M" thingy.  I think Mercury missed out on the "retro" craze brought in by the Volkswagen New Beetle, the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the newer Ford Mustangs, the Chevy Camaro and the Dodge Challenger.  They should've pulled one of their classic nameplates out of mothballs, and maybe even put a new spin on the winged Mercury head logo.  Too late now.

[Excerpt]

Ford Will Shut Down Mercury

People who work in or follow the car industry have been predicting the demise of Ford’s Mercury division for years. So it is no surprise to hear today that Ford will kill its middle-of-the-road brand by year’s end. . .

Read more at: Wall Street Journal

Ding Dong the Hummer's Dead

Image from source, Washington Post

Though many thought it died years ago, the Hummer brand of SUVs is finally dead. One of the most garish symbols of conspicuous consumption (and ersatz phallus) outlived its usefulness and became a joke quite some time ago. But I'll bet you it will live on in pop culture for years alongside the Pontiac Aztek, the AMC Gremlin and Pacer, and the Ford Pinto for reasons its creator never envisioned.

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Hummer faces shutdown after Chinese sale collapses

Hummer, the off-road vehicle that once symbolized America's love for hulking SUVs, faces a shutdown after its sale to a Chinese heavy equipment maker collapsed.

Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. said Wednesday it pulled out of the deal to buy the company from General Motors Co. Tengzhong failed to get clearance from Chinese regulators within the proposed timeframe for the sale, the Chinese manufacturer said. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Somebody Wants to Buy Hummer?

Image from Car Buyer's Notebook

To many of us, Hummers were tacky and over-the-top when they were first released. They were not only gas-hogs, they were garish, tarted up Tonka trucks. The thing that would pop into my head whenever I'd see one was "Overcompensate much?"

But for a while there, the ugly buggers were very popular. Growing outside of a niche, cult following, we started seeing them everywhere. Part of it was probably a post-9/11 patriotism/bravado thing. But you'd see tiny blonde women driving them, not necessarily loaded up with kiddies. Incongruous describes it pretty well.

Then, for a while, gas prices hit $4+ per gallon, and the Hummer seemed to lose its appeal overnight. Suddenly everyone saw them for the big shiny uglies that they were. And GM kept building them anyway. When they said they were going to try to sell the brand off, I thought "who'd want it?" Well, apparently the Chinese want to overcompensate for something too.

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GM strikes Hummer deal with China machinery maker

General Motors Corp(GMGMQ.PK) said on Tuesday it reached a tentative deal to sellits Hummer brand to a privately held Chinese heavy machinerymaker, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehiclelines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company. . .

Read more at: Reuters

GM Killing off Brands

Image from source, Jalopnik

It's kind of strange to think that Pontiac as a brand is about to shrink away to mostly nothing. Saturn? They made mostly ugly cars until recently, and I never understood how they made it anyway. And Hummer should've died of embarrassment long ago.

It just goes to show you, absolutely nothing is permanent. Today's rock-solid brand is tomorrow's Plymouth, AMC or Oldsmobile. Remember them? My prediction: Mercury is next. Just a hunch.

[Excerpt]

GM To Officially Kill Saturn Brand, Most Of Pontiac

Our sources tell us GM's viability plan set to be released at 5:00PM will kill the Saturn brand by 2011. Pontiac will also go away as a division. But the nameplate will sorta live on. . .

Source: JLOPnik

GM Trying to Offload Hummer?

Photo from Tree Hugger

If you think it's a hard time to sell your gas-guzzling SUV, imagine what it might be like to sell a division of your company that makes nothing else. Maybe they should have done this a couple of years ago?

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GM to close four plants, may unload Hummer

General Motors Corp on Tuesday said it is closing four truck plants employing 10,000 workers and could sell its Hummer brand in a rushed response to higher gasoline prices that the largest U.S. automaker now sees as a permanent threat to its business. . .

Read more at: Raw Story