MERKUR TIMELINE
A timeline showing key events in the rise and fall of the Merkur brand.
- 1985 Merkur debuts. 12,000 XR4s sold.
- 1986 XR4's sales peak. 13,000 XR4s sold.
- 1987 Scorpio introduced mid-year. 13,000 sold (combined)
- 1988 Merkur's sales peak. 15,000 sold (combined)
- 1989 Airbag requirements mandated by law; will require costly refitting on future imports to comply.
- 1989 Combined sales 9100 units.
- 1989 Merkur program comes to an end.
- 1990 Final Merkurs sold.
HISTORY OF THE BRAND
Detailing the history of the Merkur automobile line, from its beginning with Ford of Europe's successful Sierra, to its ultimate demise.
The early 1980s saw a significant expansion in the market for European-made luxury sports cars like those from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and others.
In response, Ford created the Merkur (German for Mercury) franchise for its Lincoln-Mercury dealers. Ford intended to bring their European cars — the successful Sierra XR4i coupe and the luxury sedan Scorpio — to America and Canada.
While Ford of Europe's Sierra was as ubiquitous in Europe as the Taurus was here, the upscale sporty Sierra XR4i model became popular and enjoyed a measure of success among racers. The imported version had to be renamed and was called the XR4Ti because it sported a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.
UPCOMING TOPICS:
- Racing
- Lincoln-Mercury-Merkur
- Death of Merkur
- Life after Death? What survived: the cars