From Bryce G. Hoffman at the Detroit News:
Ford Motor Co. will end production of the Mercury Sable sedan this week, stripping its mid-market brand of yet another model."
The last Sable will roll down the line on Thursday," said Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski.
That will leave Mercury with just four models -- including the Mountaineer and Grand Marquis, both of which are scheduled to be killed over the next couple of years. Mercury is supposed to get a new small car, but Ford has no other models planned for the brand at this time.
Ford only sold 1,158 Sables last month, down 37.8 percent compared to April 2007.
The Sable shares a common platform with the Ford Taurus, a new version of which is already being produced on the same assembly line in Chicago.
Analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics LLP said Ford decided to pass on a new Sable so that it could invest more money into the new Taurus. The same goes for advertising dollars.
"They had to make a choice, and their choice is to polish the Blue Oval," he said.
But Hall said he thinks Mercury still has a role to play for the Dearborn automaker.
"Keeping Mercury allows them to do specialty vehicles that appeal to different demographics," he said, noting that models like the Milan and Mariner have been hits with Latinos and women.
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