Ford Kuga: Mercury, Maybe?

Ford Kuga...not the Mercury Cougar.

Every time I hear the words “Ford Kuga” I think of “Mercury Cougar” the Lincoln-Mercury coupe that once defined Ford’s upscale brand. Though the translation of the word isn’t certain, I’m almost positive that Kuga isn’t a play on Cougar, despite their similar pronunciations.

New Ford Kuga

The Ford Kuga is a compact crossover that sits on the Ford Focus body, which means that it is slightly smaller than the Ford Escape. The Kuga represents one of six European models that Ford plans to either build or sale (import) in the United States over the next few years, dramatically transforming Ford’s vehicle line, at least at the lower end of the spectrum.

Last week, word broke that Ford will build the Kuga at its Louisville (KY) manufacturing plant and ship some of that capacity back to Europe. The American dollar has weakened considerably of late, making it cheaper for Ford to build the Kuga here and ship it over there.

No Unique Mercury?

Though the Kuga is slated to become a Ford, I think that it is unfortunate that it won’t be sold as a Mercury, at least exclusively. Ford’s people hauler line up is crowded and will only become more so as new models become available for sale. The Escape, Explorer, Edge, Flex and Expedition currently comprise the automaker’s SUV/crossover line up with the C-MAX expected to join the Kuga about the same time – by 2011.

Mercury, on the other hand, has a thin line up. This is in part due to the brand being joined with Lincoln which has been getting all of the “MK” attention of late. MK represents the nomenclature for Lincoln’s newest models which include the MKT, a large crossover and the MKS, its large sedan.

The Mariner, Milan and Mountaineer are the three modern models sold under the Mercury name, along with the aged Grand Marquis a car fit for the livery set. It has almost ten years since Mercury had a vehicle for sale unique to itself when, you guessed it, the Mercury Cougar was sold through 2002. True, the car retailed as the Ford Cougar in Europe, but it had no Ford twin in the United States.

Mulally Backs Mercury

Rumors of Mercury’s demise were rampant a few years back, but chairman Alan Mulally issued a stay, promising to bolster the brand over time. With Ford getting the lion’s share of new products and Lincoln receiving some fresh loving, could the time be approaching when Mercury will benefit with some fresh product exclusive to itself?