Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick (and former Oldsmobile) brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand. From 1945 to 2011, it was the Mercury half of the Lincoln - Mercury division of Ford (the Edsel brand was included in that division for the 1958-1960 model years). Using badge engineering, the majority of Mercury models were based on Ford platforms.

 The name "Mercury" is derived from the messenger of the gods of Roman mythology, and during its early years, the Mercury brand was known for performance, which was briefly revived in 2003 with the Mercury Marauder. The brand was sold in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Middle East. In 1999, the Mercury brand was dropped in Canada, although the Grand Marquis was still marketed there wearing a Mercury badge through 2007.

 The Mercury brand was phased out in 2011, as Ford Motor Company refocused its marketing and engineering efforts on the Ford and Lincoln brands. Production of Mercury vehicles ceased in the fourth quarter of 2010 - the splits of Mercury from 4. The final Mercury automobile, a Grand Marquis, rolled off the assembly line on January 4, 2011. 

  In 1935, Edsel Ford designed a new, more luxurious version of his company's mainline car, intended to bridge the enormous price gap between the highest trimmed Ford and the base Lincoln. There was debate within the company if this new intermediate car should be a new Ford model or spun-off into a new marque. Over 100 different model and marque names were considered before Mercury was finally selected.

 The 1939 Mercury 8 began production in 1938, with a 239 cu. in. 95 horsepower (71 kW; 96 PS) flathead V8 engine. Over 65,800 were sold the first year, at a price of $916 (approximately $14,000 in 2010 dollars). It was an all new car, sharing no body panels with either Ford or Lincoln. Its body was six inches wider than Ford and rode on a 116 inch wheelbase, four inches longer than Ford.

 From the very beginning, Mercury was a division that seemed to have a brand identity that was constantly in the process of finding its place in the North American automotive market. Sometimes, Mercury was presented as a performance division of more mainstay Ford products, while at other times, it was meant to match sales with Detroit crosstown rivals Buick, Oldsmobile and Chrysler during the 1950s through 1980s. Many times, Mercury models shared platforms with Ford products, such as the Mercury Cougar (shared with the Ford Mustang, Thunderbird, and Elite), the Mercury Bobcat (shared with the Ford Pinto), or the Mercury Comet (shared with the Ford Falcon, Fairlane, and Maverick).

   Mercury's ride through the 1970s was not gentle, but it fared better than some. Shifting from performance cars such as the S-55, Marauder, and the Mustang-based Cougar, Mercury reverted to its historical role of selling badge-engineered Ford vehicles. Partially as a result of the first gas crisis, the "near luxury" segment was the bread and butter for 1970s American car manufacturers. However, the segment eventually became saturated. Only Mercury's niche products, like the Cougar XR-7, seemed to find real success with buyers. Much of this might really have had to do with Ford's topsy-turvy financial situation in the seventies. Lincoln-Mercury dealers had plenty of good selling cars, they just were not the right cars.
 

  In 1978, Mercury sales peaked at an all-time high of 580,000. The Cougar and Lincoln Mk V shattered sales records, but the staples of Mercury's business, the mid-size and full-size sedans and wagons, moved out of showrooms at a snail's pace. In 1977, the Cougar became the sole mid-size Mercury, replacing the Montego; previously a personal luxury coupe, the Cougar was available in sedan and station wagon bodystyles. The small Bobcat did not lure economy minded buyers, instead bringing only bad press from its close ties to the ill-fated Ford Pinto.

Although the Bobcat trickled out of showrooms, Mercury introduced the Monarch as a replacement for the aging Comet compact. Although still mechanically based on the original 1960 Ford Falcon, the Monarch was intended as a compact near-luxury car; high-trim versions were popular choices as personal cars among Ford executives. In 1978, the Monarch's replacement, the Zephyr was introduced on the Fox platform. An all-new rear-wheel drive platform, it would be used by all late 1970s-early 1980s Mercurys except the Bobcat, Lynx/LN7/Topaz, and the Grand Marquis/Colony Park