2009 Mercury Cougar, Come on Mercury! Do it!
10/20/06, 06:25 AM
#41
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44 and My First Car was a 68 Cougar! I owned a 67 and also 2 other 68's as a teen. I currently own a 73xr7 Vert among my Fleet. I thought it was pretty Cool in a time when Mustangs were the Norm! The 68xr7 Interior was way Cool! Always a Fan of Retractable Headlights and Upscale Sequential Rear Lamps.
KC
KC
10/20/06, 10:58 AM
#43
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More than a few cars ago, we owned a 1999 Cougar. It was my wife's daily driver. It was based on the Ford Contour platform. It was Mercury's attempt to attract a more youthful buyer. It had a small twin cam V6, fwd, and only put down 170hp (Mercury's idea of performance at the time). I don't know why Mercury chose the contour platform instead of the mustang platform. I gotta believe they had alot of market research which led them in that direction. IMO, Mercury wants to differentiate themselves rather than be a clone of a Ford line.
For the record, my wife loved the car. So i'm not a Mercury hater.
For the record, my wife loved the car. So i'm not a Mercury hater.
10/20/06, 01:25 PM
#44
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Reality check time, lets assume they make a new cougar based on the mustang chassis... Who would buy a mercury cougar instead of a mustang? 
Not me. Mercury is about the most uncool brand in my book. Seriously, it's not needed. A new cougar would not benefit the Mustang at all. I want the designers and engineers to stay focused on making sure the Mustang continues to be the best pony car.
Not me. Mercury is about the most uncool brand in my book. Seriously, it's not needed. A new cougar would not benefit the Mustang at all. I want the designers and engineers to stay focused on making sure the Mustang continues to be the best pony car.
Being a Ford guy, I'd like to see something besides the Stang to battle against Chevy and Dodge. Maybe it's just me, but I really can't imagine how a Cougar design would hinder the focus of making the Stang the best. And yes, I would've bought a new Cougar over my 06 Stang if one had been available and looked right. I actually plan to buy another 68 Cougar within the next year. But if a new one came out, I'd seriously consider buying a new one instead.
10/20/06, 06:27 PM
#45
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Market research has proved to be decieving thru-out history. What you end up with is a car that many will consider buying. Which puts it in a very large category with lots of competition. What they need is to have a car that some must have. The present Mustang is a car that many dislike but for some its a must have vehicle. Must haves are instant sales. Not just wishfull thinking.
10/20/06, 08:04 PM
#46
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Build a Cougar with more "frills", IRS, and a 32V 4.6 or 5.4 to compete with other luxo 2+2 coupes. Leave the Mustang as a simpler, lighter, "speed" oriented ride. Maybe that will help lighten up the Pony. If done right, things may turn out like the G35 coupe which attracted a lot of younger buyers (to Infiniti) despite the higher cost compared to the 350z, for example.
10/21/06, 07:00 AM
#47
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As I stated in my last post. I think the Mercury brand and the Cougar need to be different. I think you can go several different directions with a new Cougar.
I think some of you have the right idea. I would welcome a new Sport/Luxury type of automobile with all the goodies. If Mercury doesn't have a model like this, then I think Lincoln should.
Another direction they could go is by making a fun & sporty 2+2, V6, that also comes as a convertible. FWD or AWD. A car that will appeal to both younger men & women. A car that has a modern edge of styling and technology.
Slightly off topic, but when Ford redesigns the Focus, they need to offer it in a convertible.
I think some of you have the right idea. I would welcome a new Sport/Luxury type of automobile with all the goodies. If Mercury doesn't have a model like this, then I think Lincoln should.
Another direction they could go is by making a fun & sporty 2+2, V6, that also comes as a convertible. FWD or AWD. A car that will appeal to both younger men & women. A car that has a modern edge of styling and technology.
Slightly off topic, but when Ford redesigns the Focus, they need to offer it in a convertible.
10/21/06, 05:17 PM
#48
Build a Cougar with more "frills", IRS, and a 32V 4.6 or 5.4 to compete with other luxo 2+2 coupes. Leave the Mustang as a simpler, lighter, "speed" oriented ride. Maybe that will help lighten up the Pony. If done right, things may turn out like the G35 coupe which attracted a lot of younger buyers (to Infiniti) despite the higher cost compared to the 350z, for example.
10/21/06, 08:30 PM
#49
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One of the reasons of building a Cougar based off the Mustang is cross compatability. Any mods available for the Mustang will trickle down to its sibling. One of the best reasons the mustang does so good in the market is the aftermarket support it enjoys.
10/25/06, 12:46 PM
#50
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Cougars are Cool!
10/25/06, 05:59 PM
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10/25/06, 09:43 PM
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"Again", as in not utilizing an available RWD passenger car chassis, such as the discontinued T-bird (DEW98-based) platform when that car was resurrected, and now the S197 Mustang chassis if/when Ford decides to produce a new Lincoln coupe. Using the Mustang chassis for a new Mercury Cougar would seem to be a natural given the history of the 1st gen models for both cars.
10/26/06, 05:14 PM
#54
This is 2006, not 1966.
Ford is selling 150,000 Mustangs / year not 600,000 as they did in 1966.
The original Cougar's sales were:
- 1967: 150,893
- 1968: 113,726
- 1969: 100,069
- 1970: 72,343
- 2009: 35,000
- 2010: 28,000
- 2011: 25,000
- 2012: 20,000
#'s like that just don't work at FoMoCo. Ford would not be able to profitably sell a Cougar that was anything more than a Mustang with different tail lights and a different front grille and few of us would want such a "Cougar".
10/30/06, 06:52 AM
#55
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As I previously posted, while emotionally I'd love to see a new Cougar in the spirit of the original 1967 Cougar, logically I don't see the business case.
This is 2006, not 1966.
Ford is selling 150,000 Mustangs / year not 600,000 as they did in 1966.
The original Cougar's sales were:
#'s like that just don't work at FoMoCo. Ford would not be able to profitably sell a Cougar that was anything more than a Mustang with different tail lights and a different front grille and few of us would want such a "Cougar".
This is 2006, not 1966.
Ford is selling 150,000 Mustangs / year not 600,000 as they did in 1966.
The original Cougar's sales were:
- 1967: 150,893
- 1968: 113,726
- 1969: 100,069
- 1970: 72,343
- 2009: 35,000
- 2010: 28,000
- 2011: 25,000
- 2012: 20,000
#'s like that just don't work at FoMoCo. Ford would not be able to profitably sell a Cougar that was anything more than a Mustang with different tail lights and a different front grille and few of us would want such a "Cougar".
I hate to admit it, but I think V10 has hit the nail on the head with this analysis. I think the only possibility for a new Cougar to be a success would be to have some kind of styling/feature breakthrough which would truely set it apart from the Stang and make it a "must have" vehicle in it's own right.
This doesn't change the fact that I would love to see a new version of the 67-68 Cougar....
11/1/06, 06:05 PM
#56
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I think he's under estimating what the sales figures will be. Because if those sales figures are right then don't expect the Camaro and Challenger to be around for more than 2 years. Because the Mustang based Cougar out sold both of them.
It doesn't matter to me. I've done given up on Ford. There in trouble because they relied on SUV's to much. Yet if you look at all the new vehicles there coming out with, there all SUV's. You can call them crossovers if you like. But there still SUV's in my book. I'll build an old Cougar/Mustang or Falcon to my liking rather than wait for Ford to finally get it.
And just to make a small point. Sometimes its not the direct sales that are big. But what other sales it generates that are. I've been a Ford car guy all my life. And what has that meant to Ford. Well my father always bought Ford vehicles, my mother (there divorced) always bought Ford vehicles, my brother, my sister, my friends etc. etc. etc. All buy Fords. And there familys are the same way. All because of a few Mustang sales. The Mustang sells more Ford vehicles then you can count. So don't just look at Mustang sales. Look at what them sales have meant for there other sales. Alot The same could be said for Cougar sales. If they make it a must have type car. It will generate families of Mercury buyers.
It doesn't matter to me. I've done given up on Ford. There in trouble because they relied on SUV's to much. Yet if you look at all the new vehicles there coming out with, there all SUV's. You can call them crossovers if you like. But there still SUV's in my book. I'll build an old Cougar/Mustang or Falcon to my liking rather than wait for Ford to finally get it.
And just to make a small point. Sometimes its not the direct sales that are big. But what other sales it generates that are. I've been a Ford car guy all my life. And what has that meant to Ford. Well my father always bought Ford vehicles, my mother (there divorced) always bought Ford vehicles, my brother, my sister, my friends etc. etc. etc. All buy Fords. And there familys are the same way. All because of a few Mustang sales. The Mustang sells more Ford vehicles then you can count. So don't just look at Mustang sales. Look at what them sales have meant for there other sales. Alot The same could be said for Cougar sales. If they make it a must have type car. It will generate families of Mercury buyers.
11/7/06, 11:54 AM
#57
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The Mustang sells more Ford vehicles then you can count. So don't just look at Mustang sales. Look at what them sales have meant for there other sales. Alot The same could be said for Cougar sales. If they make it a must have type car. It will generate families of Mercury buyers.
I'd like to point out that the name Cougar is Usefull. People are familiar with it. I can almost read the headlines in magazines, "Cougar back with a growl" or something. I can't even picture a Lincoln title on covers, etc. When people talk Dodge, they talk about the Hemi or Charger. Fords renamed the new engine coming out BOSS for a reason. There can be a selling power using names that have a history as opposed to something no one's heard of.
11/8/07, 11:44 AM
#58
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bump!
11/8/07, 04:06 PM
#59
The Challenger will not last more than a few years. If it really sees the light of day, it will be a financial disaster.
The Camaro may linger for a while, but it will have a hard time turing a profit. The only way the Camaro will last more than 5 years if if Ford goes out of business.
Sorry, but there's no way the Cougar returns, it just doesn't make economic sense. Look how much Mustang sales have dropped this year. In fact the Mercury brand is going to have a tough time surviving.
