Detroit's brand chopping list

2009 Mercury Mariner

Until recently, most outside observers thought Mercury was as good as dead, after Ford introduced several new Ford vehicles with no Mercury version. Ford Motor Co. has said it is simply shifting its emphasis to reviving the long-suffering Lincoln brand and that Mercury isn't going away.

Why keep it: While Mercury is often derided for selling vehicles that are only slightly dressed-up versions of Ford products, that's a big part of the appeal. If a few simple cosmetic changes and some extra marketing dollars bring in a few new customers, what's not to like about that? Ford is now working on sharing more of its engineering around the globe. That creates more opportunities for Mercury which will now have a broader selection of vehicles to start from.

Why dump it: Mercury has already been whittled down to just three vehicles, the Milan (Ford Fusion), Mariner (Ford Escape) and Mountaineer (Ford Explorer). So far, nothing new has been announced. If there was ever a time to drop the axe, this is it.

NEXT: Volvo