Ford Motor Co.’s Mercury division will end production of its slow-selling Sable car next month as its adds other sedans to its lineup.
The last new Sable car, built at the automaker’s Atlanta assembly plant, will roll off the assembly line at the end of April, Lincoln-Mercury spokeswoman Sara Tatchio said on Friday.
She said the Sable was essentially being replaced by Mercury’s new mid-size Milan car, which will be built in Mexico and is due to be in dealerships this fall. Mercury also has also added the full-size Montego sedan, built in Chicago and introduced last fall.
“Milan and Montego combined really give us a nice sedan presence,” said Tatchio, adding that Mercury was in “a transition period to newer vehicles.”
U.S. sales of the Sable, which debuted in 1985, have been disappointing lately. Sales fell 38 percent in 2003, another 30.3 percent in 2004, and are down 20 percent so far this year.
Ford spokeswoman Francine Romine said no new products have been announced for the Atlanta assembly plant where the Sable is built. The facility will continue to build Taurus cars.
Mercury, which has struggled to define itself as a nameplate and lost ground to foreign marks, is hoping to rope in younger buyers with the Milan.
U.S. sales for Mercury were down 4.3 percent to 193,534 vehicles in 2004. So far this year, however, Mercury’s U.S. sales are up 12 percent, boosted by the Montego and recently-introduced Mariner, a twin of the Ford Escape compact sport utility vehicle.