Mercury to Get Sporty with Upcoming 2006 Milan Sedan

Mercury Milan Appears Sleek and Contemporary in Rendering

In the same manner as the Ford brand debuted its upcoming Fusion sedan, then dubbed Futura, Mercury recently showed an artists rendering of its long-anticipated Sable replacement.

The Milan, as it will be called, will ride on the Fords CD3 architecture, the same as the Fusion, which also shares its underpinnings with the Lincoln Zephyr that debuted earlier this year at the New York auto show. All three source their common "platform" from the award-winning Mazda6, one of the best handling cars in the midsize class.

The Milan looks sportier than any previous Mercury sedan, highlighted by a bold "U"-shaped waterfall grille at center and two vertical headlamp clusters at each side. Chiseled shoulder lines sweep upward toward the rear deck, posing an aggressive yet sophisticated stance. Mercury states it will feature its rear end design will also feature LED taillamps and a liftgate, a term normally associated with liftback models like the Mazda6 5-Door.

While the wheels and tires in the sketch are obviously oversized, their basic design is contemporary and elegant, and should come close to filling out the wheel wells in top-line trim.

Mercury has also promised "upscale materials, precision fit-and-finish, and satin-aluminum appearance trim accents" will separate the entry-level premium brand from others in the midsize class. This will go far to help Mercury achieve its goal of attracting younger buyers than its Sable has, which is currently only considered among the silver-hair set.

"We use the words different and smarter quite a bit when talking about Mercury," said Darryl Hazel, Lincoln Mercury president. "They absolutely apply to the new Milan. Milan will bring a different customer to Mercury dealers - significantly younger customers drawn to the upscale design and smart feature packaging that define Mercurys new products."

Some recent entries include the new Ford Five Hundred-based Montego, and Ford Escape-based Mariner. Both feature Mercurys signature waterfall grille, while the Mariner is especially distinctive when put beside its Ford cousin. Mercurys Montego, however, is very similar to the Ford Five Hundred in exterior design, excepting its grille, headlight clusters and front fascia, a source of criticism.

In similar fashion the sketch of the Milan that Mercury provided also appears similar to the upcoming Ford Fusion. No renderings of either new vehicle were shown depicting their rear styling, a portion of design that Mercury has kept almost entirely intact during the Montegos transformation from the Five Hundred. More distinctive character is needed for Mercury to harness the upscale buyer it is hoping to attract.

Mercurys new design language debuted with the current generation of the Ford Explorer-based Mountaineer sport utility, and was recently added to by the Ford Freestar-based Monterey minivan.

So where did Mercury come up with the name? Following its "M" theme, a similar strategy to Fords "F" naming scheme, which has the brand naming its newest entries with words beginning with the letter "F", "The name Milan connotes visions of a modern, fashionable European city, fitting the cars design theme and target customer like a fine Italian suit," commented chief designer Darrell Behmer.

Compared to the Sable, and many others in this class, the Milan appears to be quite the fashion statement. Of course, only a single rendering was shown during its August 26 debut, but if the brand stays true to the initial design it should remain quite alluring to midsize up-and-comers.

The new model will be built alongside its CD3 architecture at Fords Hermosillo, Mexico assembly plant and supplier park, in Q3 of 2005.