Mercury Tracer

The Mercury Tracer is a compact car that was marketed by Mercury from the 1987 to 1999 model years. The replacement for the Mercury Lynx, the Tracer was also sold as a three-door and five-door hatchback and a five-door station wagon; a four-door sedan was introduced for the second generation. Three generations of the model line were produced, with the second two serving as the counterpart of the Ford Escort.

The first Mercury-brand vehicle since 1960 without a direct Ford counterpart in North America, the first-generation Tracer was developed by Mazda. For its entire production, the model line (including two generations of the Escort) was derived from the Mazda 323/Protegé.

Mercury discontinued the Tracer after the 1999 model year, as Ford began phasing out the Escort in favor of the Ford Focus for 2000. Without a Mercury counterpart to the Focus, the brand exited the compact car segment. A fourth-generation Tracer was initially planned for a 2012 release, but the project was abandoned following Mercury's closure in 2010.

First generation (1987–1989)

For 1987, Mercury introduced the Tracer to replace the Mercury Lynx as its subcompact model range. The first Mercury since its 1960 full-size range to not share any commonality with Ford in North America, the Tracer was derived from the Ford Laser (itself, a variant of the Mazda 323); sold in Asia-Pacific markets in place of the Ford Escort, the Laser had been redesigned in 1985. The first Tracers went on sale in Canada in early October 1986. In the United States, the model line went on sale in March 1987 and would be sold alongside the Lynx until the end of the model year.

The first Mercury assembled outside of North America, all Canadian examples of the Tracer (three-door and five-door hatchbacks) were sourced from Ford Lio Ho in Taiwan. Vehicles for the United States (three-door and five-door hatchbacks, along with the station wagon) were sourced from Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly in Mexico. The Tracer had nearly no United States parts content and as such did not count towards lowering Ford's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE).

The first-generation Tracer was sold through the 1989 model year, coinciding with the model cycle of its Laser counterpart. Mexican assembly ended in August 1989, with late examples sold as "89 1/2" models into calendar year 1990; in spite of the cancellation, Tracer sales in the United States actually picked up in model year 1989.

Chassis

The Mercury Tracer is an American counterpart of the Australian-market Ford Laser KE, also sold in Japan, Asia, and South Africa. The final Mercury Tracer rolled off the assembly line on July 2, 1999.

Chassis

The third-generation Tracer is derived from the front-wheel drive Ford CT120 platform, used again by Ford, sharing the same 98.4-inch wheelbase as the previous generation. The sole engine is a 2.0-litre CVH Split-Port Induction (SPI) inline-four, paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Body

The third-generation Tracer again was offered in four-door sedan and five-door station wagon configurations; hatchbacks had been withdrawn entirely. The Ford Escort ZX2 two-door coupe bodystyle (sharing the chassis, but no body panels of the sedan/wagon) was not offered as a Mercury Tracer. As with the previous generation, the model line was distinguished from its Ford counterpart by its front fascia design, taillamps, and model-specific wheelcovers. The station wagon shared much of its bodyshell from the previous generation (from the windshield rearward), with updates concentrated on the front fascia, sideview mirrors, door handles, interior dashboard, and exterior badging.

As with previous generations, the third-generation Tracer was sold in GS and LS trims, with Mercury also offering a Trio appearance package for the GS. The LS trim was distinguished by alloy wheels, leather interior, keyless entry, power windows and door locks, and tachometer.

File:2nd-Mercury-Tracer.jpg|Mercury Tracer GS sedan

File:Mercury Tracer LS sedan -- 03-16-2012.JPG|Mercury Tracer LS sedan

File:Mercury Tracer wagon.jpg|Mercury Tracer GS station wagon

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Proposed 2011 revival

Shortly before the closure of the Mercury division, Ford had been working on a revival of the Mercury Tracer model line. In early 2010, Ford confirmed its 2012 model lines with its dealers that year, with Mercury adding a compact sedan derived from the redesigned 2012 Ford Focus.