Mercury is that middle-child brand of Ford. Not really fancy enough to be a Lincoln, but too expensive to be a Ford. Ford has some options available for the wayward brand, and right now it's really trying to make Mercury more sophisticated. We definitely see that the word 'urban' appears to be its target. Who knows if this is the best direction, but so far the concepts and future models look relatively promising. Deep down, however, we wonder if Mercury could take the path that Chrysler has beaten with its 300. Even if this fictional Mercury isn't a rear-wheel drive sedan, it shouldn't matter as long as the power issue is addressed. Read on to see where we're going with this.

Chrysler has taken a hertigage influenced path, instead of a totally retro one. What kind of heritage does Mercury have? It does not really have much of one on its own. Again, the middle-sibling analogy can be taken WAY back in the brand?s history. Look instead beyond the history of the stock Mercury to brand?s history with customization. We?ve all seen the chopped and channeled Mercury customs of the past. What is wrong with taking a little aftermarket heritage and making it your own. Don?t you think a long, sleek sedan with a little custom heritage would appeal to today?s market? If the 300 can bring back the American sedan, a Mercury in this vein could make it even cooler to drive big American iron. Mercury cars were not the only ones who went through this ?led sled? transformation, but the popular culture association is pretty hard to ignore.