2006 Mercury Milan: The Mazda Connection

The 2006 model year has brought with it several all new models including the Mercury Milan, a midsize sedan based on the popular Mazda 6 platform. For Mercury, the Milan is an important and much needed entry that this particular division of the Ford Motor Company hopes will spice up an aging and uninspiring line up. Thanks to Ford's relationship with Mazda [they own a portion of the Japanese automaker], the Milan appears to be just what Mercury needs.

During the last two decades, the Mercury division has witnessed car sales sink from a high of 527,000 cars sold in 1985 to just 202,000 vehicles sold in 2003. The tailspin has been due, in part, to neglect from higher ups within the company who felt that the division was redundant, in other words, what Mercury offered was nothing more than gently rebadged Fords. In many ways this was true. Still, Mercury has effectively served as a bridge to Ford's luxury division, Lincoln, and the retiring of key Mercury models including the Tracer and Cougar has meant that potential future Lincoln owners shopped elsewhere. Indeed, over the past decade, Lincoln sales have dropped dramatically to the point where archrival Cadillac now outsells Lincoln by over 100,000 vehicles per year.

The Mercury Milan, along with the Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr, are meant to breathe new life into their respective divisions. Based on the popular Mazda 6, the Mercury Milan fills a glaring hole in the Mercury line up. With a base MSRP of $18,995, the Milan offers plenty of car for the money. According to Lincoln Mercury, the Milan can be equipped as follows [1]: