Mercury reintroduces the Monterey
From the early 1950s through the mid-’70s, the Monterey was a top-of-the-line Mercury passenger car.
The name is being resurrected, but this time around the Monterey will be a Mercury minivan.
Irvine-based Mercury, which this year discontinued the Villager minivan that it jointly developed with Nissan (the Nissan Quest, also gone), says it will launch the replacement late next year as a 2004 model.
The van will be built in Canada along with the next-generation ’04 Ford Windstar and, Mercury says, will offer features such as side-curtain air bags that provide protection for all three rows of seats; advanced tire pressure monitoring; heated and cooled front seats; bumper-mounted front and rear object-sensing systems and a segment-leading 4.2-liter V-6 engine.
Pricing hasn’t been announced, but Mercury executives say the Monterey will be positioned as a luxury minivan, so figure a starting price at or just above $30,000.
The Monterey is part of a line of new products that includes the redesigned Mountaineer sport utility vehicle and the Marauder high-powered sedan.
Elena Ford, Mercury’s marketing manager and a member of the Ford family, says it will be followed by “at least one new Mercury car or SUV each year for the next several years.” Sounds as if Ford Motor Co. is serious about its pledge to keep alive the once-proud Mercury brand.
