Mercury was a brand of mid-priced automobiles produced by American manufacturer Ford Motor Company between 1938 and 2011 with 1939 being the first model year. It stood as its own line within Ford until 1945, and thereafter formed half of Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division. Created by Edsel Ford in 1938 to bridge the gap between the Ford and Lincoln model lines, its principal competition was General Motors' Buick and Oldsmobile divisions, and Chrysler Corporation's DeSoto and Chrysler brands.
The Ford Five Hundred is a full-size automobile that was manufactured and marketed by Ford from 2004 to 2007, and debuted as a 2005 model year vehicle. Deriving its nameplate from the ''500" suffix used by Ford on the Custom 500, Fairlane 500 and Galaxie 500 model ranges from the 1950s to 1970s, the Five Hundred was the larger of two model lines intended to replace the Ford Taurus. Within the Ford model line, the Five Hundred was slotted between the Fusion and Crown Victoria.
The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. As the first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford SUV range in North America, the Explorer is slotted between the Ford Edge and Ford Expedition. As with the Ford Ranger, the Explorer derives its name from a trim package previously offered on the Ford F-Series pickup trucks.
Mercury Cougar is a nameplate applied to a diverse series of automobiles sold by the Mercury division of Ford from 1967 until 1997 and from 1999 through 2002 model years. While the nameplate is associated with two-door coupes, at various times during its production, the Cougar was also marketed as a convertible, four-door sedan, station wagon, and a hatchback.
The Nissan Altima is a mid-size car manufactured by Nissan since 1992. It is a continuation of the Nissan Bluebird line, which began in 1955.
The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV sold by Ford since the 2001 model year. The first Ford SUV derived from a car platform, the Escape was slotted below the Ford Explorer in size; the Escape is currently sized between the Ford EcoSport and Ford Edge. In another first, the 2004 Ford Escape Hybrid was the first hybrid-electric vehicle from Ford, and the first hybrid produced as an SUV.
The Mercury Mountaineer is a mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was sold by Mercury from 1996 until 2010. Sharing many of its features with the Ford Explorer, the vehicles were virtually identical in terms of hardware. Externally, they were styled somewhat differently, and the Mountaineer was positioned with a more upscale interior, with the Mountaineer's MSRP coming in at $1,000–$6,000 more than the Explorer. It was last redesigned for the 2006 model year with a new frame, looking very similar to its previous model.
The Mercury Sable is a range of automobiles manufactured and marketed by the Mercury brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced on December 26, 1985, as the replacement for the Mercury Marquis, the Sable marked the transition of the mid-size Mercury product range to front-wheel drive.
The Ford Fusion Hybrid is a gasoline-electric hybrid powered version of the mid-sized Ford Fusion sedan manufactured and marketed by Ford, now in its second generation. A plug-in hybrid version, the Ford Fusion Energi, was released in the U.S. in February 2013.
The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from model years 1964–1983 and since 1997. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-wheel drive intermediate, GM revived the Malibu nameplate as a front-wheel-drive car in 1997.
The Ford Fusion is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. From the 2006 through 2020 model years, two generations of the Fusion have been produced in gasoline, gas/electric hybrid, and gas/plug-in electric hybrid variants. The Fusion was manufactured at Ford's Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly plant in Sonora, Mexico, alongside the Lincoln MKZ, and formerly the Mercury Milan, both of which share its CD3 platform.
The Lincoln MKX is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV marketed and sold by the Lincoln brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced in late 2006, the MKX is the first crossover SUV offered by the Lincoln brand. Initially the smallest Lincoln SUV, it has been slotted between the Lincoln Corsair and the Lincoln Aviator. It is the Lincoln counterpart of the Ford Edge crossover across both generations.
The GM–Ford 6-speed automatic transmission is an automatic transaxle originally designed for transverse engine applications in cars. With design work having begun in 2002, General Motors and Ford Motor Company jointly committed to investing US$720 million in their manufacturing plants to support the new transmission.
The Lincoln MKZ, is a four-door, five-passenger mid-size luxury sedan manufactured by Ford and marketed as the Zephyr and as the MKZ by Ford's Lincoln brand across two generations in both gasoline and hybrid gas/electric models.
The Ford Freestyle is a crossover utility vehicle that was sold by Ford from 2005 to 2009. Largely marketed as the successor to the Ford Taurus station wagon, the Freestyle was the CUV counterpart of the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego four-door sedans. Sharing the Ford D3 platform with the Five Hundred and Montego, the Freestyle was produced with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations and six- or seven-passenger seating.
The fifth generation of the Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for the 2008 and 2009 model years. Marking the return of the nameplate after a hiatus of less than a year, the revived Taurus is a midcycle revision of the Ford Five Hundred full-sized sedan. After its retail withdrawal following the 2007 model year, the Crown Victoria was replaced by this generation of the Taurus, making it the flagship Ford sedan for the first time.
The sixth generation of the Ford Taurus is the final generation of the model range manufactured by Ford. Introduced for the 2010 model year, the sixth-generation Taurus is the second generation of the model line produced as a full-size car; it was the heaviest sedan sold under the Ford brand worldwide. While sharing its D3 chassis underpinnings with the previous generation, the sixth generation marked the first North American use of Kinetic Design design language.
The North American eighth generation Honda Accord is a mid-size car introduced in August 2007 for the 2008 model year. It is also marketed in parts of Asia and Australasia, and as the Honda Inspire in Japan.
In the U.S., the seventh generation North American Honda Accord is a mid-size car that was available as a four-door sedan or a two-door coupe and was produced by Honda from September 2002 to 2007. The sedan was also marketed in parts of Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand markets, and also known as the Honda Inspire in Japan from 2003. The North American Honda Accord, with modifications for local market needs, was the launch vehicle of Honda in the South Korean market with sales beginning from May 20, 2004.
