DETROIT -- Plymouth and Mercury may be headed the way of DeSoto and Edsel.
The two venerable names in automaking recently announced that they would stop selling most of their cars in Canada, fueling speculation that their days are numbered in the United States, too.Many industry analysts say it seems inevitable that DaimlerChrysler AG will eliminate the Plymouth brand within the next several years and that Ford Motor Co. is mulling a similar fate for Mercury.
Both automakers say no decision has been made to kill the brands.
"We've got some things down the road," Mercury spokesman Jim Trainor said Friday from the division's new Los Angeles-area headquarters. "The reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated."
But the most telling sign may be that both product lines have been getting thinner and thinner, especially at Plymouth, with few new models planned by either company to spruce up their offerings.
Plymouth dates back to 1928, when the former Chrysler Corp. introduced the four-cylinder car with the six-cylinder DeSoto. Lincoln, a unit of Ford, introduced the Mercury in 1938; Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford, chose the name.
Plymouth and Mercury mostly sell slightly different versions of cars already sold by their bigger sister divisions. With marketing costs on the rise, the industry has been moving away from the costly and often counterproductive practice of trying to market the same car under two different brands.
"The idea is to stop throwing money at brands that can't be resurrected," said analyst George Peterson of AutoPacific Inc., an industry consulting firm.
The 2000 Neon, a Plymouth subcompact sold in larger numbers under the Dodge name, has been redesigned. The only other mass-market Plymouth car, the compact Breeze, is also a Dodge twin, and production analysts say it won't be replaced with the next generation.
At Mercury, the only unique products are the new Cougar, which is sold as a Ford overseas, and the Villager minivan, a version of which is sold by Japan's Nissan as the Quest. All other Mercurys are Ford twins.
Mercury recently ceased production of its subcompact Tracer, and analysts expect the Mystique compact to be pulled after the 2000 model year and the Villager to be axed in a few years when Ford adds a minivan to its newly acquired Volvo line.
Meanwhile, when DaimlerChrysler recently announced plans to produce its retro-look PT Cruiser, an affordable car-van hybrid, most in the industry were surprised to hear that it would be a Chrysler. The vehicle seemed a natural for Plymouth, which the company has tried to position as a youthful, entry-level brand.
"I think it's a done deal," Peterson said. "What DaimlerChrysler is doing with Plymouth is like what it did with the Eagle brand: not renewing the product line and just letting it fade away."
But Mercury's Trainor said the division has plans to replace its other model lines, including the Mountaineer sport utility vehicle that's a rebadged Ford Explorer.
Still, some analysts doubt Ford will keep the new Mountaineer for long after next year's debut because they expect Lincoln to get a luxury version of the new Explorer as well.
"Lincoln is where Ford is really putting its emphasis, not Mercury," Peterson said.
What may slow down the brands' demise are their most popular models: the Plymouth Voyager minivan and the Mercury Grand Marquis, a full-size sedan. Dealers may be unwilling to give them up without a fight.
Mercury sold 114,162 Grand Marquis last year, outselling its Ford twin, the Crown Victoria. Plymouth sold 156,971 Voyagers, well behind its Dodge Caravan twin but ahead of most of its competitors.
"The name is strong and you don't want to lose that," said Wes Brown, an analyst with Nextrend. Brown said DaimlerChrysler may decide to rebadge the Voyager as a Chrysler and market it as an entry-level alternative to Chrysler's luxury Town and Country minivan.
And, Brown said, there's no reason why the Plymouth Prowler -- a retro limited-production hot rod -- couldn't continue in its role as a showroom traffic-builder for Chrysler dealers.
The moves come as both automakers consolidate their dealerships and link more of their brands together. Most Chrysler dealers also sell Plymouths and Jeeps. Mercury dealers also sell Lincolns.