Remember all those stories about Mercury's impending death? Well, not much has changed as the brand has been limping along with a shriveling lineup for quite some time.

But don't worry Mercury fans, your ship has finally come in, and it's called the 2011 Mercury Tracer. At least that's the word out of Ford's dealer meeting over the weekend.

It will be based on the same platform as the new 2011 Ford Focus which also arrives next year. How different it will be from the Focus wasn't discussed, but past experience says they'll be almost identical.

We can only hope that Mercury has more in the pipeline than a rehashed Focus with a study like Tracer. If not, Mercury is indeed dead, and not too many people will be surprised.

Automotive News