Luxury high performance sports cars such as those manufactured by the likes of Porsche and Lamborghini are sure to turn a fair few heads when the 9th Middle East International Motor Show revs up later this week but, of course, the event is about a whole host of models and brands across varying budgets.

Mercury, the Ford Motor Company’s mid-range luxury brand, is certainly hoping to generate a strong response at the event with the introduction of its Montego sedan and the compact Mariner SUV. The brand saw the roll-out of its mid-size Milan this year and Hussein Murad, Ford Middle East’s Sales and Marketing Director, is hoping the availability of five models from the Mercury brand will attract more customers to the firm’s showrooms throughout the region.

Mercury enjoyed its strongest popularity in the late 1970s and early 1990s, offering drivers  a ‘distinguished but not ostentatious’ choice of vehicle. But these days sales are steady if not spectacular and the brand has shifted 100,000 units in the Middle East over the past decade.

It remains to be seen whether the Middle East, and the Gulf in particular, has much appetite these days for a car that is more sensible and sober than sexy.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 10th, 2007 at 3:59 pm and is filed under Dubai Motor Show. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.