Merkur was a short lived American automotive manufacturer created by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford in order to sell higher end European influenced cars. The name "Merkur" means Mercury in German, adding to the brands European flavor. Merkur sold two models during its time, the XR4Ti and the Scorpio. Both models were largely rebadged European Ford models, and only the XR4Ti achieved a vague amount of success. The brand would last until 1989, when the name was discontinued.