Merkur (German pronunciation: [mɛʁˈkuːɐ̯], Mercury) is a North American brand of automobiles marketed by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company for model years 1985-1989.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States and Canada, buyer preferences in the luxury-vehicle segment began shifting from once traditional Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler models towards more European-produced and inspired vehicles.

North American regulations dictated numeruos modifications, including 5-mph bumpers, FMVSS 108-compliant headlamps, and an instrument panel with non-metric gauges.

Its name highlighted its turbocharged engine (see below), exchewing anything that might conflict with General Motors' branding, e.g., the GMC Sierra and Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera nameplates.

Adapting the Merkur XR4Ti for North American sale required final assembly by specialty manufacturer Karmann in Rheine, West Germany.

As an entry-level luxury car, the Merkur Scorpio competed against sedans including the Acura Legend, Audi 100, Mercedes-Benz 190E, Saab 9000, Sterling 827, and Volvo 740.

Several factors led to the slow sales of the Merkur line, including an unfavorable exchange rate between the dollar and the West German Deutsche mark, leading to unstable pricing.

Alongside the lack of sales from either the Scorpio and the XR4Ti, the fate of the Merkur line was ultimately sealed by passive restraint requirements in North America.