The Mercury Tracer is a compact car that was marketed by Mercury from 1987 for the 1988 model year until 1999.
The replacement for the Ford Escort-derived Lynx, the first generation of the Tracer is a modified version of the Asian-market Ford Laser. In 1990 for the 1991 model year, the Tracer became the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Escort in North America.
The Ford Focus would serve as a common replacement for both the Ford Escort and the Mercury Tracer.
The Tracer was introduced in late 1987 as a 1988 model, replacing the Lynx in the United States and Canada. For the first time since the 1978 Capri II, the Tracer was a model unique to the Mercury division. Although derived from the Ford Laser sold in Asia and Australia, it was sold without a Ford counterpart in North America. As with its predecessor, the Tracer was sold in three-door and five-door hatchback body styles along with a five-door station wagon. The Tracer hatchback shared its body shell with the Ford Laser; while the station wagon was based loosely on the five-door hatchback, it was a distinct design.
The Mercury Tracer was assembled in a number of production facilities; the location was dependent on the body style. Five-door hatchbacks for the Canadian market were built in Taiwan by Ford Lio Ho, while those for the United States were built in Mexico by Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly, where all station wagons were produced.
