Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited
Oakville, Ontario
Date: 1961
Artifact no. 2008.0001

The Mercury Meteor, as a brand, was a hit in Canada. Canadians tend to prefer smaller, more economical cars than Americans do—needs that the Meteor fulfilled.

It’s common in marketing to use names and symbols drawn from a country’s history and culture. Mercury increased the Meteor’s appeal in Canada by giving distinctively Canadian names to each model, like Niagara, Rideau, and in this case Montcalm.

Introduced in 1949, the Meteor sold exclusively in Canada for eleven years.