The Mercury Tracer was based on a variation of what small family car made between 1963 and 2003?
Mercury Tracer 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 was a modified version of the Asia-Pacific market Ford Laser, itself a variant of the Mazda 323. In 1990 for the 1991 model year, the Tracer became the Mercury counterpart of the Ford Escort in North America. All three generations of the Tracer were based on variations of the Mazda 323/Protegé.
Econobox An econobox is a United States pejorative slang term for any of a series of small, boxy, fuel-efficient economy cars with few luxuries and a low sticker price. Econobox mostly denotes a stripped out, poverty specification, built down to a price, entry level version of a conventional car of the era, such as the 1950s Studebaker Scotsman or 1970s/80s Chevrolet Chevette. The other school of economy car design is to re-invent the car in order cope better with the stringent design constraints of low cost while retaining functionality. The British Austin Mini which did not sell well in America is the archetypal car of this school, and was bought by many British and other Europeans who could afford much more expensive cars, because it was at launch in 1959 technologically advanced with transverse engine front wheel drive and all independent suspension, and was stylish, fashionable and fun to drive as well as economical.