Launched at the end of 1985 as a 1986 model, the Mercury Sable replaced the Mercury Marquis as the mid-size Mercury line, slotted between the Topaz and Grand Marquis/Colony Park. which clarified whether or not impersonations could be considered an appropriation of identity. Midler sued in response, leading to the memorable case Midler v. However, Midler turned down Ford's offer and refused to appear in the ads, so Ford utilized an impersonator of Midler as a substitute.

Ford planned a sensual marketing campaign for the Sable featuring singer and entertainer Bette Midler. With the flashing of strobe lights and a drum-roll, the curtain was pulled back and the two cars were revealed to the public. Ford workers came into the room, which was decorated in space-age decor, holding cups shaped like flying saucers and the Taurus and Sable were sitting behind a curtain. In place of a traditional auto show unveiling, the launch was held an MGM Studios soundstage (where Gone with the Wind was filmed). In mid-1985, Ford unveiled the Mercury Sable alongside the Ford Taurus as a 1986 model. The compact front-wheel drive replacements for the Ford Fairmont/Mercury Zephyr, the Tempo/Topaz marked the first use of aerodynamic body design by Ford for a sedan. Following the Thunderbird and Cougar, Ford introduced the 1984 Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz. The 1983 Cougar was well received in the marketplace (outselling the 1983 Thunderbird ) Ford would choose to abandon 'boxy' car design altogether, influencing other car manufacturers to follow suit during the 1980s. Coinciding with the 1986 launch of the Sable, General Motors downsized Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac full-size sedans to front-wheel drive, only slightly larger than the mid-size Sable.ДЇor 1983, Mercury underwent a brand revision, with the Cougar reverting to its traditional role as a two-door personal coupe alongside the Ford Thunderbird while retaining the same chassis underpinnings, the Thunderbird and Cougar underwent a complete exterior redesign, becoming the first Ford cars produced with highly aerodynamic designs, a central objective of the Taurus/Sable design. In 1982, as a sedan/station wagon version of the Chevrolet Citation, General Motors produced the quartet of the Chevrolet Celebrity/ Pontiac 6000/ Oldsmobile Cutlass/ Buick Century a year later, Chrysler expanded its K cars into the mid-size segment with the first front-wheel drive Chrysler New Yorker. Дuring the development of the Sable, Mercury had become one of the final American brands to adopt front-wheel drive into its vehicle line. Along with input from potential buyers (in stark contrast to the Edsel), Ford used reverse engineering of competitive vehicles as a design input tool. While designed entirely in North America, the Taurus/Sable were designed under a similar approach as the Ford Escort, using an interdisciplinary team approach each element of the vehicle was designed concurrently, including manufacturing and assembly. The Taurus was to replace the Ford LTD while the Sable replaced the Mercury Marquis. Originally intended to replace its full-size and mid-size rear-wheel drive product lines ( Panther and Fox platforms, respectively), the Taurus/Sable were focused toward the mid-size segment in 1981, as the company felt stabilization of gasoline prices justified the continuation of its full-size model lines. In early 1980, the Mercury Sable began development alongside the Ford Taurus the $3.5 billion project would become the largest development ever undertaken by Ford at the time. The Sable nameplate derived from the small Russian mammal of the same name. The final Sable was produced on in total, 2,112,374 Sables were produced during its 1985вЂ“2005 production. It was reintroduced for 2008 as a full-size car, offered as a four-door sedan.Д«ecause of declining sales, the Sable was discontinued after the 2009 model year, leaving no Mercury counterpart for the sixth-generation Taurus.

For 2006, the Sable was replaced by the full-size Montego and mid-size Milan. From the 1986 to 2005 model years, it was produced as a mid-size four-door sedan and five-door station wagon. Over its production span, the Sable was Mercury's badge-engineered counterpart to the Ford Taurus, below the Grand Marquis in the Mercury range. Introduced on Decemas the replacement for the Mercury Marquis, the Sable marked the transition of the mid-size Mercury product range to front-wheel drive. The Mercury Sable is a range of automobiles manufactured and marketed by the Mercury brand of Ford Motor Company.

Mercury sable