The Mercury Lynx is a compact car that was produced by Mercury from 1981 to 1987. It was a rebadged version of the Ford Escort. In 1987, the Lynx was dropped after slumping sales (although at one point, it was Mercury's best-selling car). In 1988, Mercury launched the Tracer as the Lynx's replacement. The Tracer was based on the Mazda 323, was built in Mexico and Japan (depending on model), and shared nothing with the Lynx.