DETROIT — Mercury could soon be the latest Detroit car brand to disappear.

Ford Motor Co. is assessing the future of Mercury, although a final decision on whether to kill the brand hasn't yet been made, a person familiar with the company's deliberations said Thursday. The person asked not to be named because the process is ongoing.

During a trip to Washington to meet with lawmakers, Ford CEO Alan Mulally declined to discuss Mercury, saying the company has nothing new to announce. He added that Ford is continually reviewing all its brands.

Several Lincoln-Mercury dealers contacted Thursday evening said they hadn't heard that Mercury could be discontinued.

The fate of the 72-year-old Mercury brand has long been in question. The brand, conceived as a mid-range brand between the no-frills Ford brand and the luxury Lincoln brand, saw its peak sales in 1978 at more than 580,000 vehicles but has been in decline ever since. Ford sold 92,000 Mercurys last year.

"It's a brand that has really lost its relevance to the American consumer," said James Bell, an executive market analyst with Kelley Blue Book.