The Mercury Bobcat was thw first subcompact car introduced by Mercury in 1975. The Mercury Bobcat was introduced as a twin to the Ford Pinto. The famous Mercury Bobcat was available as a 3 door hatch back and wagon body style. Mercury Bobcat was modified in 1979 for the first time after its introduction in 1975 and stopped production in 1980. In 1981 the Mercury Lynx replaced the Bobcat.
The major reasons for the failure of the Mercury Bobcat include the car's design, that allowed its fuel tank to be easily damaged in the event of a rear-end collision which sometimes resulted in deadly fires and explosions. Mercury Bobcat did not feature a true rear bumper or any reinforcing structure between the rear panel and the tank, meant that in certain collisions, the tank would be thrust forward into the differential. The fact that the doors could potentially jam during an accident also added to the failure of this model.