The Mercury logo on a sign outside of a San Francisco Ford Lincoln Mercury in June 2010. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Ford Motor Co. is offering Mercury owners $500 toward the purchase of a new Ford vehicle and as much as $1,500 to buy a Lincoln as the auto maker looks to retain customers after dissolving the brand last year.

The customer loyalty incentive, which started earlier this week, runs through April 4, according to three dealers briefed on the rebate. The offer is confined to the Midwest states which had been the heart of the Mercury market.

This is one of the first steps Ford has taken to reach out to Mercury customers after the auto maker stopped producing Mercury vehicles at the end of last year. The move also comes as stand-alone Lincoln dealers, those without a Ford franchise, adjust to life minus their Mercury showrooms which helped pull in shoppers. Get the full story »