Mercury is an American-market division that was marketed and sold by automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company. Marketed primarily as a entry-level premium brand, Mercury was created in 1938 to fill the price gap between the Ford and Lincoln vehicle lines. In a similar role, the Mercury counterpart of General Motors was Buick and Oldsmobile while competing against the namesake brand of Chrysler (following the cancellation of the DeSoto brand in 1960).