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Ford Taurus to Rise Again?
By Chuck Smith
It sure looks like the Taurus will once again rise at Ford. This was after Ford CEO Mulally expressed his fascination for the Taurus. As a matter of fact, he even rented one just to check how well it drives. Mulally said that he was a fan of the Taurus 20 years ago when he studied the production system of the car which was then a part of the project he was doing for Boeing. But he said, "I haven't had time to do the deep dive on why we stopped investing in Taurus, but I'd like to…the Ford Five Hundred should have been the new Taurus."
A day after Mulally made such statement, Ford Division's new Marketing Chief, Barry Engle was already complaining about the Fusion claiming that it's a name that is unpopular to at least 30% of buyers in the mid-size car segment. Engle further stated why not rename the Fusion and turn it into a Taurus, "I don't know why we invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a name over 20 years and then walk away from it."
Ford's "ghosts of the past"
Ford has discontinued and remodeled several car models yet many of Ford's own executives can't seem to shake off the "ghosts of the past". CEO Mulally finds it funny, saying that he was still looking for his Lincoln Zephyr to drive. He has forgotten that they have dropped the Zephyr in favor of the MKZ for this year's model. Ford analyst Chief George Pipas has also referred to the Zephyr in the recent sale's call but corrected himself.
Ford Taurus Facts
The Ford Taurus was a mid-size front wheel drive car and was manufactured by Ford Motor Company in North America. It was introduced in December 1986 as a replacement for the Fairmont-based rear-wheel drive LTD model. During its launch, the Taurus design became a milestone for both Ford and the whole American automotive industry. An approximately 7.5 million units of Taurus were sold.
The peak years for the Ford Taurus were between 1992 and 1996 where it was best-selling car in the US. It eventually lost its best-seller status with the arrival of Toyota Camry in 1997. The production for the Taurus ended on October 27, 2006 but fortunately, Ford Taurus parts are continuously being manufactured.
Ford has replaced the Taurus with three cars namely: the Ford Five Hundred which is a large crossover SUV version, the Ford Freestyle in replacement of the Taurus wagon, and the Ford Fusion which is a midsize car that is much closer in size to the Taurus. Ford is hoping that the three cars which they introduce in place of the Taurus will be able to cover the market that it has left.
About the Author
Chuck, a 38 year old freelance writer from Charleston, South Carolina, has been specializing on automotive-related articles and news. He has a degree in Automotive Technology.
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