Ford Taurus, the Car that Doesn't Get No Respect

Ford Taurus: The Car that Doesn't Get No Respect

Let's say you're Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford Motor Company. Times are not the best. Is this a good time to close the plant that makes your most popular passenger car? Well, that's what Ford is on the verge of doing. It's on the verge of killing the Taurus. The fact is, the Taurus still sells almost 200,000 units per year even though it hasn't seen a significant upgrade in years. It outsells the Focus, the Mustang, the 500, the Fusion and Milan -- all of them. Maybe not forever, but for now.

Most of those sales are to fleets, but hey, the fleets have to buy something. If they don't buy the Taurus, what are they going to buy? Some might buy the Five Hundred or the Fusion, but the majority of those sales are going to go somewhere else. Some of them probably can't buy the Fusion because it's assembled in Mexico. There isn't enough capacity on-line now to fill those orders anyway.

The fact of the matter is that the Taurus doesn't get any respect. In a market with quite a few excellent cars, a good car is ridiculed. I'm going to post a comparison of the Taurus and the Fusion very soon. On paper these cars look more the same than different. There's no question the Fusion is a better car, but I can go to my local Ford dealer and buy a 2005 used Taurus with the 24 valve engine, 12,000 miles and lots of warranty left for $11,700. That's half the price of the Fusion. So, the question is, would I rather have a new Fusion or TWO almost-new Tauruses? I think that's the question that Ford doesn't want answered, and that's why they're killing the Taurus.

Update: November sales, first quarter forecasts - Autoblog - www.autoblog.com _