Ford Taurus - Initial Discontinuation and Revival

Initial Discontinuation and Revival

Taurus sales had slumped significantly in the years prior to its short-lived demise in 2006, losing significant market share to Japanese sedans. Due to waning popularity and customer demand, Ford decided to gradually discontinue the Taurus. The last Chicago, Illinois Ford Taurus Sedan rolled off the assembly line on June 25, 2004. Production of the Taurus wagon was discontinued on December 8, 2004; sedan retail sales halted after a short 2006 model year, and the Taurus became sold exclusively to fleets in the United States, while still being sold to retail customers in Canada. Production ended on October 27, 2006, as Ford idled the Atlanta plant, as part of its The Way Forward restructuring plan.

How can it go away? It's the best selling car in America.

The last mid-size Ford Taurus rolled off the assembly line around 7:00am, destined for delivery to S. Truett Cathy, owner of Chick-fil-A. Mr. Cathy's original restaurant was located across from the Ford Atlanta plant; Cathy credits the patronage he received from Atlanta assembly plant workers with making his restaurant successful enough to turn into a franchise. No ceremony marked the end of production. Ford had decided to replace the Taurus with the fullsize Five Hundred and midsize Fusion sedans and the Taurus wagon with the Freestyle crossover SUV.

Discontinuation of the Taurus was controversial. While many believed that the Taurus had been discontinued because it could no longer compete in the growing sedan market, others claimed Ford could have easily have saved the nameplate had it wished to. Autoblog went so far as to call the Taurus "the biggest fall from grace in automotive history" and even blamed Ford's current financial problems on its failure to keep the Taurus competitive, focusing too unilaterally on trucks and SUVs. The Truth About Cars published a review/editorial also showing their disappointment at how Ford neglected the Taurus to the point where it became a "rental car".

Workers thought Ford had abandoned a car that had done so much to revitalize Ford and the US industry. An October 25, 2006, USA Today editorial, "How Ford starved its Taurus", noted that the Japanese stuck with their winners and make them better (such as the Toyota Corolla, which has been in continuous production since the 1960s), while Detroit automakers retire cars and even entire division nameplates in search of "the next big thing".

But Alan Mulally, Ford's new CEO named in late 2006, wanted to revive the Taurus, saying in an interview with the Associated Press that he was baffled by the Taurus's discontinuation and believed it a mistake, adding that the Five Hundred should have been named "Taurus" from the beginning. Rumors of a possible Taurus revival were confirmed in early 2007, when the revamped Five Hundred and Freestyles were unveiled as "Taurus" and "Taurus X" at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, a decision influenced strongly by Mulally. Later, Mulally explained that the fact that the Taurus's name recognition and positive brand equity strongly influenced his decision to revive the nameplate.