Ford Taurus (fifth Generation) - Background

Background

The Ford Taurus was one of the company's best-selling nameplates. However, it suffered from slumping sales since the late 1990s, steadily losing market share in the midsize segment to the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. The fourth-generation Ford Taurus soon relied heavily on sales incentives and fleet sales, which further diminished its appeal. The Taurus was discontinued in late 2006, being succeeded by the Ford Fusion and Ford Five Hundred, however the Five Hundred did not perform to expectations.

However, this caused a controversy within the auto industry, with popular automotive websites such as Autoblog and The Truth About Cars expressing their disappointment at Ford for letting the Taurus nameplate decline. MSNBC interviewed many Ford workers who felt that Ford unjustly abandoned the car that had done so much to revitalize Ford and the US industry. In an October 25, 2006 USA Today editorial, "How Ford starved its Taurus" it was noted that while the Japanese stick with their popular models and keep them up to date and competitive, (such as the Toyota Corolla, which has been in continuous production since the 1960s), the Detroit automakers regularly abandon established models in search of "the next big thing".

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

Alan Mulally, 2006

However, after Alan Mulally became Ford's CEO, rumors were rampant that he was interested in reviving the Taurus. These were fueled by the fact that he said in an interview with the Associated Press that he was baffled to find out that the Taurus had been discontinued when taking position as CEO at Ford, as well as stating that he believed that discontinuing the Taurus was a mistake, and that the Five Hundred should have been named "Taurus" from the beginning. The rumors of a possible Taurus revival were confirmed in mid 2007, when the revamped versions of the Five Hundred and Freestyle were unveiled as "Taurus" and "Taurus X" at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, a decision that was influenced strongly by Mulally. In a later interview, Mulally explained that the fact that the Taurus was well known and had a positive brand equity associated with it, something that would take lots of time and money to give to the Five Hundred.

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