Ford Taurus (third Generation)

Ford Taurus (third Generation)

The third-generation Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 1999.

The third generation of Ford Taurus was the first to be completely redesigned from the ground up, and used a rounded, oval-derived design that was very controversial at the time, considered to be the main reason for this model's downfall in the market. It was designed to appeal to buyers of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord — both of which were similarly styled — as well as to make Ford a design leader in the North American market, a title that was attributed to the Chrysler Corporation. Among the most controversial features of the design were both the front fascia that was composed of separate circular headlights, circular turn signals and the oval shaped rear window (the Sable, unlike the Taurus, had a more conventional window).

This generation of Taurus was released for sale in late 1995 to mixed reactions from consumers. It managed to retain its status as the best selling car in America through the 1996 model year; however, this was achieved through heavy sales to car rental companies: only 49% of Taurus sales in 1996 were to private customers. Because of this, the Taurus lost its bestseller status in 1997 to the Toyota Camry, a title that it has not recovered and likely will never recover now that it is a full size car. This generation of Taurus continued to be sold until 1999, when it was replaced with the fourth-generation Ford Taurus.