http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/.../ford_taurus_revived


Ford will rename its slow-selling Five Hundred model the Taurus, a name Ford previously had used for a car that became the nation's top-seller, two company officials said Tuesday.

Ford spokesman Jim Cain would not confirm that the Taurus name will be brought back, but said Mulally has been interested in the Taurus ever since arriving from aviation giant Boeing Co. last year. Cain said the company would make news at the Chicago Auto Show, but he would not say what it was. "It will be announced in Chicago, whatever it is. I'm not confirming or denying," he said.

It will get a new, more powerful engine and some cosmetic updates for the 2008 model year, when the name change likely is to take place. The new version will be in showrooms this summer, company officials have said.

Ford also sold another 2 million Mercury Sables, the Taurus' nearly identical twin. It is likely that the Five Hundred's Mercury counterpart, the Montego, will be renamed the Sable.

I don't think thats going to help them... I havent heard a good thing about ford (except for the mustang and gt) for awhile now. The 500 is nice looking but I imagine its out of its price league being awd and having all the luxary stuff. Ford needs another real taurus (cheap bigger family car) with the option of making it a nicer car (like the sho).

They gonna resurrect all those trannys they knew were bad for years but didn't give a crap about?

[This message has been edited by pokeyfiero (edited 02-06-2007).]

wow what was that a 6 month death before resurection?

I am so lining up to buy one.

This business of replacing models instead of redesigning them is a bad idea, I think.

Honda came out with the Accord when? 1979, 1980? How many generations has it gone through since then? It's gone from being scarcely larger than a Civic to being a four-door family car--in many ways THE 4-door family car of choice for many people, yet it has the same name it always did. (Ditto for the Civic, now that I think of it.)

Where's the Chevette? Where's the Escort? Where's the Cavalier? Where's the Omni or Neon? These models have been replaced--why?

Well, one reason is pricing. Redesign the Escort and slap higher prices on it, and what do you get from the automotive press? Something like, "This new version of the Escort comes with a significant price increase...." Better to replace the Escort with the Focus. Right??

For years, the Taurus and the Toyota Camry traded off being the #1 four-door car sold in America, with the Accord a close third. Ford just threw that name recognition away. Glad someone there has a little bit of sense...but it may be "too little, too late".

Ed

"Ford to resurrect Taurus to help sales"..... Would that the the same as saying "General Motors to resurrect Pontiac Fiero to help sales"? Actually it may work

I can't understand WHY these executive do wierd things like this info from Wiki (don't know how true): South Korea's GM-Daewoo has also had Speedsters displayed with the Daewoo badge. WTF! Why not Pontiac and call it Fiero? Who knows what they were thinking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Speedster

[This message has been edited by FierociousGT (edited 02-07-2007).]

quote Originally posted by edhering: This business of replacing models instead of redesigning them is a bad idea, I think.

Ain't that the truth!^

Why don't they redesign a better name and get it off the ground a little like Falcon or Comet.

A Ford 500 by any other name is just the same.

Although I have read that the 500 is a nice car for what it is. Not a race car, not a street dragster, but a "family" sedan much like the Taurus was. Why not rename it the Galaxy 500, which was a Ford model back in the 60s. These over paid executives think that the public are just stupid consumers and by renaming a car makes the public think they are getting something new and great and charge more for the new name.

quote Originally posted by Old Lar: Although I have read that the 500 is a nice car for what it is. Not a race car, not a street dragster, but a "family" sedan much like the Taurus was. Why not rename it the Galaxy 500, which was a Ford model back in the 60s.

IMO... Not sure if that would work due to the design. Maybe if it was a retro design like the Mustang. Pontiac didn't have luck with the new GTO (RIP). I think the new GTO would have took off if it had a retro design. Again this is my opinion.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Old Lar:

Why not rename it the Galaxy 500, which was a Ford model back in the 60s. QUOTE]

Good choice and they also had a Fairlane 500.

quote Originally posted by Butter: [QUOTE]Originally posted by Old Lar: Why not rename it the Galaxy 500, which was a Ford model back in the 60s. QUOTE] Good choice and they also had a Fairlane 500.

And a Fairlane GT, we had one

quote Originally posted by tutnkmn: And a Fairlane GT, we had one

Curious what year and drive train?

You didn't have one of the GT's with 428or7 and fiberglass hood and trunk did you?

[This message has been edited by Butter (edited 02-07-2007).]

Taurus was a cheap (although not so cheap) throw away car. People all kept them wayyyy too long. They only really had the high ' sales ' because they sold millions of them at almost cost to government agencies, rental fleets, and so on. It was never based on real showroom customers buying them. Same for Crown Vics. See how many they really sold after you deduct all the police and taxi company sales. I think they should just let the name die like Cavalier and Edsel.

quote Originally posted by Butter: Curious what year and drive train? You didn't have one of the GT's with 428or7 and fiberglass hood and trunk did you?

I know it was a 1966. It was mother's car, Dad had a SuperBee. Yeah, we have always been a car family! I believe it had the 390 ci engine. Looked like this only white in colour:



EDIT: I found it! It looked JUST like this:



My elder sister had a Falcon in this time (she wanted a Mustang but the parents did not want her to have a V8 for her first car or anything that would attract boys ). She later got a Torino with a big block. Her first car driving boyfriend had a Corvair with the turbo.

Dad stayed loyal to Mopar. His 383 Bee was traded in on a 72 Dart Swinger 340. That was the last family muscle car until I started driving in the early 80s. The Dart was traded in for an Aspen R/T with the 360 which Dad HATED! What a dog.

Ah, those were the days

Me at age three, bundled into the backseat of a 66 Fairlane GT with no anti lock brakes, no airbags, no child seat (heck, no seat belts - they were an option), a nice steel dash for your head to hit. How did we survive the 60s? LOL

[This message has been edited by tutnkmn (edited 02-08-2007).]

When the 500 first came out, I sat in one at the local auto show. It had THE cheapest looking interior of all the cars at the show. There was something about the door panel plastics that screamed cheap. I wanted to like the car, but couldn't.

3 liter v6 with around 200 hp and 200 torque. 3700ish pounds. I don't know. OK. Not great, and seems like other options out there have better numbers.

PLUS, continuously variable transmission. Would you want to be one of the first owners of those from Ford? Scares me. Anyone have any driving experience with them? But more importantly, any idea of repair records? I guess too early to tell longevity.

I agree with some of the above posts of bringing back some of the old names. But lets get serious and not go the 04 GTO route.
No hood scoops, single exhaust out 1 side, and the only thing retro was a gto badge hardly noticable from any angle.
I was so upset when I saw the 1st one .... oh just shoot me.
I didn't buy one but I do have the factory video pack still in the plastic wrapper. Still too pi$$d to open it.
Thanks GM.

The Taurus was a top seller? Wonders never cease. They were a total flop here.

quote Originally posted by Formula: I don't think thats going to help them... I havent heard a good thing about ford (except for the mustang and gt) for awhile now. The 500 is nice looking but I imagine its out of its price league being awd and having all the luxary stuff. Ford needs another real taurus (cheap bigger family car) with the option of making it a nicer car (like the sho).

Lol, I had some guy in an Tarus SHO the other day try and run my 87GT (3.8SC) look on his face was priceless... that is once I let him catch up. I never thought SHO's were nice, they were always just a Ford Tarus, and I never would have bought a Tarus, always just seemed like a cheap car to me. Im probably biased from never having one, and just dealing with defunked and junkyard cars.

[This message has been edited by 86GT3.4DOHC (edited 02-09-2007).]

Didn't Taurus sales nosedive in 1996 when they redesigned it to make it more aero-looking? Trouble was, it looked smaller and people hated the way it looked, how the rear end seemed to be dragging, the unique oval-shaped radio, etc. It was truly a love-it or hate-it design, and too many people hated it (hence the more-conservative "refreshening" it got just a couple years later). I hope they realize just slapping a "Taurus" badge on there isn't going to automatically guarantee a 400,000 annual seller; they need to make a car people WANT.