Ford introduces new sedan, but says it won't replace Taurus

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Posted 3:31PM on Thursday, March 28, 2002

NEW YORK - A roomy family sedan with the elevated front seats of a sport utility vehicle and a name that harkens back to a long-gone brand is Ford Motor Co.'s hope for reclaiming the sales superiority of its fading Taurus. The Ford Five-Hundred was introduced Thursday during media previews of the New York International Auto Show. It goes on sale in 2004. It derives its name from the Ford Galaxie 500 that was popular in the early to mid-1960s. The new car is still in development so Ford showed a video of the Five-Hundred's likely appearance. There has been speculation that the Taurus, which was once the best-selling car in America, would be killed off after the company announced it would build it in just one, instead of the current two plants. But Ford insisted Thursday that reports of the aging Taurus's death are premature. "Taurus will continue," said Jim O'Connor, president of the Ford division. "Who knows, maybe we'll build it forever, depending on demand." "Taurus may be old but the brand isn't tired," said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich. "It has a lot of brand equity. Ford just needs to do a better job of freshening it," Virag said. Ford will begin building the Five-Hundred in the second quarter of 2004 at the same Chicago plant that will produce the CrossTrainer, a new vehicle that will contain elements of a sedan and an SUV. The Chicago plant is one of the two plants that built the Taurus and its twin, the Mercury Sable. Only the plant in suburban Atlanta will continue producing them. The Taurus has long fallen from its top sales spot, giving way to the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, the best-selling car in 2001. Sales of the Taurus in 2001 were off 7.5 percent from the year before. Through the first two months of this year, Taurus sales are down 21.7 percent compared with the January-February period a year ago. But O'Connor said there is still a strong demand for the Taurus from rental agencies and other commercial entities supporting the business case to continue its production. The Ford Five-Hundred will be priced higher than the Taurus and compete with more upscale vehicles such as the Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon, O'Connor said. The sedan will seat five and will feature an elevated front seat that provides what Ford calls a "command of road" driving position. The front seat is two to four inches higher than the front seat of a conventional sedan, Ford says. The combination of its passenger car styling and SUV-like room and elevated seating may open still another segment of the increasingly splintered auto market, Virag said. "With all of the niches, this could be another one," he said.

Ford introduces new sedan, but says it won&#39;t replace Taurus

Ford introduces new sedan, but says it won't replace Taurus