Why We May Not See The Next Ford Taurus, But China Will
According to some outlets, the 2016 Ford Taurus will be both quicker and lighter than the outgoing car. That’s news to us here at TTAC – last we heard, the Taurus wasn’t even slated for North America.
Reeports by Edmunds and other outlets are claiming that the next Taurus will ditch the heavy, antiquated Volvo-based platform in favor of Ford’s more modern CD architecture that underpins the Fusion, the upcoming Ford Edge and other models. This is technically true.
Back in the spring of 2013, our sources told us that a CD-based Taurus was under development, but promptly sent to the garbage dump after its design bombed its consumer clinics. Marketing brass at Ford decided to kill the Taurus, due to dissatisfaction with the way it looked, and the sales volumes the Taurus generated. Given the accuracy of our sources regarding the F-150 and its aluminum construction, as well as the 2015 Mustang, we are inclined to believe them.
Ironically, Taurus sales have grown by nearly 20 percent over the past two years, despite a shrinking full-size car market. But the long-term trend suggests that larger sedans (what’s considered mid-size, as well as full-size) will undergo a contraction in sales, as CUVs take a bigger bite out of the segment.
The full-size sedan market is heavily weighted towards fleet sales, and with the Fusion outselling the Taurus by a roughly 4:1 ratio, it’s understandable that Ford would not want to renew the Taurus for another model cycle. Other considerations, like the Taurus being a drag on Ford’s CAFE ratings (remember, large cars get punished under CAFE, whereas trucks don’t) and the stronger sales of the Explorer Police Interceptor may give the Taurus-killers some more ammo.
One place where the Taurus could survive is in China. Ford is already planning a large Lincoln flagship, codenamed GOBI. Based on the CD architecture and targeted at Chinese business consumers by emphasizing rear seat comfort and amenities, GOBI will replace what we know as the Lincoln MKS in both China and the United States. Our source thinks that a new Taurus, twinned with GOBI, could be a possibility for China – but its future in America is in doubt.
More by Derek Kreindler
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wow... the comments above cannot be from actual owners but from repeating what is constantly written on the web. Look...I have owned 2 MKS. My latest with ecoboost has now nearly 60K on it. And having test driven all the competition before purchasing them I cannot believe the nonsense I read. I will allow for the AWD being not the brightest bulb or finest system as it is slow, clumsy and even clunky when old. But please...stop with all the "narrow cockpit" and other ridiculous crap that is not real. First...for the money I spent, 55K back in 09...not one single competitor came close to giving everything the MKS did. Not the trunk volume. Not the comfort. Not the AWD. Not the adaptive headlights. dual sunroof. bridge of weir leather second only to Lexus. Just nothing came close. You can talk all you want...but given everything available, they all came 10 thousand more. And if that seems like pocket change to you...then have at it. But you are talking crap. ...and it still today drives like a figgin fast luxury car. no better engine than the 3.5 ecoboost. a dream.
So, basically, because one generation of the Taurus does poorly, they give up? Wow, no. Keep it here. Just make it a longer version of the Fusion. Don't sacrifice the second or third most American car to copycat China. They can make their own Taurus if they want one. They made an F150.