Hot Take: You Probably Wouldn't Have Wanted the New Ford Taurus, Anyway

Despite having risen from the grave in 2007, following its brief stint as the Ford Five Hundred, the Taurus has been reburied. The last example rolled out of Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant a few weeks ago (to make room for SUVs), though the car lives on in China. However, we doubt you’d be interested if the manufacturer suddenly began exporting them.

A seventh generation of the Ford Taurus was introduced there in 2015, looking like a hybrid of the American sixth-gen and Australia’s FG X Falcon. A mid-cycle refresh is right around the corner, and you’ll probably be glad it’s staying in China.

The car’s official debut isn’t until next month’s Shanghai Auto Show, though leaked images of the car have made the rounds online — apparently stemming from the Sohu Internet news site and several leaks from within the company. While the car still resembles the Taurus we’ve put to rest, a few minor changes cropped up. Slimmer headlamps, a new grille and bumper, more LEDs, and some additional chrome detailing help modernize the look. And it’s all very bland… and round.

Worse yet, the Chinese Taurus will only be available with a 1.5-liter EcoBoost or the current 2.0-liter EcoBoost (producing 245 horsepower), mated to a six-speed automatic. The V6 is gone, not that the country has any longstanding affinity for the SHO or large, high-horsepower vehicles in general.

It’s not completely terrible, but Changan-Ford doesn’t appear to offer anything that would light a fire under Americans shopping for a new full-size sedan. Hopefully, that makes the loss of the North American Taurus more palatable to those feeling extra raw about its continued existence in Asia.

As for the possibility of future exports, don’t count on it. Ford isn’t even considering shipping the car to other markets right now, and we don’t expect that to change anytime soon — even if US-Chinese trade tensions suddenly dissipate.

[Images: Sohu Inc]