Gene
02-06-2007, 12:33 PM
I never understood why Ford decided to kill the nameplate off in the first place.
Ford to Rename Five Hundred
After Once-Popular Taurus
By JOHN D. STOLL
February 6, 2007 9:32 a.m.
DETROIT -- Just months after putting an end to the Taurus sedan, Ford Motor Co. is getting set to resurrect the name of what was once the top-selling car in the U.S.
Company executives will announce Wednesday at the Chicago auto show that Ford's Five Hundred midsize sedan, which was launched in 2004, will be renamed Taurus, according to multiple people briefed on the company's plan.
Ford spokesman Jim Cain would neither confirm nor deny the move. He noted that Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally has been a vocal advocate of the Taurus name and that many media outlets have speculated about the moniker's return to the marketplace.
"Taurus is a wonderful brand that's fondly remembered by a great many people and it's been fantastic to see so many reminders of that on blogs and other Web sites," Mr. Cain said.
Ford, which is scrambling to recover from a $12.7 billion loss in 2006, sold nearly seven million Tauruses during the two decades it was in production. The Taurus, which was the best-selling car in the U.S. for several years starting in the early 1990s, lost its standing in recent years as Asian competitors such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. steadily improved their comparable entries. Lately the Taurus was mostly sold to rental car firms.
Mr. Mulally, who took the helm of Ford in October after a long career at Boeing Co., has said repeatedly that he does not understand why the company did not adequately invest in the Taurus. Last month, in an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Mr. Mulally hinted the auto maker may be considering reviving the Taurus name, but stopped short of giving a clear indication of confirming the move.
The Five Hundred, a larger car than the defunct Taurus, has met a cool reception since its launch. In 2006, sales of the Five Hundred fell 22% to 84,218 vehicles, or about half as many Tauruses as were sold in the last year of production. Sales of the Five Hundred were down 51% in January from a year earlier, at 3,526 vehicles.
Ford is doing a modest redesign on the Five Hundred for the 2008 model year, a move that the company hopes will help it reposition the car in the marketplace.
The Five Hundred shares many of its parts and a common architecture with the Ford Freestyle crossover vehicle and the Mercury Montego sedan, all of which are built in Chicago.
A Ford dealer who asked not to be identified said the company has great "equity" in the Taurus name, but he is concerned the company has wasted the cachet by not having updated the Taurus in recent years. He worries that the Five Hundred may not be an adequate replacement for people who truly appreciated the Taurus.
Write to John D. Stoll at john.stoll@dowjones.net
Ford to Rename Five Hundred
After Once-Popular Taurus
By JOHN D. STOLL
February 6, 2007 9:32 a.m.
DETROIT -- Just months after putting an end to the Taurus sedan, Ford Motor Co. is getting set to resurrect the name of what was once the top-selling car in the U.S.
Company executives will announce Wednesday at the Chicago auto show that Ford's Five Hundred midsize sedan, which was launched in 2004, will be renamed Taurus, according to multiple people briefed on the company's plan.
Ford spokesman Jim Cain would neither confirm nor deny the move. He noted that Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally has been a vocal advocate of the Taurus name and that many media outlets have speculated about the moniker's return to the marketplace.
"Taurus is a wonderful brand that's fondly remembered by a great many people and it's been fantastic to see so many reminders of that on blogs and other Web sites," Mr. Cain said.
Ford, which is scrambling to recover from a $12.7 billion loss in 2006, sold nearly seven million Tauruses during the two decades it was in production. The Taurus, which was the best-selling car in the U.S. for several years starting in the early 1990s, lost its standing in recent years as Asian competitors such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. steadily improved their comparable entries. Lately the Taurus was mostly sold to rental car firms.
Mr. Mulally, who took the helm of Ford in October after a long career at Boeing Co., has said repeatedly that he does not understand why the company did not adequately invest in the Taurus. Last month, in an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Mr. Mulally hinted the auto maker may be considering reviving the Taurus name, but stopped short of giving a clear indication of confirming the move.
The Five Hundred, a larger car than the defunct Taurus, has met a cool reception since its launch. In 2006, sales of the Five Hundred fell 22% to 84,218 vehicles, or about half as many Tauruses as were sold in the last year of production. Sales of the Five Hundred were down 51% in January from a year earlier, at 3,526 vehicles.
Ford is doing a modest redesign on the Five Hundred for the 2008 model year, a move that the company hopes will help it reposition the car in the marketplace.
The Five Hundred shares many of its parts and a common architecture with the Ford Freestyle crossover vehicle and the Mercury Montego sedan, all of which are built in Chicago.
A Ford dealer who asked not to be identified said the company has great "equity" in the Taurus name, but he is concerned the company has wasted the cachet by not having updated the Taurus in recent years. He worries that the Five Hundred may not be an adequate replacement for people who truly appreciated the Taurus.
Write to John D. Stoll at john.stoll@dowjones.net