truth about domestics

Ford apparently had quite the marketing bunch back in the 80′s…well, I mean, pretty much every company did.  Check it out for yourself in the video above…

Anyway, according to The Detroit News, Ford Motor Company had police personnel from across the country come out to Dearborn to sample some of their latest offerings to see which car would best suit law enforcement after the 2011 death of the Crown Vic.  Since Ford with the Crown Vic owns 85% of the 75,000 police vehicles sold each year, they aren’t ready to give up without a fight.  One vehicle the cops were allowed to sample was the Taurus and Taurus SHO.  No word on any plans to offer the Taurus with a police package have surfaced as of yet…

(Image source: Ford Motor Company)

Not that it comes as a shock to anyone who follows the auto industry.  The Ford Taurus has earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick for the 4th year in a row.  This is just another in a long list of awards the new Taurus has been racking up in recent weeks, including being named Esquire Magazine’s car of the year for the SHO.  For more details, head on over to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Ford says they did not design the 2010 Taurus (base price around $26,000) to compete with luxury cars costing $60,000 or more.  That didn’t stop them from comparing the new Taurus to several luxury cars like the Lexus LS and the Acura RL.  A spokesperson from Ford says the cars were chosen not to target luxury car buyers, but to showcase the advanced technologies in the Taurus that the more expensive cars do not even offer.  Both videos above are well worth watching, so, enjoy!

Ford seemed to have a hit on their hands with the 2010 Fusion ads that claimed, “We speak car.”  Well the Fusion is selling at record levels compared to last years numbers, so now the push begins to sell the brand new 2010 Taurus and its sporty, Ecoboost equipped sibling, the Taurus SHO.  The ads focus mostly on the technological goodies that are packed into the Taurus, as well as items not found anywhere else like SYNC.  For all of the details, as well as the comparison graphics, head on over to Jalopnik.

According to a report in the Detroit News, Ford and General Motors could be looking to downsize their full-size sedans.

Ford is rumored to be looking at moving the D-size Taurus to the C/D platform that will underpin the next Ford Fusion and European Ford Mondeo and Galaxy.  Across town at GM, a similar strategy is under works that could move the Chevrolet Impala to a stretched and widened version of the Malibu.

These moves would make sense as automakers try to prepare for the upcoming CAFE increases by downsizing powertrains, and the vehicles themselves, to try and reduce weight.

Finally!  The wait is over!  You can now visit Ford’s website and build a 2010 Taurus SHO (and base Taurus too!)  Pick your options, color, packages, etc and watch the price grow.  It is quite an impressive looking vehicle and it offers technologies that you cannot get anywhere else in the industry.  For more details, or to build your own, head on over to the 2010 Taurus configurator.

The Mercury Sable, basically a slightly fancier version of the Ford Taurus, will officially end production (again) this Thursday at the Chicago Assembly Plant where they’re both built, alongside the Lincoln MKS.  The Sable has been a fairly slow seller, so it’s really not a surprise that Ford has decided to kill it off.  In another bit of news that no one will really be too hurt about, there is currently no replacement scheduled for the Sable, as Ford chose to spend that money on making the Taurus a truly world class vehicle.  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

2010 Ford Taurus SHO

Ford has decided to use the SHO moniker on it’s 2010 Taurus with Ecoboost.  The moniker was once used on 1989 to 1999 Taurus models, selling over 100,000 copies in the 10 year run.  The Taurus SHO (Super High Output) will be available in dealerships this summer, and features a 3.5L Ecoboost V6 capable of putting out 365 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, all-wheel drive, and tons of high tech features.  The Ecoboost engine features twin-turbochargers and direct-gas injection to give drivers “V8 power with V6 fuel efficiency.”  Read the full story, plus Ford’s press release at Autoblog.