The Taurus is back!

[ebritt]

Wow! I have a feeling Mulally is directly behind this. Since the "classic" Taurus has been discontinued there is no reason not to use this name again. I wonder when this change is coming? I assume it will be with the updated model coming out this spring.

DUDE!! THAT'S IT!! TAURUS CLASSIC!!! YOU......ARE .....A ...Genuious!!!

 

 

[2005Explorer]

DUDE!! THAT'S IT!! TAURUS CLASSIC!!! YOU......ARE .....A ...Genuious!!!

 

Well I was using the term to refer to the orginal Taurus that was discontinued this past fall, kind of like Chevy referred to the old rental Malibu as the Malibu "Classic" when they came out with a new one. I wasn't really trying to be funny.

 

Anyhow...with that said...this article has some good points in it...I think Ford was smart to re-name these vehicles.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi...hi-business-hed

 

Because it was on the market for more than 20 years, everyone knew what a Taurus was, but most didn't have the foggiest notion what a Five Hundred was or even who made it.

 

"Taurus has an 80 percent recognition factor among consumers, Five Hundred has 11 percent," said Spinella. "It would cost Ford $500 million to get the name recognition for Five Hundred that Taurus has now, and would take five to seven years to do it."

 

"A lot of times an automaker will change a name because the old car had trouble, but this isn't a Pinto that explodes," said Spinella. "It's a Taurus that was not only well known, [but] it had a good reputation for warranty repairs and an above-average repair record, so there was no reason to change the name."

Edited February 7, 2007 by 2005Explorer

[ebritt]

untitled.bmp

 

How bout some of these for logo's???

Edited February 7, 2007 by ebritt

[2005Explorer]

untitled.bmp

 

How bout some of these for logo's???

 

I like the one with the ring in his nose! Both of those bulls look mad. They look like the wanna "Hook 'em horns" into some Toyota Camry.

 

We could use Cowboy Troys "Hook 'em Horns" rap song for the new theme song! (even though Cowboy Troy is terrible...its still a fun song.)

Edited February 7, 2007 by 2005Explorer

[NickF1011]

untitled.bmp

 

How bout some of these for logo's???

 

Maybe the could go one further and bring back hood ornaments. Instead of a leaping Jaguar, they could have a charging bull.

[2005Explorer]

Well for what it's worth...the thread for the re-freshed 2008 Five-Hundred thread has had 92 posts since Jan. 6th. The new Taurus has had 184 since yesterday morning. It has people talking about the car which is something that people NEVER did when it was the 500. If people hear about something enough...even if it's just a name they are more likely to check it out.

[NickF1011]

Well for what it's worth...the thread for the re-freshed 2008 Five-Hundred thread has had 92 posts since Jan. 6th. The new Taurus has had 184 since yesterday morning. It has people talking about the car which is something that people NEVER did when it was the 500. If people hear about something enough...even if it's just a name they are more likely to check it out.

 

There's no doubt the name change has created an enormous amount of buzz. In order for it to really work though, Ford needs to launch the '08 Taurus with an equally enormous ad campaign. The Taurus won't remain on the media's radar for long without some nudging by Ford's marketing team.

[Kris Kolman]

Well thats the kicker... Ford has gotten more buzz out of this than I think anyone in Dearborn could have wished for. But they can't let that get to their heads. The articles will disapper tomarrow... The public will forget about it. For needs to follow this up with a decent marketing push or it's nothing more than a speedbump in the downward spiril. 60-70% of people who actually investigate a D3 buy one... That number is bound to drop once a less deserning buyer shows up, but that indicats they have a good car on their hands. What they Ford needs to do is spend as much on the F..Taurus as they have on the Fusion and Edge. I can't remember the last time I saw a Five-Hundred add... And considering this was a new nameplate with little buzz that alone explains a lot of the 20+% lost sales (the rest being internal competition from the Fusion). Take some of that Tuarus money they were eating dumping cars on rental fleets and put it into a nationwide marketing campain for the new Taurus.

[96 Pony]

Article by Jim Mateja in todays Chicago Tribune. raises some interesting points (I cut out the history of the Taurus part of the article since it was so long):

 

Posting the article because you have to subscribe to the Tribune to read web versions:

 

 

Taurus off the bench, rejoining Ford lineup

Five Hundred to get tag of former favorite

 

By Jim Mateja

Tribune auto reporter

Published February 7, 2007

 

Reports of Taurus' death have proven premature.

 

After being dropped from the lineup last October in deference to the new Ford Five Hundred, Taurus comes back this summer as a 2008. That's when the Five Hundred will be renamed Taurus. The companion Mercury Montego, built alongside the Five Hundred at Ford's Torrence Avenue assembly plant in Chicago, will become the Mercury Sable.

 

Ford spokesman Jim Cain said Mark Fields, president of the Americas for Ford, will make an announcement at the Midwest Automotive Media Association breakfast kicking off the Chicago Auto Show preview on Wednesday. But Cain would neither confirm nor deny that Fields will reveal the rebirth of Taurus.

 

Taurus and Sable weren't supposed to go anywhere when Five Hundred and Montego arrived for the 2005 model year. But then-Ford division President Steve Lyons decreed that all future Ford car names start with the letter F and all Mercury cars with the letter M. Thus, the Five Hundred and the Montego.

 

"The decision to start all Ford products with the letter F made a lot of sense. I just don't know to whom," said David Martin, president of Interbrand, a New York-based brand consulting and naming firm.

 

Martin says perhaps Ford went with Five Hundred because one of its sedan rivals over at Chrysler is the 300. It also was a designation Ford used before.

 

"The name never should have been changed in the first place," said Art Spinella, general manager of CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore., a firm that specializes in why people buy the vehicles they do.

 

Because it was on the market for more than 20 years, everyone knew what a Taurus was, but most didn't have the foggiest notion what a Five Hundred was or even who made it.

 

"Taurus has an 80 percent recognition factor among consumers, Five Hundred has 11 percent," said Spinella. "It would cost Ford $500 million to get the name recognition for Five Hundred that Taurus has now, and would take five to seven years to do it."

 

"It wouldn't bother me if the name returns," said Greg Webb of Packey Webb Ford in Wheaton. "Some argue that the Taurus name was more than 20 years old, but Mustang is more than 40 years old, and like Mustang, Taurus was associated with good product over the years."

 

Five Hundred and Montego have never matched Ford's expectations. Five Hundred sales were down 22 percent last year, to 84,218 vehicles, and Montego's were off 17.3 percent, to 22,322. That's down from a target of 100,000 Five Hundreds and 50,000 Montegos.

 

In fact, with fleet sales only, 174,803 Tauruses went out the door in 2006.

 

It's fitting the return of the Taurus and Sable is expected at the Chicago Auto Show. That's where the originals debuted in prototype form in 1985. On Dec. 26, 1985, Taurus and Sable went on sale, replacing the Ford LTD II and the Mercury Marquis.

 

"It makes sense to bring back the Taurus name because it brings back harmony at Ford," said Interbrand's Martin. "Anytime you co-op a name that had equity for a name that is new it has to make sense, and Five Hundred had no traction as a name."

 

Ford won't be the first to do this, but it may be the fastest. Chevrolet, for one, is bringing back Camaro for a sports coupe/convertible due out for 2009.

 

"A lot of times an automaker will change a name because the old car had trouble, but this isn't a Pinto that explodes," said Spinella. "It's a Taurus that was not only well known, [but] it had a good reputation for warranty repairs and an above-average repair record, so there was no reason to change the name."

 

Ford, which lost $12.7 billion last year and is closing plants and eliminating jobs, apparently hopes some of Taurus' success will rub off on it.

 

"The name hasn't been retired a long time and that will help," Martin said.

 

But, he added, "names don't sell cars. The car sells the car. Will the name change increase sales? I doubt it. Will the fact that with the redesign and new engine it looks and acts better? Probably."

 

Spinella agrees.

 

"Whether the name change helps sales depends on how they market it, but it certainly should increase awareness of the car, and then the car has to sell itself. The Five Hundred was bland and underpowered, but with the changes for 2008, it won't disappear in the crowd."

Edited February 7, 2007 by 96 Pony

[twintornados]

Well, its about F-ing (no pun intended) time that the "name every car with an F" has finally gone out the window...now, lets see if Ford will bring to market a small SUV and call it Bronco.

 

I hope they come out with a Torino soon....maybe the 2 door version of the Fusion will be called the Torino??

 

Anyway....way to go Ford.....good job Allen!!

[tmesich]

Does this mean we are closer to the Yamaha V8, AWD, 6 speed MANUAL SHO???? :hyper:

 

That would be a happy day! I would have to bail on my G6 lease early.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

So when is the Probe coming back?

 

:happy feet:

 

i am guessing that was the discontinued Cugar. I do think there is some room for a 2 door, front wheel drive coup under the mustang. I just realized my 06 is about the same size as an Acura TL. Its a very big coup!.

 

While Ford and Merc will get their nameplates back, I think Lincoln will keep the alpha-numerals. This will mimic Toyota/Honda named cars opposed to Lexus/Acura alphas. I guess this will mean the intercepter will carry the Crown Vic's name. I think it would have been much better as a Falcon myself.

[silvrsvt]

While Ford and Merc will get their nameplates back, I think Lincoln will keep the alpha-numerals. This will mimic Toyota/Honda named cars opposed to Lexus/Acura alphas. I guess this will mean the intercepter will carry the Crown Vic's name. I think it would have been much better as a Falcon myself.

 

 

The problem is the CV is an old fart car, they need to deep six the name and use something different. Interceptor works for me!

[twintornados]

Actually that may happen seeing as the D3 chassis underpins the Volvo XC90 and that is available with the 4.4 L Yamaha V8, so we know that sucker fits....how 'bout it Ford....the return of the Taurus along with a "Halo" production run of V8 powered units?? That would really put ole Dieter Zetche (spelling?) and the 300 Hemi in check!

 

 

Does this mean we are closer to the Yamaha V8, AWD, 6 speed MANUAL SHO???? :hyper:

 

That would be a happy day! I would have to bail on my G6 lease early.

[2005Explorer]

Here is a video that talks all about the new cars including a sound bite from the new CEO.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqV6CwrtzJU

 

Seeing them in action they do look a LOT nicer then the outgoing models.

[matthewq4b]

Smart Smart Move.

 

The Taurus (nee 500) will see sales double the year of the name change. No one even knows the 500 exsists. Also watch for Ford to pull out all the stops on advertizing this thing.

 

This is the quickest, easiest and cheapest fix for the 500's failing sales. The Taurus name has a lot of equity behind it. Not all of it good. But the name is not being stuck on an unproven car either. It is going on a proven quality piece of kit, This will go a long way to quelch peoples fears of the POS Taurus of the past.

 

The Big and really Big question is fleet sales. The easiest way to avoid fleet sales contaminating the Name plate is too keep the 500 name for fleet units and offer them with only lower leval trim and minimal to no options. Do not Fleet the Taurus but fleet the 500. At one time the 500's (Fairlane Galaxie etc) were the lower optioned units any way(1960's). Not base units but damn close.

 

 

This is the smartest thing Ford has done in a few years.

 

Take a name with huge regcontion and stuff it on a class leading car. Exactly what the Taurus was for so many years. And will be again. A sure fire recipe for a winner.

 

Mark my words this will bring better sales returns than any thign but a ground up make over of the 500.

 

I predict sales will double and possibly even triple of the Taurus-nee 500 over the 2007 model year.

 

 

Matthew

[Roadrunner]

The problem is the CV is an old fart car, they need to deep six the name and use something different. Interceptor works for me!

 

But remember -- a bunch of people were disheveled when they took away the Taurus name. "Oh no there is no more Taurus"

 

I can see it now: "Oh no there is no more Crown Victoria, better not go to the Ford dealership"

 

I say make both the Crown Vic and the Interceptor based on the same car - and make the Interceptor the "stylish and awesome" version. OR -- rename the Crown Vic the Interceptor, but keep the Grand Marquis, which is more popular among retail buyers anyway.

 

The only trouble is Mercury is probably trying to bite its own arm off to give the GM the heave-ho as the brand is trying to foster a "Generation X"-age demo.

[Roadrunner]

The easiest way to avoid fleet sales contaminating the (Taurus) name plate is too keep the 500 name for fleet units and offer them with only lower leval trim and minimal to no options. Do not Fleet the Taurus but fleet the 500. At one time the 500's (Fairlane Galaxie etc) were the lower optioned units any way(1960's). Not base units but damn close.

This is the smartest thing Ford has done in a few years.

 

Take a name with huge regcontion and stuff it on a class leading car. Exactly what the Taurus was for so many years. And will be again. A sure fire recipe for a winner.

 

I love this idea.

 

500 owners will hate it, but I love this idea for the fleet sales.

[WC-MAN]

:happy feet:

This is the first sane thing I've seen an American car company do in a long time. Toyota and Honda have great brand loyalty...No shit! I wonder why? Because every Honda bigger than a civic since the seventies has had the Accord name. Camry has been around since the eighties. Trough thick and thin, they have protecteed their brand. Accords used to be grade A crap, but nobody has ever had to look at Honda's family car and ask "What is that?"

 

The concept of changing names over and over is a leftover from the people who let the Japanese get a foothold in this country and then, a decade later, hand them their ass. Its old school thinking that neds to be pitched. To Americans less than 35 years old, the chances are their idea of a Ford car is the Taurus. When you throw that away for the Five Hundred, it hurts your customer base, and I can't find a single case in twenty years where changing the name of a car resulted in sudden sales.

 

So here's to Taurus, My chances of getting a Ford Sedan the next time around has improved tenfold, not because the car is different due to its name, but instead because I feel like someone at FMC is paying attention to me instead of telling me what I want.

 

BTW, this car is a gap filler. Now Ford really needs to focus on making the next generation Taurus t make sure it is perfectly capable of putting Camry in its place.

[RichardJensen]

I would be extremely surprised if Ford sold more than 120k Tauruses, if only because I don't believe they intend to build more than 120k.

[twintornados]

Well....there is always Atlanta Assembly that I am sure would love to be open and building Taurus' again right along side Chicago Assembly

[matthewq4b]

I would be extremely surprised if Ford sold more than 120k Tauruses, if only because I don't believe they intend to build more than 120k.

 

 

If the sales are there they will. They have the capacity at Chicago. And it is not like the Montego or Freestyle are setting any sales records.

 

 

Matthew

[630land]

The new Taurus is a large car per the EPA, and the rental industry considers the mid size class as "full size", i.e. old Taurus/Camry/Malibu. So, the D3 can't be a "fleet queen", since the favorite size for rentals is mid sized to compact. Rarely do travelers rent large cars, and if they need room, they rent vans.

 

Maybe livery and taxi services will buy fleet priced D3's, but the good old Panther is still around till God knows.

[RichardJensen]

If the sales are there they will. They have the capacity at Chicago. And it is not like the Montego or Freestyle are setting any sales records.

Matthew

They may not have the capacity at Chicago. The Taurus X & Sable are every bit as improved as the Taurus. I can easily see these three vehicles providing 240k units of volume with almost no discounting. Provided the advertising support is there.

[silvrsvt]

BTW, this car is a gap filler. Now Ford really needs to focus on making the next generation Taurus t make sure it is perfectly capable of putting Camry in its place.

 

Uh the new Taurus is a full sized car, let the Camry hunting go to the Fusion...thats it true competitor..The Taurus was always too large to truly compete with the Camry and only offered a I4 its first two years on the market (I4 Camries make up better then 50% of its sales)