nibyak Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Heres a link Taurus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_A Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 An idiotic move. Whatever credit I was giving Mullay is gone now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 An idiotic move. Whatever credit I was giving Mullay is gone now Do you have any reasoning behind your opinion, or did you just have to fill your quota of calling somebody an idiot today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_A Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 (edited) Do you have any reasoning behind your opinion, or did you just have to fill your quota of calling somebody an idiot today? Go to the MyFord500.com website, and see how angry most current Five Hundred and Montego owners, including myself, feel about this move. As well as how insulting we feel this move is. I'll quote one of the site members, and it's a guy I have personally had run-ins with, and don't particularly like, but he put it very well: The 500 & Montego were marketed as upscale vehicles from the Taurus. They cost more. They looked better. They had better features. We bought them. Now some hoople decides that they should get a name that reflects a car that lost its sales edge to Camry. Sometimes it's better to let sleeping dogs lie. Yes, Montego will soon become Sable and 500 will become Taurus. Ford has given current 500/Montego owners (its loyal customers) the shafteroo and we will not soon forget that. PROTEST! This forum has 2,061 members. Most likely oppose these name changes. Send your emails to Ford TODAY to protest: https://secure.ford.com/en/support/emailUs.htm OR, call 1-800-392-3673 (in the USA); 1-800-565-3673 (Canada) Like I said, I don't particularly like or agree with this guy, in general, but he's 100% right. The D3's, as currently badged, were marketed to us as upscale replacements for the Taurus and Sable, which by Ford PR Department's own words in January 2004, were damaged by Ford's reliance on fleet sales. As a current Montego owner (and an early adopter), I do feel this name change is insulting, and is also one of the stupidest moves by Ford I've ever seen. The only people I see post on line, in general, that favor this move are Ford hourly employees that seem to ignore the Taurus and Sable's fleet queen reputations, and in many cases, see nothing wrong with large fleet sales, despite proven and documented fact that those fleet sales have greatly reduced resale values. Five Hundred and Montego were supposed to represent a break from that, one of the reasons a lot of non-employee customers gave Ford another chance and bought these cars under their current nomenclature. Now many of us feel like we're being fucked by Ford. Want to bet Ford loses more customers than they gain by this move? Edited February 6, 2007 by Len_A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukemullen Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 I think this is a good move, Five Hundred was a stupid name to begin with. It was too long and had no history behind it, other that it was a trim level on Galaxies and Fairlanes 40 years ago. It made as much sense as naming a car Ghia or Grabber. I understand the point that the Five Hundred was a larger, more upscale car than the Taurus, but the fact is, the Five Hundred has not sold that well, Taurus has better name recognition, and Ford needs to do something to attract attention to the updated 2008 model. Ford is just admitting dropping Taurus was a mistake, and is doing the only realistic thing to correct that mistake. Although it's just a name, it represents a very un-Ford move and is reflective of Mulally beginning to make some changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Want to bet Ford loses more customers than they gain by this move? Sure! AOL Story Looks like the general non-car-afficianado supports the move based on the poll results there. While it may be a kick in the groin to current D3 owners, let's face it -- there aren't that many of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukemullen Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 As a current Montego owner (and an early adopter), I do feel this name change is insulting, and is also one of the stupidest moves by Ford I've ever seen. I really don't understand why this is so insulting to you D3 owners. It's not like the car is going away, it's just being improved and renamed. It's a very good car that was hampered with a lack of power, dull styling, and a dumb name with zero marketability. We should be praising Ford for doing what is has not done in the past: fix the problems with a model instead of letting it die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89-Pony Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 You cannot fix one mistake by making another! Dropping the Taurus name was a mistake. Renaming an existing car will fool no one. Ford fixed 50% of the Five Hundred's problems with the 3.5. They did not fix the other 50%, namely, the 5/4ths Passat mid-80's roofline. On top of it all, they simply REFUSE to market this car! I hope the rollout of the '08's will change the marketing problem. Also I hope the reviews of the '08's are stellar. If they are not, this car is doomed, regardless of the name. Don't get me wrong -- I really want to like the Five Hundred, as I will be in the market for an AWD roomy vehicle that gets decent mileage within the next 12 months. But this renaming move, on top of the 50% effort on the '08 redesign, leaves me more convined than ever -- This company is run by jackasses. And no, I am not a Ford employee, just a lifelong Blueblood whose loyalty is being tried again and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 You cannot fix one mistake by making another! Dropping the Taurus name was a mistake. Renaming an existing car will fool no one. Ford fixed 50% of the Five Hundred's problems with the 3.5. Giving the Taurus name a break from use was an excellent idea - that name had problems before. Renaming an existing car can fool many if they aren't aware of its predecessor, the Five Hundred. I agree with you that the dull ride needs fixing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Renaming an existing car can fool many if they aren't aware of its predecessor, the Five Hundred. Based on D3 sales, that's just about everybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 As a owner of a 05 500 Limited AWD, I have to say I am very upset with the renaming. They might as well have named it the 2008 "Ford piece of ____". The Fusion replaced the Taurus and is doing well. When I think of the name Taurus it reminds me of a Cheap Rental Car. The executives at my company were ready to trade their 300c gas hogs in for 500 limited's. I guarantee that will not happen now with the new cheap and poor resale name "Taurus". This wasn't a Bold Move it was a Idiotic Move. Taurus X is also a stupid name for the Freestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 As a owner of a 05 500 Limited AWD, I have to say I am very upset with the renaming. They might as well have named it the 2008 "Ford piece of ____". The Fusion replaced the Taurus and is doing well. When I think of the name Taurus it reminds me of a Cheap Rental Car. The executives at my company were ready to trade their 300c gas hogs in for 500 limited's. I guarantee that will not happen now with the new cheap and poor resale name "Taurus". This wasn't a Bold Move it was a Idiotic Move. Taurus X is also a stupid name for the Freestyle. Changing the name of the car won't change its resale value. Its appearance will be different enough that used car buyers won't get them confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcon lover Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 i dont like the D3 cars, but the changes are very good. I like the new grille, head lamps and rear end. the rebadged are good idea. is a smart move. the Taurus name is an iconic name, and may be a good move in order to have better sales numbers. I approve the Mullalay idea ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcon lover Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 As a owner of a 05 500 Limited AWD, I have to say I am very upset with the renaming. They might as well have named it the 2008 "Ford piece of ____". The Fusion replaced the Taurus and is doing well. When I think of the name Taurus it reminds me of a Cheap Rental Car. The executives at my company were ready to trade their 300c gas hogs in for 500 limited's. I guarantee that will not happen now with the new cheap and poor resale name "Taurus". This wasn't a Bold Move it was a Idiotic Move. Taurus X is also a stupid name for the Freestyle. ..... and Fish is a stupid name for a man in this forum ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 ..... and Fish is a stupid name for a man in this forum ....... Hey, it worked for this guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintin Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 (edited) Five Hundred was a silly name anyhow. Maybe if they stuck a "Galaxie" badge on it or something. I wish they would have kept the Montego name. Same shit, different pile. :mellow: Edited February 9, 2007 by Quintin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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